(1966) Dusko Goykovich - Swinging Macedonia ***1/2

 

With: Dusko Goykovich (trumpet, flugelhorn), Nathan Davis (flute, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone), Eddie Busnello (alto saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Peter Trunk (bass), Cees See (drums)
Record date: August 30 & 31, 1966

1966 was the year of Mal’s slow comeback to the jazz scéne in Europe. He recorded his first two albums as a leader, both in Italy before moving to Germany. In Germany he first lived in the city of Cologne before eventually settling in Munich for more than 20 years. In Cologne, Mal lived near the Yugoslavian trumpeter Dusko Goykovich and he gigged regularly with him. Goykovich was born in the town of Jajce which is located in current Bosnia Herzegovina. Those were the years of Tito, communism, the iron curtain and Yugoslavia’s no affiliation politics. There might have been a big barrier in Europe in those years but jazz really is an international language and there was a lively jazz scene in Yugoslavia.

For this album Dusko is not only accompanied by Waldron but also by the excellent and highly underrated multi reedist Nathan Davis (I love that guy). The other guys were all well established names in the European jazz scene all appearing on countless of European jazz cd’s. Peter Trunk was in Hans Koller’s band for a while and Cees See appeared more than once next to Waldron. They are all very solid players, although I find Busnello a little boring.

This is some very interesting music for the period it was recorded in, the combination of names in personnel but also the repertoire played. The Eastern European influence in pretty evident in some of the compositions and there’s a slight hint of some fine gipsy jazz here and there. The results are sometimes pretty successful. The opening Macedonia and also the Fertility dance sound exotic, creative and full of power. An excellent blend of different musical cultures. Also Mal’s percussive style fits in perfectly. ‘Saga Se Karame’ truly sounds amazing with a fantastic soprano solo by Davis. This was really some of the more advanced music with plenty of space for both See and Trunk to come out of their comfort zones. But on the more contemporary jazz compositions all the energy fades away and that is very unfortunate. Songs like ‘The Gypsy’ and ‘Old Fisherman’s Daughter’ or ‘Bem-Basha’ miss that creative spark and are really one out of a dozen of jazz records. No bad playing but just not as interesting as those more up tempo compositions with that Eastern feeling.

Dusko really is an excellent player with great technical skills. The influence by Miles is a little to big here and there (especially when he is playing the muted trumpet) but he has enough power to really make a statement. He also had fine compositional skills as most of these originals by him prove. Both Davis and Waldron are in excellent form but sounded better on their own records from those years. They mostly shine on the more original compositions where they have more space to show off their own creative forces. The rhythm section plays excellent but is mostly in the background.

This was originally released on Phillips, Columbia and Odeon. Those originals are worth quite some money. The Enja reissues are a better buying option. This record really has two faces: the compositions where the Eastern influences are more dominant are very interesting. The more contemporary jazz compositions are a little boring and feel like they are unnecessary breaks in mostly creative music.

(1980) Roy Burrowes Sextet featuring Mal Waldron - Live at the Dreher **1/2

 

With: Roy Burrowes (trumpet), Richard Raux (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Patrice Caratini (bass), George Brown (drums), Roger Raspall (percussion)
Record date: March 10, 1980

Like he did for so much time of his life, Mal kept on touring in Europe. And when he toured he hardly ever used a real touring band. Most of the times he would appear solo or play with local musicians. Roy Burrowes is one of those musicians. He is probably most well known for his appearances in the Duke Ellington band. Part from that he made a few appearances as a sideman with Archie Shepp and Clifford Jordan and he lived in Paris most of his life. Then there is Richard Raux, a French saxophonist who was mostly known in the local scene. Patrice Caratini who played an excellent bass part on Mal’s ‘Blood and Guts’. And there is George Brown, an American drummer residing in Paris most of his life. He definitely had some experience with the free jazz scene playing with names like Frank Lowe, Archie Shepp, David Murray and later in his career: the great Sonny Simmons.

Now this record is a bit of a mixed bag. There are some nice suprises on it and also some dissapointmens. What stands out the most is the huge gap between some of the more free oriented musicians and the more traditional players. Both Burrowes and Raux sound a bit uncomfortable at times, while Waldron, Caratini an Brown sound as if they play with a foot on the breaking pedal.

