In April 1964, Dolphy accompanied
Charles Mingus and his band on a tour of Europe organized by
George Wein. (Performances from this tour were documented on
Revenge!,
The Great Concert of Charles Mingus,
Mingus in Europe Volume I, and
Mingus in Europe Volume II.) Prior to leaving the U.S., however, Dolphy told Mingus that he intended to remain in Europe upon completion of the tour, rather than remaining with the band. Mingus and his group returned to the U.S. in early May, at which point Dolphy moved to Paris, at first staying with an old army friend, and intending to settle down with his fiancée, dancer Joyce Mordecai. During this time, Dolphy began playing at the
Le Chat Qui Pêche club with trumpeter
Donald Byrd and saxophonist
Nathan Davis,) Dolphy maintained a busy schedule over the next few months. On May 28, he made a recording in Paris for radio broadcast with a quartet that featured pianist
Kenny Drew, bassist Guy Pedersen, and drummer
Daniel Humair. These tracks were released on Humair's 1994 album
Surrounded 1964-1987, as well as on
The Complete Last Recordings: In Hilversum & Paris 1964. and where he recorded the music that would be released on the album
Last Date. Back in Paris, during the remainder of June, he led a number of ensembles (including the one heard on
Naima), and performed and recorded with Sonny Grey's big band and
Jack Diéval's All Stars. Immediately prior to his death in Berlin on June 29, Dolphy had been making extensive plans. He expressed an interest in reuniting with the musicians who performed on
Last Date, and was preparing himself to play with
Cecil Taylor. In addition, he was writing a
string quartet titled
Love Suite. The June 11 recordings are unique in that, prior to that day, Dolphy had not recorded with either Donald Byrd or Nathan Davis. originally appeared on
Outward Bound, while "Serene" originally appeared on
Out There.) ==Reception==