(1988) Tom Mega - Backyards of Pleasure *

 

Record date: April 6, 1988

There's not a lot of information to find about Tom Mega. Apparently he had been a bit of a naughty boy using lots of dope and being locked up in prison in the 1970's. He's a German singer who recorded several albums before he passed away in the year 2000. I was in doubt if I was going to review this record for this music is just really not my cup of tea. But hey: if one is about to review ALL of Mal's work post 1964, one cannot skip this one of course. I decided to stay as neutral as I could be, listening with open ears and an open mind. But this stuff is just going too far for me and Mal is nothing but a session musician anyway here.

What to expect? Expect heavy outdated '80's synths and keyboards and a ditto outdated sound. The music is rock oriented with a pretty obvious pop twist. Tom Mega is probably a bit influenced by Bowie and Tom Waits but doesn't reach those levels by far. He has a very thick and bit laughable German accent. None of the session musicians sound challenging or inspired anywhere and there space is very limited. So is Mal. I don't why he decided to collaborate for this recording. Was he openminded, in need of money or did he had contractual obligations with ITM? I don't know and just wish to forget this whole record. If you want to complete your Mal Waldron collection like I did: it's cheap and available. And so does it sound.

(1987) Marty Cook Group - Red, White, Black & Blue ***

 

With: Marty Cook (trombone), Jim Pepper (tenor & soprano saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Ed Schuller (bass), John Betsch (drums)

Record date: November 23 & 24, 1987

Marty Cook is an American trombone player who is a little underrecorded. In the 1970's he appeared mostly in freejazz or avant-garde settings with the likes of Marzette Watts, Jeanne Lee and Gunther Hampel. He moved to Munich in 1979 and that is probably how he met Mal. He formed his 'New York Sound Explosion' band there that also consisted of players like John Betsch and Jim Pepper. The whole quintet playing here knew each other from several occasions and most of them were to play on more records together. Mal recorded with Pepper before that very same year and the excellent rhythm section present here would appear on quite a few albums by Waldron. Mal does not appear on all of the tracks but only on 'Spirit War', 'Love Life', 'Grab Bag' and 'Trapeze'. 

Not a lot of avant-garde or free music to be found here. It's all a pretty big step from the New York Loft sounds of the 1970's where Cook also participated in. The music is structured and mostly in the modern bop tradition. The few outbursts by Pepper's tenor aren't very shocking. Though is group definitely has it's moments it fails to make up to it's potential. Most of the musicians sound a little uninspired. Marty Cook improvises in a very monotone and predictable way without any interesting turns or twists. Pepper sounds like he did not had his day. I miss the powerful almost paranoid like playing from his later recordings with Mal. He mostly draws between the lines perfectly but his capable of more than that. Mal is on 4 tracks but his solo space is very limited. The first place to show off a little is on the 3rd track where he is present. He mostly sounds a little restrained but does give a glimpse of the stuff that to come with the rhytm section. 

So what's there to say in a positive way about the recording? Mosty of the compositions are pretty catchy. Stuff like Spirit War, Mr. DC and Trapeze sound excellent and make a lasting impression. It's a pity that they were only played on this session, for as far as I know. Also none of the guys plays bad. It's clear that every single one of them knows what he is doing and the technical skills and licks are all great. And finally: the rhythm section. Schuller and Betsch together works like magic, hand in glove. They complement each other rhythmically and their playing here definitely lifts the music to a higher level. 

A pretty much ok recording but far from essential. If you want the complete session you'd best get the CD version on Enja or TUTU. Plenty of copies to be found. 

(1987) Anthony Braxton - Six Monk's Compositions ****

 

With: Anthony Braxton (alto saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Buell Neidlinger (bass), Bill Osborne (drums)
Record date: June 30 & July 1, 1987

Speaking of fascinating musical collaborations: this is definitely one of them! Braxton recorded several albums for Black Saint, the sister label of Soul Note for which Mal mostly recorded. Braxton had already recorded tons of records but he did not record a lot of Monk. Monk's music is written for musicians like Braxton: they are tricky, complicated and demand a lot of the musician. With his excellent technique and refreshing innovations playing these tunes by Monk was an excellent idea and there was more to come. And Mal and Monk.... well I have probably told it all before: he was a key influence on Mal in the sense of using space, dissonance and his sense of timing. Mal had played of his compositions before, especially with Steve Lacy who was another Monk afficionado. Completing the band here is Bill Osborne (this is probably his only recorded performance?) and bassist Buell Neidlinger who was present at the birth of avant-garde piano playing in the 1950's with Cecil Taylor.

