With: Danila Satragno (vocals), Mal Waldron (piano) Record date: August 2, 1994
Yup, another date with a singer. This time it’s Italian singer Danila Satragno. A beautiful looking woman from Italy that was still pretty much at the start of her singing career here. And that’s very clear from the beginning. It’s a pretty big step back from the singing by Jeanne Lee and Judy Niemack. I will keep it short this time.
Though there is obviously some potential in Danila’s voice, the songs taken here are just too difficult for her to sing. And you could hear her struggle clearly on some of the selections going almost out of tune here and there. It’s painful to listen to. Mal is in fine form but does not really have the opportunity to shine on all these straight ahead compositional choices.
This mostly is a very unnecessary release. Not only was Satragno not ready yet to be recorded, there is so much echo and reverb it really isn’t nice to listen to. It’s still easy to find on the internet but I really would not recommend it. Perhaps later records by Satragno were better as here voice had more matured. But here, her lack of experience is too obvious. Must have been a nice concert though: it was recorded on a charming Italian piazza.
With: Judy Niemack (vocals), Mal Waldron (piano) Record date: July 10, 1994
Well, let’s say Mal really had a thing for ladies that sang. For this record he accompanies the Californian singer Judy Niemack. Thankfully, just like Jeanne Lee, Judy could sing. Though probably not as creative and skilled as Lee, Judy Niemack does have a pleasant feminine voice to listen too. The title says it all: there’s some Monk, some Mingus and some Mal to be played and sang. Just like the Jeanne Lee album it’s mostly filled with ballads.
Most of the record there’s nothing really interesting going on. It’s really some jazz standards played in a very straightforward duet style. Like most of the other vocal albums, there is mostly too little space for Mal to stretch out and play a solo. And when he does, he sounds a little restrained. The version of ‘The Seagulls of Kristiansund’ is quite beautiful with Niemacks sweet voice singing the theme in a very thoughtful matter. Her vocal soloing is also nice with a well sung vibrato that floats over Mal’s chords in the background. Also some solo space here for Mal! The version of ‘Soul Eyes’ is also pretty nice and refreshing to hear in this setting. Again there’s solo space for Mal which he utilizes beautifully in a laidback style. Unfortanely there’s some scat singing here too, for example on Suddenly. I probably never get used to that.
This was released on the French ‘Free Lance’ label. It’s pretty easy to obtain and pick up a copy. Like all Free Lance releases not a lot time was spent on the design and there are no liner notes. All in all a pretty good vocal album that will please most Waldron fans. If you’re a Judy Niemack fan you should get it right away. This is also a pretty positive difference with those vocal records with Tiziana Simona or Femi Bellomo in the ’80’s. Those were terrible. This is ok.
With: Jeanne Lee (vocals), Mal Waldron (piano) Record date: May 25 & 26, 1994
Mal and Jeanne have worked together plenty of times: in the studios, at live concerts and mostly as a duo or at least in a small group setting. ‘After Hours’ was the first to be put on record. Now I have said enough about my dislike of vocal jazz but Jeanne Lee really is something else. She has a voice so sweet and tender, that it’s hard not to like her. Jeanne has sung in so many settings and is one of the prime examples of female singers in the free jazz scenes. She is of course much known for her appearance with Ran Blake. Yes I still prefer other line-ups and settings but I could listen to Jeanne Lee with appreciation. For this intimate duo setting, she and Mal selected 8 standards that are mostly in a ballad style.
All of them are treated with respect to the originals but it’s not like you have heard them a thousand times before. Lee is one of the more creative singers and very much open to new ideas en perspectives. The warmth and deepness of her voice on Goodbye Pork Pie Hat is beautiful. Her technique is incredible: she could go very high yet so low without showing any sign of struggle. And then there’s here timing focussed beautifully on the chords played by Mal. Which brings us to the big downside of these kind of records: Mal has very, very limited solo space. It’s hard for me to hear such a great pianist turn into a background player. Of course: what he plays is great. There’s nobody who could accompany a singer like Mal but one wishes he would have played a little more than those deep chordings in the background. Also I still have trouble getting at ease with scatting vocals like on ‘Fire Waltz’. Jeanne does a great job, it really is something personal by myself.
This music is widely available on the internet for very low prices. Be careful, because there’s an unofficial Russian release out there too. For every lover of vocal jazz this is essential stuff. It’s definitely one of Mal’s better records with a singer.
With: Steve Lacy (soprano saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano) Record date: March 8 & 9, 1994
Another duo recording by Waldron and Lacy…. Will it ever stop? Yes, at least the recording would. This was their last duo that was recorded officially. So is it any good? Still worth having? There’s only one answer to that question: I am afraid it is. It consists mainly of compositions these guys never played before. Communique has 11 compositions, some by Waldron and some by Lacy. But also some by Monk, Mingus and by one of my all time favorite pianists: the great and underrated Elmo Hope. The Monk compositions played here were also never recorded by the two. This promises something good.
