(1971) The Call ****1/2

 

With: Mal Waldron (electric piano), Jimmy Jackson (organ), Eberhard Weber (electric bass), Fred Braceful (drums)
Record date: February 1,1971

The Call is one of the outstanding records in Mal’s discography. Because it’s a freakin’ great record, but also because it’s Mal’s only record on electric piano. Just like Mal was very aware of what was happening in the freejazz scene, he was also very aware of what was going on in the fusion scene. He collaborated multiple times with German krautrock band ‘Embryo’ and made his first studio album with them around this time. Also, quite a lot his music shows funk and rock elements. Mal was open to so many influences: from traditional bop to free jazz, from rock music to classical music.

On ‘The Call’ Mal is joined by a very diverse blend of musicians. Both Jackson and Braceful were American musicians who were mostly residing in Germany. Both of them were very active in the psychadelic and krautrock scene of the ’70’s over there. These guys are masters in this kind of music and that is made very clear on this record. The German born Weber is a bit different, mostly known for his experiments with relaxed almost ambient music. But he is rockin his pants of on this record. Very refreshing hearing him in a group like this.

The title song is one of the very big highlights from Mal’s career. It would also appear on Embryo’s ‘Steig Aus’ and later in acoustic form on Mal’s fantastic live record ‘Black Glory’. It has a very, very catchy funky groove and a modal pattern that is such a great bass for all the players to improvise on. Mal starts with a great solo, electric but immediately recognizable as Mal Waldron with it’s repeating patterns al trough. Jackson stays mostly in the background but is next to solo and he plays a hell of a solo. Clearly more rock oriented he plays his ass of with solid backing by Mal and the rest of the band. In the meanwhile Weber is playing this thick groove in the background which keeps the music going. There’s also a great solo by Fred Braceful at the end.

Side B is good but does not reach the same level as the title song. Again there’s a catchy tune and some great playing by all of the guys yet it misses the chemistry of the first song. The composition goes more into psychedelic territory and the playing is less structured. Jackson’s solo on organ again is very good. Lovely to hear that just like Mal, he could say enough without using too many notes. The whole song is going more into free territory, more experimental than the title song.

This was a great and highly successful experiment. When I really have to choose, I’d still prefer the acoustic Mal. With that acoustic sound, his music got more emotional depth. But still: I listened to this record hundreds of times and it never bores me. The Call is pretty rare, almost like a cult album to obtain. But it is not impossible. It was only issued once on cd in 2006. The median price on Discogs is around the 60 euros which is a lot of money for a cd. It’s probably easier to buy on vinyl but be prepared to pay a lot of money. With 1325 people wanting this album on Discogs, one could say: this album needs to be REISSUED fast. I prefer a budget cd version and a deluxe vinyl version. I think it would sell. I’ve got the one with the picture cover myself. It sounds absolutely great.