Record date: June 10, 1989
Mal has had some very, very good quintets: with Lacy and Schoof, with Rouse and Shaw, but this one should not be forgotten to. In June 1989 Mal made two records with a quintet consisting of himself, Sonny Fortune on alto saxophone, Ricky Ford on tenor saxophone and a solid familiar rhythm section with Reggie Workman on bass and Eddie Moore on drums. Both Fortune and Ford are truly overlooked masters of their instrument. Sonny Fortune is best known for his appearances with Miles Davis’ fusion groups but also his spiritual postbop records for Strata East and A&M in the ’70’s. Ricky Ford is a highly talented tenor player that can swing hard but also dares to go more outside with his playing. He was so unfortunate to break trough in a period that jazz was becoming less and less popular. He made his best output for Muse records but quite a lot of that stuff has never been issued on cd.
Choosing two saxophonists instead of one saxophonist and one trumpeter is a very refreshing idea. Especially because the styles of both Fortune and Ford have quite a lot in common. They are both players that are with one foot in the jazz tradition, but the other foot is really explorative entering some more free territories here en there. This album consists of two very long originals with plenty of space for all the players too really stretch out. The title song starts with Mal’s dark repetitive theme in the lower registers and Workman funk things up. After the theme it’s Ricky Ford that starts with one of his most intense solo’s I have ever heard. In 6 minutes he destroys everything around him with wild overblows and rolling clusters of notes. Mal’s solo is of great brilliance first leaving the theme and soloing in all the space he gets from Workman and More. Then he returns back to that dark funky groove mostly hitting the lowest keys swinging like a madman. Last one to be heard here is the great Sonny Fortune with his very pleasant tone. I am really a big fan of his first records like ‘Waves of Dreams’ and ‘Awakening’ that had a sincere spiritual feeling. He really plays that way here. He’s a skilled and technical player but also with a deep spiritual groove. Just like Ford he loses himself in the modal theme’s, playing more intense every minute as the music progresses. Around the 19th music it builds to it’s absolute climax. Some alto players really have a shrill sound, especially when they overblow but Fortune has not. His sound stays warm and very pleasant. The song is concluded with some excellent soloing by both Workman and Eddie Moore.
The second and last composition on the album ‘Yin and Yang’ is a little different with a more traditional postbop feel in the rhythm. The rhythm really is yin and yang here moving back and forwards between slow and very fast. It’s those sudden rhythm changes that make the music even more exciting. And another showcase of Workman’s incredible bass playing running trough all the scales. This time it’s Sonny Fortune who kicks off and again he doesn’t disappoint for a second. He has no problem coping with all the rhythm changes playing all kinds of licks without losing creativity for a second. His playing is raw, bluesy and dirty. It’s loud and in your face. Ford plays a little more subdued here but still really swings hard on the hypnotic lines provided by Mal and the rhythm section. Really the only downside of the album is the limited solo space Mal takes. But part from that this such a great record.
Together with ‘Where are You’ and the quintet recordings with Charlie Rouse and Woody Shaw, this makes up the first Soul Note boxed set. I’ve got that one but as the box is quite expensive and rare these days one could also just pick up the original issues. The LP mini sleeve in my box sets does not contain any liners whatsoever. Really a pity because I would loved to have known more about these fascinating sessions. Soul Note has really produced some awesome Waldron recordings. This is definitely on of them. What’s probably most weird is that is definitely not among Waldron’s best known records. Very, very unjust. Grab this one as soon as you can.
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