Just like all of their music together there’s a constant quality in their playing from the first minute to the last. There’s interplay, there’s dialogue. There’s emotion, there’s feeling. There’s humor, there’s unpredictability. There’s suprise, there’s comfortable predictability. There’s elegant beauty, there’s raw simplicity. Some mind-blowing complexity as well. This music just contains everything one looks for in music. And it just keeps amazing me how a simple soprano-piano duo can do all those things. Just listen to the sweetness in their playing on Mingus’ Smooch. The cold beauty of Lacy’s horn on top of those warm voicings from Mal’s piano. But next to the more sentimental pieces there’s also the more complex and unpredictable bop compositions like Elmo Hope’s ‘Roll On. Those versions really reflect their deep knowledge of musical theory and every single note sounds creative and original.
The Lacy compositions represent the more free and avant side of the duo. There's some pretty exciting dueling on Esteem. But also again a real treat: a solo effort by Lacy called 'Prayer'. It really has the intimacy of a personal prayer. Lacy solo is always a pleasure listening to. There's some weird feeling of despair or desolation in his playing. It's one of the most intimate experiences I could think of. It's followed by Waldron playing a beautiful solo piano piece called 'Fondest Recollections' which is dedicated to his family. It has this deep emotional feel in it that contrasts to that of Lacy and blends at the same time.
Like almost every duo record by these two superb musicians, this again is highly recommended. And like most of the Soul Note/Black Saint records: it’s pretty easy to get yourself a copy for just a small price. It’s also in the 11cd boxed set by CAMjazz but again: no liner notes. I really see that as a defect of that boxed set. I am pretty sure the original 1997 release does contain them as most of the Soul Notes do. Anyway, do not hesitate to add this one to your collection.
With: George Haslam (baritone saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano) Record date: February 24, 1994
Mal had already recorded for Haslam’s ‘SLAM’ label with Lacy. ‘Lets Call This…Esteem’ was brought out on that label. In 1994 he made his first duo recording with Haslam himself. Haslam is a reed blower (playing anything from a clarinet to a tarrogato) from the United Kingdom. He’s pretty adventurous in not only his playing but also his touring. He has played all over the world, from Mexico to Hong Kong and anything in between. He has played more contemporary jazz styles but also worked with quite a few people from the freejazz scene like Evan Parker, Steve Lacy and Borah Bergman.
For this session Haslam sticks to baritone saxophone and that’s an excellent choice. Mal has played so many duets with so many saxophonists but never with a baritone aside him. It work’s out very, very well. The dark but very warm tones from Haslam’s big baritone sax almost float on the meandering chords and notes from Mal’s piano. As the liner notes by Brian Morton state: it’s like Mal is still accompanying a singer in his mind, and Haslam sounds like he is singing trough is horn. I am truly pleasantly surprised by the warmth and subtlety from Haslam’s baritone sax. Without overblowing his horn or getting into anything extreme he still manages to remain an interesting listen for the full 70 minutes.
The standards here are all treated with much elegance and hearable joy. Mal sets in some chords and George just really takes it from there swinging gently. And Mal has that same gentle swing in his soloing on these jazz standards. There are also two more free form pieces which are more free improvisations than true compositions. The 18 minute closing ‘Motion in Order’ is one of them and sets these guys in another perspective. The interplay of the jazz standards really changes more into a dialogue between the two as they closely listen to each other and interact. Though free of any true structure, the music is far from chaotic or anything like that. In fact: Haslam really remains that sweet tone of his most of the time. But the music does leave the more contemporary side of jazz music and dares to push the boundaries of it. It’s an exciting piece.
Mal himself shines really with his astounding solo variation on a Brahms composition. Yet another example of how his style blends so well with the old classical composers. He treats the theme gently and beautifully but it’s in the solo part where he truly shows off.
These SLAM cd’s are pretty easy to buy anywhere on the internet. In fact, I think it is still in print. The sound of them is pretty good, the packaging a little basic. This record does contain some nice liner notes by Brian Morton, on of the authors of ‘The Penguin Guide to Jazz Records’. Definitely worth having, especially if you are fond of Mal Waldron duets.