The opener ‘Compton Blues’ , which is composed by Burrowes, is very, very boring. Really if someone wants to hear a more exciting peace on Compton one should play NWA’s ‘Straight Outta Compton’. The song is a very simple blues and it sounds like a jam session in a local cafe. Every musician sounds uninspired and it all sounds very, very old fashioned. Fortunately there are some Waldron compositions too. ‘Hard Talk’ is probably one of the more exciting tracks. You could really hear that it asks a lot more from all the players. Both Burrowes and Raux struggle to get by and the contrast with Lacy and Schoof is pretty big. Yet both leave their comfort zones and that is worth something. The whole rhythm section really flourishes here. Mal is great and Caratini shows what he’s worth of. Brown has some more freedom to stretch out and plays an excellent solo.

Except ‘Seagulls of Kristiansund’ all of the compositions are by Burrowes and they all fail to really impress. Mal was on an artistic peak here but doesn’t have any space to show off. 'Jamaica' has a pretty lame Caribbean feel which really feel way too smooth for something Waldron would play.  The version of Seagulls is ok but pretty forgettable in comparison to the other versions with names like Lacy, Woody Shaw or Charlie Rouse. Perhaps it’s not fair to compare but when you know those records you immediately do that.

‘Live at the Dreher’ was issued twice on cd and never on vinyl. The first issue is from 1993 and the second is a digipack version from 2014. I have got that one and it is excellent in sound, but as with all of those Marge digipacks there is no liner notes or whatsoever. That’s a pity as the band is pretty unknown and some more info would be more than welcome. It’s on Bandcamp, Spotify and Amazon Music too. This really is for completists only. The music never is disturbing but it is very, very average.

(1978) Moods ****1/2

 

With: Terumasa Hino (trumpet), Hermann Breuer (trombone), Steve Lacy (soprano saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Cameron Brown (bass), Makaya Ntshoko (drums)
Record date: May 6 and 8, 1978

One-Upmanship’s follow up album one year later was named Moods. It’s almost equally as great, almost…. The personnel is a true reflection of our worlds inhabitants, a United Nations in jazz with Hino from Japan, Breuer from Germany, Lacy, Waldron and Brown from the U.S.A and Ntshoko from South Africa. That diversity gives the music an extra dimension. Moods is partly filled with solo sessions, and three sextet performances. There are a few well known Mal compositions like ‘Sieg Haile’, 'A Case of Plus 4s' and the first appearance of 'Soul Eyes' by Mal as a leader.

The group parts are probably the biggest highlight of the album. It’s a killer group with experienced musicians. ‘Sieg Haile’ has always been a fantastic piece of music, in any form. But with a group like this it’s coming close to perfection. That perfection starts with Brown’s groovy bass and Ntshoko multirythmic cymbal playing and a thick bass drum that sets the beat. Lacy plays a pretty subdued solo (at least for his doing) showing some of the skills he would use in later duets with Mal. Hino’s a pretty loud player too but his solo here is thoughtful and explorative in a pretty gentle manner. He really tries to focus his playing on the rhythms provided by the rhythm section. Mal’s solo is one of great ease and a very bluesy feel. It’s just feeling, no more and no less. And just like Hino Mal’s talking to the rhythm section constantly and they react at what he’s doing.

Minoat has a bit of a Mingus feel. And Mal was definitely inspired by the great bassist, playing with him on several of his albums including the classic ‘Pithecanthropus Erectus’. It could be the score of a movie also, reminding a bit of his Impulse! from 1967 ‘Sweet Love, Tender’. Terumasa plays a very soulful solo with lot’s of extra air trough his horn. But his tone always remain powerful and very confident. Minoat is probably one of Waldron’s most accessible works from this time. The last sextet song is ‘A Case of Plus 4’s’ which is a more brooding Mal composition appearing here for the first time. In it’s second appearance it would be a duo with Lacy and be a bit more laidback. The music here is intense with Hino playing the lungs out of his body. He plays small runs of multiple notes, then returning to loud one or two note statements interacting with both Mal and Ntshoko. Lacy plays another great, relatively inside solo. Only Breuer fails to really impress me. The one who actually steals the show is Mal himself milking those same notes again. Mal is bluesy, funky and swinging all at once. And Cameron Brown is also in prime form following the funky lines from Mal’s piano. Brown had already proven himself to be a great bass player with Archie Shepp and he really fits in this group. Great solo by him too.

