Record date: December 19, 1995
For his last record for the great record label TUTU, Mal encounters Roamanian saxophonist Noicolas Simion in a duet form. Simion became the replacement fo Jim Pepper, who died so young back in 1992. Mal was a bit skeptical at first but after playing a few times with Simion he was convinced this could work out. And it really did. Part from the fact that Simion really is a talented musician, there’s obviously lots of chemistry between the two players. Something that really proves that music is a universal language when one looks at the completely different backgournds of the musicians. An Afro-American, New York born piano player from the golden decades of jazz. And a much younger saxophonist that grew up in one of the most repressive communist countries of Europe. Much as their background differed, their mutual understanding is obvious in a musical but also a personal matter.
Mal is one of the best duo pianists one could think of. His very modest but solid background playing must be the dream of every saxophonist. And he did make a lot of those duo records. With singers, bassists, saxophonists and even drummers. Part from the excellent accompaniment here there’s also lots of space for Mal himself to stretch out. His playing has become a little slower but goes even deeper on an emotional level. The compositions played here are really a mixed bag in a positive manner. There’s a great version of Monk’s Dream with thoughtful interactions between the duo and an excellent solo by Simion. There are some more free efforts like Dinasour’s Dispute with Simion on bass clarinet and ‘Search For Euricdice’ where he plays the soprano. But also some very moody originals like the opening ‘Open Windows’, the beautiful ‘Song for Leo’. Those were composed by Simion and have a mysterious Slavic feel over them. And also the very dark ‘From Dark into Light’ which is a terrific solo piece by Mal himself.
What is making this encounter even better and more special is the experimenting with the roots of Simion's music. The obvious Balkan influences give the music even more energy. A different kind of energy that is very interesting to hear.
Just like all the other TUTU discs this one is easily recommended. Not the most easy one to get a hold of but patience will be rewarded. If a copy pops up at Discogs one could buy it without hesitation. TUTU did a great job capturing such beautiful music. And they released in a beautiful way with a nice booklet with great liners and photography. They should do a TUTU boxed set!
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