(1987) Tchangodei/Mal Waldron - Les Venins D'Afrique ****

 

With: Tchangodei (piano), Mal Waldron (piano)
Record date: May, 1987

Mal and Tchangodei made another record together called ‘Les Venins D’Afrique’. It’s a piano duet like Mal has recorded before: it’s not an unusual setting for him. This live performance isn’t exactly a battle or competition. It’s really more about interplay and interaction with each other. Mal’s role is more prominent than on their great studio album and it’s very interesting to hear the differences and similarities in their playing. Sometimes they play together, sometimes one of them solos while the other plays in the background and sometimes it's just one of them you can hear playing. 

Both pianists are strongly blues based and make use of modal vamps in their music. Both are very percussive players focussing not only on melody but alos on rhythm. But Tchangodei is more of a virtuoso with a hint of McCoy Tyner here and there where Mal is more of repetitive player in the tradition of Monk. A common influence seems to be Cecil Taylor. As the music balances between beautiful modal African themes and more free almost chaotic movements. Also a very nice contrast in their playing is that Mal mostly uses the lower registers of his piano while Tchangodei uses the upper register extensively. That really complements each other nicely.

The record consists of 5 untitled suites. I can’t recognize any known Waldron theme’s and the composition feels like it’s created on the spot. Some free improvisation but with a clear structure. One of the pianists sets the structure, the other follows. It’s another interesting piano duet and a great chance to hear the great Tchangodei at the piano. Mal is in excellent form here and sounds inspired by his component. Side B is probably the best with beautiful Afrocentric theme's and great interplay by both pianists.

Like with most Tchangodei releases, this one is not easy to find. It was self-released by Tchangodei, which means there are not a lot of copies in circulation. The sound quality is very acceptable but not in the standards of a label like Soul Note for example. The sleeve doesn’t give any info: no liner notes, no recording information. A copy pops up at Discogs from time to time for mostly around 40 or 50 euros. Though not essential, it’s a very interesting record. Fans of Abdullah Ibrahim should definitely give this one a spin.