The solo parts are sometimes beautiful, and sometimes just okay. Anxiety is a Waldron composition which truly reflects what it’s title stands for. It’s an interesting listen yet fails to really catch me like so many other Mal compositions did. ‘Thoughtful’ is tearjerking beautiful with it’s sad feeling all trough the piece. Amazing to hear how Mal’s left and right interact with each other. The same goes for ‘Lonely’ where Mal could say a thousand things with the spare notes he uses. Again a song with a deep emotional feel. Beautiful until it slightly merges into a blues than returning to the theme again. The solo sessions are also a nice alternation with the sextet parts. Some kind of break to take a breath. “Happy” is a more up-tempo blues with a repetitive feel. It indeed has more of a happy feeling but like the opening ‘Anxiety’ it fails to stay interesting all trough the song. Absolute solo highlight is of course the beautiful version of Mal’s best known classic ‘Soul Eyes’. Made famous by the great John Coltrane, it’s very refreshing to hear the song coming out the hands of the composer. Mal treat’s his classic with respect and love and stays close to the original theme. He show’s his more classical oriented solo style here with a pretty good technique in both hands playing fluent lines of notes. Fortunately he was to record this composition more than only this time.

As I mentioned before in my ‘One-Upmanship’ review: if you do not have the German cd issue of that session, you should get Moods on vinyl. Otherwise you miss two solo parts: Thoughtful and Duquility. They probably left those two out on the ‘Moods’ cd issue because of the time but it’s really a stupid thing to do. They should have made it a double cd instead and include the full session. I own the 24bit master edition on cd from 2006. It’s great in sound quality but lacks any liner notes which is really another missed opportunity. It’s definitely the cheapest option but not the most recommended. It’s definitely worth to buy the original LP. ‘Moods’ itself is highly recommended and among his best records. Mal was really in prime form this period.

(1972) Mal Waldron/Terumasa Hino - Reminicent Suite *****

 

With: Terumasa Hino (trumpet), Takao Uematsu (tenor saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Isao Suzuki (bass), Motohiko Hino (drums), Yuhji Imamura (percussion)
Record date: August 14, 1972

Ah there it is: my one and only FAVORITE Mal Waldron record. And as a huge Waldron fan, that says a lot. If I had the possibility to just save one record from my burning house, it was this one. Not only for its rarity but mostly because i’ts so freakin’ good.

For ‘The Reminicent Suite’ Mal gathered 5 local musicians to perform with him. Some are more known like Terumasa of course but the others are mostly well known in Japan itself but not outside of it. Every single one of them has surprised me with their ability to keep up with Mal. They all sound talented and it’s a pity they never broke trough outside of Japan.

The first suite on side A start with deep droning groove played simultaneously on piano and bass. When the rest of the band starts to play the music gets more intense by the minute. The first soloist is Terumasa Hino who almost play his lungs trough his horn. But every time he almost loses it he grips it back again and rocks it's completely. Next in line is the for me unknown Uematsu who truly surprises me with his sound. He’s daring, building up tension, play both inside and outside but still sound very accessible. He also sounds pretty unique, not like a false copycat trying to imitate an American jazz saxophonist. In the meanwhile Suzuki is all over the place using every single fret of his bass pushing the band to it’s limits. Also shining is Terumasa’s younger brother on drums: Motohiko. A very solid and tight drummer who is constantly responding to what is going on. After the return of the catchy starting theme Terumasa is suddenly alone. He uses electric effects on his trumpet to make the desolate feeling even stronger. The band returns quite soon but this time with soft and gentle notes that resemble a completely different atmosphere. It’s a very sad and dark melody, reminding of Mal’s ‘All Alone’ composition. Tear jerking beautiful. Hino’s solo is more subdued and slow but still pretty loud. Uematsu strikes me a second time as a great saxophone player with a unique sound and his own identity. Again some great soloing by him. One more chorus by the whole band ends side A and leaves me blown away every time I have heard it.