Though Braxton plays a very different style from Waldron they do match pretty well and mostly: they complement each other and force each other to explore other territories. The six compositions chosen are all pretty advanced pieces of music with lots of interesting directions. Braxton shines on all of them with his incredible technique. He could play so fast that you could hardly hear what he's doing in some parts. His playing on this record is fairly accesible and definitely among the more contemporary jazz music he has made. The constantly changing rhythm on 'Brilliant Corners' keeps your absolute attention to the music. And that really is to say with all of the music. Though not very inventive in sound there is a lot going on musically and technically. Also Mal shows another side of him playing very much with Monk's hands here and there. There's the dissonance, the funny time keeping, the unexpected hits and humurous elements. Monk was an influence but that influence is most clear on this very record.

One must know I am not a huge Braxton fan. In no way I would deny the enormous contributions he made to jazz music nor his great skills. It's more that his style does not really move me. For me, he just plays too many notes sometimes. On this record it's also a bit like that though this quartet setting is definitily one I prefer when I listen to him. The band is a very tight one though the focus is mainly on Braxton's and Waldron's playing. Really just listen to 'Skippy' and try not to laugh. Braxton is all over the place, playing probably something like 64th or even 128th notes. He's fast as lightning and it's a mirracle the whole band could keep up with him. It's these kind off compositions that make this record really worth having. 

This is fascinating music as the combination of these artists isn't the most logical but still works out very well. Definitely recommended for both Braxton and Waldron fans. And still widely avaible, It's also in the Cam Jazz boxes by both Waldron as Braxton.

(1985) Kim Parker - Sometimes I'm Blue **

With: Kim Parker (vocals), Mal Waldron (piano), Isla Eckinger (bass), Ed Thigpen (drums)
Record date: May 28 & 29, 1985

Kim Parker was Bird's stepdaughter: she was Chan's daughter. I'm not an autobiographical expert on Bird but I am pretty sure he has written his classic 'Kim' for the singer that is present here. She has made some records with the likes of Kenny Drew, Tommy Flanagan, Phil Woods (another stepfather) and.... Mal Waldron. She wasn't very active on the scene and this record for Soul Note was one of just a few records as a leader. She composed a killer band for it with Mal at the piano, the underrated Isla Eckinger on bass and the great Ed Thigpen on drums. Unfortunately it resulted in a rather dull record.

It's pretty much the same story as with quite a lot of Mal's encounters with the female singers. Mrs. Parker could sing. She could sing in the sense that she would be a nice presence at a local restaurant singing jazz classics with a pianist at her side. But her vocal skills doesn't really pass the level of a good amateur singer. In fact, I am pretty sure she is out of tune here and there. She's doesn't have a high technical reach and her singing is little innovative. Listening to her while eating a nice steak and having a beer would be lovely. But listening to a whole record is something else.

And where the lovely Jeanne Lee easily blended with more challenging forms of jazz, Kim mostly sings in the tradition that really was the tradition in the '50's. It means for Mal and his band that they are pushed in the role the accompaning artist again and that kills most of the creativity. The solo's that he plays here are all fine as one expects from him but there is nothing exceptional in them. And Mal was definitely capable of playing exceptional things in this decade. Eckinger's and Thigpen's roles are even more modest. They hardly have any space to show off some of their excellent playing.

Got this one in the 11cd boxed set. A nice addition to complete your collection but I would not buy the seperate release as it's not a very good record.

 

(1979) Klaus Weiss Quintet - On Tour ****

 

With: Roman Schwaller (tenor saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Günter Möll (guitar), Rocky Knauer (bass), Klaus Weiss (drums)

Record date: April 6 & 7, 1979

Now what is this thing with the Domicile jazz club in Münich? It seems like every record made there is a golden one. And this one is no exception. Klaus Weiss took the group he made the album 'Child's Prayer' with on tour and also played a few nights at the Domicile. This album was the result and just like the studio recording: this is some highly underrated music that should be reissued. For Waldron fans it's essential anyway for Mal's trademark on the music is huge. All of the compositions played here are from his hands and it's much in the style he played in during this decade. It might as well have been issued under his name, but Klaus Weiss surely deserves credit for it too.

The first composition played here is one of the most interesting from their studio effort. 'Shades of Coltrane' really is an intense, dark and modal composition with a highly catchy theme. On this live occasion Schwaller seems to be more at ease and his solo is excellent. He builds it up from absolute modesty to a huge climax with some nice overblowing. Mal was at one of his musical peaks here and he sounds very inspired. He seeks constant interaction with both Weiss and the excellent Rocky Knauer who uses the composition's modality to explore all of it's tonal posibilities. And Weiss' tight yet free drum playing keeps everybody on it's place. 'Back to Bach' doesn't have a lot to do with classical music but is a fine but sad sounding blues. Schwaller sounds great again here showcasing some of his technical skills. The whole song breaths this very sad but very beautiful feeling.

