(1986) Mal Waldron/Doudou Gouirand/Michel Marre - Space ***1/2

 

With: Michel Marre (trumpet), Doudou Gouirand (alto saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano)
Record date: February, 1986

1986 was a year with quite a lot of highlights for Mal. It was the year his band with Woody Shaw, Charlie Rouse, Reggie Workman and Ed Blackwell was recorded. There was a recorded reunion with Jackie McLean and a Eric Dolphy/Booker Little memorial concert with his old rhythm section and some fresh new talent. And then I am not even mentioning some great dates for Soul Note. His recording year started with this record, with two not very well known French musicians. It’s creative music in the more free spectrum, though I would not say it’s necessarily very unaccesible. But a trained ear for the music is recommended.

So is it any good? Well, it’s not essential stuff but it is not bad either. The starting composition which counts for 20 minutes has some pretty interesting directions. Mal is in superb form showing he is both comfortable with both more traditional jazz as jazz that is more free in nature. This first composition really goes all between the well known and more new territories. Gouirand’s tone is warm and Marre is pretty creative sometimes playing loud then whispering trough his horn again. And that is what the music keeps interesting: sometimes it’s more free and in your face, then it’s more quiet again. And Mal’s soloing around the 17th minute is of great beauty. It’s the whole closure of this first song that is most impressive. Segala has a more march like feeling, like the music on Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra. But it’s a little short. The next composition is even shorter and a bit unnecessary to be honest. The Last Poet is another nice changing direction. A more African based composition with a very joyous theme. The version of Soul Eyes is nice but nothing special. And it’s pretty hearable now that both guys are fine players but not excellent. They miss a bit of technical skill, perhaps even character.

It was released on a pretty obscure French label called Vent du Sud. The music is recorded pretty well but the packaging is very basic. If you happen to find it for a nice price, you know like an additional item when you’re shopping on Discogs you could get it. But you do not really miss something big if it is not in your collection.