On side B there is another suite: Black Forrest. It starts with some percussion sounds that remind more of the ambient influences in Don Cherry’s music (including the flute playing). It doesn’t take very long before the main theme enters. It’s a modal composition with a funky feel. The first theme has a bop influence in it too, something that was far away on side A. Then a dialogue starts between Hino and the percussionist. Hino’s solo is again of great intensity and very loud: sometimes playing changes but also experimenting with different blowing techniques and unique sounds. On ‘Black Forrest’ Mal also has some more opportunity to stretch out. His sound fits without a problem on the modal backings by the great rhythm section. Still his role is pretty modest on the whole record. Perhaps that is the only downside of it.

What makes this such a great record are the individual talents but also the enormous interplay between them. The huge varieties in tempo, theme’s and atmosphere. But also the way the band really plays on the edge and sometimes over it without losing a fraction of control. The music is so free, yet so structured. You could hear new things in every listen.

This amazing record has been reissued on both cd as on vinyl by BBE recently. If you are a real Mal fan and a music collector it’s worth every penny. There’s also some great news for everybody with a Spotify account: there’s a remastered version on it! One has to search a little as the title is in Japanese but is catalogued under Waldron’s name. A great opportunity to hear this masterpiece. Then after listening to it: write Mosaic a letter they should do a Mal Waldron 'Victor' box!

(1972) Mal Waldron / Steve Lacy - With the Steve Lacy Quintet ***1/2

 

With: Steve Lacy (soprano saxophone), Steve Potts (soprano & alto saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Irene Aebi (cello), Kent Carter (bass), Noel McGhie (drums)
Record date: May, 1972

Still staying in Paris, Mal recorded another session while he was there. Again he recorded with Steve Lacy. And just like there session of the year before: the music played is among the most avant-garde Waldron ever put on record. The guys went into the studio for the French ‘America’ label which put out dozens of brilliant free jazz records those days by Archie Shepp, Frank Wright, Clifford Thornton and many others. They really did a good job capturing the lively free jazz scene of those days in Paris.

The record starts with the only Waldron composition on the album: ‘Vio’. What is interesting is that it doesn’t sound like Waldron composition. And that is what makes this collaboration so good: Lacy really pushes Mal Waldron in different directions. Again the vamps and clusters he plays here sometimes show a little influence by Cecil Taylor, a pianist who Mal held in high regard. The music here is really leaving all conventional jazz patterns, although later in the song Mal does get back in his percussive chord playing. Lacy starts with a pretty freaky ‘out’ solo after which Mal takes over interacting with both McGhie and Carter. Then there’s Aebi…. I do not want to offend anybody but let’s say I am mostly glad she doesn’t start singing. Also her cello playing does not really move me. Steve Pott’s solo is pretty good: he goes totally out on Mal’s heavy vamp’s. 

The other two compositions were written by Lacy. ‘Jump for Victor’ is immediately recognizable as such. It has that funny Lacy timing that is sometimes just out beat and then in it again. There’s definitely no rest here for the listener as the free journey continues. Mal is pretty much all over the place. He does a good job but still feels a bit uncomfortable here and there. I think there was a reason he did not return much to this kind of music. Both Lacy’s and Pott’s solo are very loud and intense again. Lacy always surprises me in playing so far out but sounding so much in. He truly was one of the very best soprano players ever.

The original ‘America’ LP is still available for a reasonable price. But this one was also released as part of the ‘Free America’ series by Verve France. These were limited edition cd’s and I always loved their packaging: they are truly a small piece of art. Also on that cd version, there are two bonus tracks, that are definitely worth checking out. Fascinating music but not for the faint hearted: this is not the kind of music you put on when you have your parents in law over for dinner. Or perhaps it is when you want them to leave soon. It’s a great record an essential hearing when listening to the developments made by the Waldron/Lacy combo. Yet I miss some emotion, feeling and interaction between the two. They have made better records.