With: Doudou Gouirand (alto saxophone, sopranino saxophone), Michel Marre (trumpet, bugle, euphonium), Mal Waldron (piano) Record date: December 10 and 11, 1993
Mal, Doudou and Michel we’re friends for life and played with each other on several occasions. Their studio album ‘Space’ was the first to be put on record. This ‘Le Matin D’un Fauve was the second and also last one. It was recorded live in Tours in a small theater called ‘Petit Faucheux’ where more jazz concerts were recorded in those years. Playing with these Frenchmen is a success in the sense that is showcases another side of Mal. The music is somewhere between free improvisation, noir jazz and classical music. And really everywhere in between. Like Mal is quoted in the liner notes: ‘I change from day to day, minute to minute’. ‘A musician has to change or else he would die’. He certainly applied that to his music. One could immediately identify Mal on a 1966 record or on his last record. His trademarks really always remained the same. But the styles he played in varied enormously. Even in one year. ‘My Dear Family’, ‘Le Matin D’un Fauve’ and ‘Let’s Call This Esteem’; all recorded in the same year but they could not differ more!
This session consists of multiple suites and compositions. Some of them were written by Mal himself, while others were written by Marre or Gouirand. The first two songs have a very strong Waldronesque feeling over them. They are dark, atmospheric and the soft sounds by both Gouirand and Marre we’re well chosen and played. Again ‘Free For C.T.’ is wrongly named. Song 2 is an original that sounds a little like it. But ‘Free for C.T’ is actually track 7 which is credited as Fictions here. The following Marre composition is a bit dull and too repetitive. It lacks originality and does not contain any improvisation. The following improvisation by both horn men also misses the point a little. It get’s a little better when Mal enters with some sweet background playing. All in all the compositions by Gouirand and Marre are among the lesser ones here.
On the compositions by Mal there is more chance for Mal to show off (he’s really in excellent form here) but both Gouirand and Marre fail to make a very lasting impression. Both men do have a warm and very subtle tone but are not very distinctive in their kind. On compositions like ‘Snake Out’ that really stands out too much and the tension for what that composition is known for is almost absent here. Track 7 is Free For C.T. It remains one of Mal’s most beautiful tributes and on this version he plays without any restraints or hesitations: it’s beautiful and straight from the heart. One would wish he would have played it solo.
This music was recorded pretty well and brought out once on the French AA label. There are plenty of copies available on the internet. Interesting music but not essential. Their studio album was a little better.
With: Grover Washington Jr. (soprano saxophone on #1, 2 and 5), Eddie Henderson (trumpet, flugelhorn on #1,3,4 6-8), Mal Waldron (piano), Reggie Workman (bass), Pheeroan Aklaff (drums) Record date: September 23 & 24, 1993
Like so many other jazz musicians, as the aging progressed, the sound of Mal became milder and milder. Especially the Alfa records are very accessible an mostly very much subdued. But with Mal it did not mean he was becoming a boring pianist that was sticking to standards or something like that. The innovative part of his playing was still there but more between the boundaries of straight ahead jazz. But as Mal stated himself: you always have to look forwards, because if you keep looking backwards you might stumble. This last session for Alfa Jazz Japan, recorded in the States is far from boring. But it is a very gentle Mal one hears here. Lots of ballads with only a few exceptions.
Mal was becoming so mild he even decided to work with…. Grover Washington Jr. Respecting every musician in his own way, I am not going to make offensive statements about the guy. But I really, really dislike his sound that reminds me mostly of ahum….. Kenny G. There… I said it. Smooth jazz is for me the anti jazz that freejazz was to so many conservative listeners back in the day (and also still nowadays). I just don’t like it at all. So seeing Washington’s name on the back cover did not make my heart beat faster as one might understand. But I have to say: he’s ok here.
In fact on ‘Footprints’ he actually gets a little triggered by the rest of the band to leave his safe grounds. And then it’s immediately hearable the guy could really play and has an excellent technique. Yes even some soul probably. The rest of the band hardly need an introduction. After Woody Shaw, Henderson is another trumpet giant from the States who experimented with fusion, free forms and of course mostly hard swinging postbop. A guy with fabulous technique and timing. I probably have already said enough about Workman on my blog. That leaves Pheeroan Aklaff who I personally really see as one of the top drummers of jazz today. He mostly made fame in Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet/Quintet but played with so many legends. On this record he is mostly in the background unfortunately and I really pity the fact that he did not play on more occasions with Mal. Like Andrew Cyrille or Ed Blackwell, he would have been a perfect fit. Would love to hear him with the more fiery pieces by Mal like Snake Out or Hooray for Herbie.
