(1995) Maturity 4: White Road, Black Rain ****

 

With: Mal Waldron (piano), Jeanne Lee (vocals), Toru Tenda (flute)

Record date: August 6 & 21, 1995

This is the last record to be reviewed from Mal's 1995 birthday tour in Japan. The personell is the same as on the BVHaast disc: 'Travelin Soul-Time'. We've got the great singer Jeanne Lee and Japanese flautist Toru Tenda. And it also has some tracks in common with that record. The two songs that were written in remembrance of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hirsohima and Nagasaki during WWII, based on Japanese poems. 

But there are also different tracks here: Like the starting Japanese lullaby with it's sweet yet sad sounding, perfectly fit for the Waldron/Lee duo. Jeanne Lee meanders sotfly over Mal's chords in the background, improvising in a language that does not really contain words. Very nice. 'White Road' is probably the piece I like best by them. With it's dark atmopshere, and Jeanne Lee almost 'telling' this impressive and sad poem on Mal's subdued chords. It really is a reminder of the horror's of that very day in Hiroshima. Jeanne Lee is a singer of pure feeling and she makes it possible to almost relive those events in your head. 'Black Rain' is less structured and is clearly representing the horrors in the hours after the drop of the big one. I personally do not like the more free form singing here but that is a matter of taste. But everyhing is made even better with the closing jazz standard 'Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child'. It get's a very thoughtful treatment and Lee's soft and sweet voice just hits all the right notes. 

I am no vocal jazz fan but this is great stuff. I have to say that Mal's role in it is a bit limited. Yet he is able to create the right atmosphere with his moody voicings in the background. Biggest downside is probably it's short length. It was initially released on Dan or Tokuma Japan in 1995 and in 2003 made Volume 4 in the Maturity series. Unfortunatly it doesn't contain as much photograph's as the previous two volumes. The sound is great anyway. Like all of those Tokuma discs it is not very easy to pick one up. Prices mostly start around 50 euros. Chances are probably best again trough websites like Buyee or something like that. For everyone that likes the voice of Jeanne Lee: this is recommended stuff.