With: Christian Burchard (vibes on 1-7 & 9), Mal Waldron (piano on 1-8), Michael Schone (bass on 5-7), Dieter Serfas (drums on 5-7)
Record date: September 1989 and February 1990
Mal Waldron and Christian Burchard go back a long time until in the sixties. For those who do not know Burchard: he’s a German vibraphone player and drummer that was a member of the etno-fusion band Embryo. Now you might know that Mal made around 4 records with that group and appeared dozens of time with them in live concerts. Waldron and Burchard were really lifelong friends and played together lots of times. But they never made a studio album together. This album was their first and also last encounter. It consists of three parts: 4 duo tracks, 3 quartet tracks and two solos: one by Mal and one by Christian.
I didn’t really expected it but this one of Mal’s most abstract and free playing records. Not constantly trough the album but in large parts (mainly the duets). On the first long song it really is a kind of free improvisation. One could hear these guys have played lots of times together as they interact on every single thing the other is doing. But without structure, a long listening time and piano and vibes only it’s hard to keep your attention with the music. The very short Waters from Waters get’s caught off while they guys are still playing and are actually creating something, a weird choice. The duet gets best at Mal’s standard ‘Left Alone’ which again starts very abstract again but gets more structured and then merges into the theme. Again it’s the interplay between the two that is really striking.
With the introduction of a bassist and drummer the music get’s more structured. But the playing is still kind of free here and there. Marja’s Ball has a more rock kind a feeling and reminds of the Embryo years. It has a repetitive loop, so that is really in Mal’s own style. His improvising on the tune really sounds at ease and he sticks close to his own stylistic elements. The first solo is for Mal on track 8. It’s a nice solo statement with playing that goes really anywhere between his dark chord vamps and his more sentimental playing. It’s Burchard’s turn on the last one. He fails to really get my attention.
This was originally released on Nebula records. I’ve got the Italian reissue on Mariali Sonori from 1999 which is fine and contains some liner notes that contain some weird conclusions (like Tokyo Bound and Reverie being ‘like the first recording Mal made for years’). There’s a difference in track length between the vinyl version and cd version according to Discogs. Especially in the solo parts. Not sure if that data is correct but I think they did cut the tracks… And that’s just plain stupid.
Nice improvising by talented musicians and a beautiful mark of their lifelong friendship. Not essential but not bad either.
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