[11] Mingus and his group returned to the U.S. in early May,[12] at which point Dolphy moved to Paris, at first staying with an old army friend,[13] and intending to settle down with his fiancée, dancer Joyce Mordecai.

[14] During this time, Dolphy began playing at the Le Chat Qui Pêche club with trumpeter Donald Byrd and saxophonist Nathan Davis,[13] both of whom appear on Unrealized Tapes.

[20] Back in Paris, during the remainder of June, he led a number of ensembles (including the one heard on Unrealized Tapes), and performed and recorded with Sonny Grey's big band and Jack Diéval's All Stars.

He expressed an interest in reuniting with the musicians who performed on Last Date,[20] and stated that he wanted to start a band with trumpeter Woody Shaw, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Billy Higgins.

"[1] The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings commented: "There has been controversy in the past over some of West Wind's contractual idiosyncrasies, but this is the authentic article... More than just another pick-up band, the Champs Elysees All-Stars sound well versed in the Dolphy literature.