With: Mal Waldron (solo piano)
Record date: March 10, 1986
In March 1986, Mal recorded one of his best studio solo outings for the Italian Soul Note label. Mal solo is almost always an enjoyment to listen to. But there are quite a few sessions where he recorded standards only and those were a bit dull at times. When Mal plays his own material solo the chances of succes are bigger. Albums like 'The Opening' and 'Meditations' are essential Mal. For this solo album, Mal has chosen for a mixed repertoire: it contains some of his own work and some standards. But the standards played here do get a very creative twist which makes this record a fascinating more than 50 minute long journey.
It opens with Free For C.T.: a tribute to Cecil Taylor and the first reference to that pianist on this album. What Mal does excellent is not trying to copy his style but just include elements of his style in his own playing. The whole composition is a fascinating trip going from free oriented jazz to almost classical passages. It's full of new directions and just when you think Mal settles with a melody or style he goes into another direction. This should probably have been titled: variations on a theme by Cecil Taylor (I'll explain later why). The version of 'A Night In Tunisia' starts completely different than the steaming bebop original from the '40's. It starts almost like a melancholic ballad with Mal subtly introducting the theme playing louder and more percussive as the music progresses. It's one of the best versions I know and such a contrast with all those versions with horns. It shows Mal's compositional skills as he can twist any note in the direction he wants rebuilding the original with a diffrent sound. This is how I like him to play jazz standards!
Frank Loesser's 'Inch Worm' (here stated mistakenly as Inch Work) is another huge difference with Coltrane's energetic version from his selftitled album. It's again more in a ballad style with a gentle touch and hints of classical repertoire by Satie for example. A bit confusing is 'Variations on a Theme by Cecil Taylor' which probably should have been titled 'Free for C.T. as the theme is recognizable as the one that was played on later albums as 'Free for C.T.'. Track 1 also really has more variations than the more thematic track 4. Soul Note is a bit sloppy with the title tracks on this one. It's a beautiful melody, with a very Waldronesque sound. It's dark and touching, almost sad. The closing standards are a beautiful way to bring the album to it's end, especially the pretty basic version of 'I Should Care'.
Soul Note has released some real Waldron classics and this is definitely one of them! It's not very hard to obtain a copy on any format. If you like Mal's solo work, this one is essential. If you consider yourself a Mal afficinado it's also essential.
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