Record date: July, 1985
Mal’s second duo recording with David Friesen was a live encounter in a LA restaurant. As a recording date, it’s his first of many albums for the Soul Note label. But this one was released posthumously in 2006, hence the title: Remembering Mal. The album has a more jam session like feel than their Muse studio album. That means a little less emotional depth but a highly enjoyable live gig filled with jazz standards.
And they chose some very fine jazz standards. If I Were a Bell has that same joyous feel over it like the studio version on the Muse album. It’s highly energetic and Friesen really shows of his excellent technique. ‘Fire Waltz’ is of course a classic and it’s nice to hear Friesen’s freewheeling accompaniment while Mal is giving an excellent solo. ‘Round Midnight is always beautiful out of Mal’s hands and this is not an exception though it does not level up with the version with Workman and Blackwell. All in all, Mal and Friesen were a well matching duo. Friesen is a modest bassist with an excellent technique. In no way one of the musicians try to overrule the other, it really is interplay on a high level.
Released quite recently this is still quite easy to obtain. It’s also part of the second Soul Note/Black Saint box which I highly recommend. 11 Mal discs for around 30 euros is really a steal. The overall sound quality of this recording is not optimal. Friesen’s bass is pretty well recorded but Mal’s piano sounds a bit plastic at times. There’s also a lot of background restaurant noise but that really doesn’t bother me at all. It adds up to the live atmosphere. It might irritate you if you’re sensitive for that kind of stuff. This is not essential Mal, but just a very enjoyable live session by two gifted musicians.
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