Record date: May 11, 1972
1972 was a year with quite some solo records by Mal (4 to be precisely). And where I always found ‘Blues for Lady Day’ a little bit overrated on websites like AllMusic and RYM, I never understood why ‘On Steinway’ was getting such low ratings. Perhaps it had something to do with the awful reissue ‘Fuel 2000’ made? More on that later.
This solo recording starts with the beautiful ‘Portrait of a Bullfighter’ which has an almost classic feeling to it. From that beautiful theme it gets into more bluesy territory and there’s a more Spanish feel in it. After that it returns to that very same beautiful starting theme. It’s one of the prime examples of how Mal could play with silence. It’s also a good example of how one can hear Mal’s classical schooling when he was young. I already named Debussy and Satie as influences on Mal but this song has more of a Chopin feel (a Mal favorite also). The second composition ‘One for Bud’ is something completely different. The way Mal let Bud Powell relive here without simply copying his playing really puts a smile on my face. The whole composition has that Powell drive, but it also shows how much Mal was influenced by Bud. Monk is always named as the prime influence but when you listen close to Mal there is always a slight hint of Bud Powell also. Especially in the way he closes a tune for example and the sometimes restless feel in the more fast compositions.
‘For Eric Satie’ is Mal’s very first tribute to the French classical composer. And though it is not a Satie composition it surely breaths a lot of Satie air. The beautiful yet so simple melody. ‘Less is more’ at it’s very best, this is breathtaking music, beautiful to listen to in a room with dimmed lights and nothing else but the music itself to listen to. It’s making clear that just a few notes could say so much. He would later record a full album of Satie in the ’80’s for the Baystate label. The last song on the album is again different, with a different feel. Again a catchy theme and some nice improvising by Mal and again there is a hint of classical influences. With 18 minutes the song is more like a suite. It’s a fascinating listen, keeping your attention from the first till the last minute.
'On Steinway' was originally released in Japan on Overseas records. That is at least what Discogs tells me. The American Paula version is the one with the better known artwork, which was also used for the Japanese reissue on cd by P-Vine. I do not know how the vinyl versions sound. What I can say is this: avoid the crappy reissue on ‘Fuel 2000’ at all costs. I always found that label pretty shady, and the terrible audio quality says it all for me. Believe me: it’s really not even worth de 3 euros you have to pay for it on Discogs. I’ve bought the ‘P-Vine’ cd version from Japan myself and though more expensive it really pays off. Beautiful and warm sound and original artwork. Definitely a recommended solo album by Mal, but be sure to buy the right version. Don’t be spooked by the relatively low scores on certain websites.
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