Mal’s classic Left Alone puts Washington back in his safe zone which is really unfortunate. His overly smooth sound with it’s predictable licks really not sound sincere. And that really spoils this oh so beautiful ballad and turns it into some honey sweet song that lacks the feeling like on the version with Archie Shepp for example. ‘Sassy’ is a laidback waltz written by Mal with some nice muted trumpet by Henderson. His playing is even better (and more beautiful) on the impressive Japanese folk song ‘Sakura Sakura’. With it’s dark and very moody atmosphere it could easily have been written by Mal himself. But it mostly showcases how Mal’s style really blend with eastern oriented music. That has always been an influence on his own work. When he’s soloing on it, conversing with Workman, constantly playing those dark low chords, that is him on his best.
The rest of the album consists mostly of slow ballads that are all equally beautiful. Again Washington’s tone on the only jazz standard here is a bit too smooth for my taste. Big exception in laid backness is Miles Davis’ funky Jean Pierre that goes surprisingly well in this setting with an all acoustic band. The version Mal recorded later on his album with David Murray was even more exciting. Mal met Miles Davis only once and Miles wasn't very nice to Mal. Miles told Mal: 'you know, you remind me of my brother' on which Mal replied 'oh yeah Miles?'. 'Yeah', Miles said. 'And he's a faggot and I hate him'. Not very friendly but Mal loved him anyway, even after that encounter.
Like most of the Alfa Jazz releases, most of the music here is very accessible. This is not the wild, funky and hard grooving Mal with some loud out there playing or something like that. It is a very pleasant record to listen to with some very, very good musicians and it does contain some beautiful tracks. Music does not always have to be fast or loud. The Alfa cd is a little bit rare. Most sellers dare to ask ridiculous prices for it like they always do with OOP Japanese releases. I do have it and is sounds great but of course as always I am not able to read any liner notes. So maybe the American Evidence release, with different cover art, is the better choice? One could pick up that one easily on Ebay or Discogs. This is Mal Waldron for when you come home after a very busy day. Or when you just want to relax.
With: Charlie Mariano (alto saxohpone), Mal Waldron (piano), Paulo Carduso (bass), John Betsch (drums) Record date: August 24, 25 and 26, 1992
In the summer of 1992 it was time for the second record date with Mariano and Waldron. Just like Mal, Charlie wasn’t retiring from the scene at all. He was still alive and very active in those years releasing his own work and appearing with all kinds of musicians (including a fascinating album with Rabih Abou-Khalil). Like Mal Waldron, Charlie Mariano was open to all kinds of styles. He was also living in Germany like Mal (though the latter had just moved to Belgium) and played with the same Krautrock and psychedelic rock groups in that country. In 1992 the New Europe was really getting shape with fresh democracies and newly formed states. But a part of that New Europe was still burning. Just like ‘Autumn Dreams’ it’s this revolutionary period that is the main theme trough the music.
Also like that first album it’s a mix of compositions by Waldron, Mariano and some jazz standards. The three jazz standards are played in a very decent way with some great soloing by both guys that are really in the spotlight. That means the rest of the group is just playing their part in the background mostly. But the overall playing is just very good. This was one very solid group. Mariano’s original has a bluesy and very sweet melody that keeps coming back like a loop. His soloing is again excellent but a little subdued. He loses some of that on Mal’s ‘Monkish Witticism’ that has this almost uneasy break that suddenly takes a move into some hard swinging territory. It’s a pretty cool composition with lots of unexpected turns and twists just like Monk’s own compositions had. There’s also another relatively short version of Mal’s Seagull’s composition. It’s treated with much elegance and passion by Mariano’s warm alto playing. Another wonderful execution of this Mal classic.
The most interesting part of the album is the almost 20 minutes long suite. Both Mariano and Waldron dare to leave the more usual conventions of jazz and start of dueling together without the rest of the band. It’s a very intimate kind of dueling with both musicians constantly responding to each other. In the ‘Discussions’ part it’s up to Carduso to interact with Mal. He does in a very thoughtful way, making it actually sound like he’s discussing stuff with Mal. Then up comes the anger in the ‘Confrontation’ part which is a nice opportunity for John Betsch to show off his drumming skills (that are very, very good). Mal fires off hard and dark clusters in this haunting duet with the drummer. Concluding the album is the whole quartet with some very intimate interplay between the four of them. Mariano’s passionate saxophone playing runs over beautiful lines that are provided by Mal and Carduso. A great conclusion of a pretty good record.
Where ‘Autumn Dreams’ was a very decent but pretty standard outing, I found this one to be a little more exciting. There’s a little bit more tension in the overall playing and both of the musicians are a little more adventurous. But most of all this is some very comfortable jazz to listen to. Quality music by four quality musicians.
This record was released only once on Alfa Jazz Japan. No reissues on labels like Timeless or Evidence. That makes it a little harder to find yourself a copy and if you do find one it’s probably not cheap for a CD. If you’re a fan of Mariano or the more gentle side of Mal this record will probably not disappoint you.