On side B there's a nice showcase of Weiss' excellent drumming dueling with Rocky Knauer on the short 'Klever Klaus'. 'Mingus Lives' is a beautiful ballad and the version played here is of more interest than Mal's original on the same titled Enja album that was recorded two months before. It's a nice opportunity for Möll to solo on. Though not a very original player, his laidback style and well developed technique makes it a pleasure to listen to. The closing 'Golden Golson' was of course mostly known for it's appearance a few years later on Mal's classic 'One Entrance, Too Many Exits'. It's a nice but a little predictable kind of music here and the only reason why this isn't a 4.5 star recording. 

The only buying option is the original release on 'Calig' which is not rare but you have to pay somewhere around 30 euros to get yourself a copy. The sound quality is excellent. These kind of releases really give me that restless feeling that I am missing so much great music. If Mal was not on it, I would have never listened to it let alone buy it. It's a lesson learned that one should keep on exploring jazz music in every direction, also the one's that are unknown to yourself. For there are so many hidden diamonds to dig up!

(1978) Klaus Weiss Quintet - Child's Prayer ****

 

With: Roman Schwaller (tenor saxophone), Mal Waldron (piano), Günter Moll (guitar), Rocky Knauer (bass), Klaus Weiss (drums)

Record date: August ,1978

Mal has worked with German drummer Klaus Weiss on multiple occasions. He was in his touring band. There are two official records of those encounters: this studio album and a live record from 1979 called 'On Tour'. The German drummer was a pretty well known figure within the German jazz scene and made lots of records for different recording companies. In 1975 he got Billy Harper and Cecil Bridgewater playing on his excellent 'The Git Go' album where he played Mal's composition even before Mal recorded it himself. He is an excellent drummer with a nice feel for more adventurous music. Never into avant-garde territory but the music is definitely more than ordinary contemporary jazz music. Most of the other German band members played mostly within their national jazz scéne except for bassist Knauer who also played regularly next to Chet Baker. Mal himself here was at an artistic peak releasing albums for Enja like One-Upmanship and Moods and running his own sextet with Steve Lacy, Terumasa Hino, Hermann Breuer, Jimmy Woode and Makaya Nthsoko.

So what kind of music is to be expected on this record: restless and adventurous postbop! The first three compositions were all written in honor of John Coltrane by Mal Waldron. And they have his (Mal's) trademarks all over them. The first composition starts more in a Trane like atmosphere but evolves slowely into a song that reminds of Mal's Git-Go composition. Schwaller's role is pretty limited here only playing the chorus. Mal is in the spotlights and he solo's like he did in those days: hunted and full of tension with a heavy left hand approach. Same goes for his excellent 'Shades of Coltrane' composition where he only uses a couple of phrases to create a hypnotic atmosphere with wide spaces for Weiss en Knauer to stretch out on. Schwaller's solo here is excellent with a creative and original approach. He definitely has a sound of its own and it sounds mature an masculine. 

Side B consists of three compositions that were not written by Mal but by the other band members. That means the music lose some of it's originality and quirky sound. It goes back into more known and mainstream territory. That means the music is still good, the band still swings but it all sounds a little less exciting than on Side A. Big exception is 'Drone' which was written by Weiss himself. It's really a showcase of the whole band's qualities with excellent solo's by Schwaller, Moll and Weiss himself.

The LP was released by Musician's Record Co. and was never reissued. It's so unfortunate that this kind of music will be forgotten for nobody thinks of reissuing it. Truly a missed opportunity for the musicians talents are evident and the music is great. Fortunately copies of the original release are widely avaible. If you ever see a copy anywhere for a low price, do not hesitate! 

(1971) Embryo - Rocksession ****

With: Edgar Hofmann (saxophone, violin), Mal Waldron (electric piano), Jimmy Jackson (organ), Siegfried Schwab (guitar), Dave King (bass), Jörg Evers (bass), Christian Burchard (drums)
Record date: February 1, 1971

Mal's second (or third if you count 'For Eva' also as an official date) record with Embryo founds him playing mostly in the same styles as on it's predecessor 'Steig Aus'. There is small difference in personell but it mostly is the same. Roman Bunka was the guitarist on 'Steig Aus'. Siegfried Schwab takes his place here. It doesn't really matter for the sound of the recording.

Again the world music influences are big but not neccisarly the dominant factor. It's just there. There's music from Africa beneath the Sahara, the Middle East and India that get's melted an mixed with psychadelic rock, jazz, blues and funk. Embryo travelled the world multiple times. They made journey's trough Africa and also trough the Asian continent. They even travelled Afghanistan and the Sha's Iran: Persia. They made all the sounds they picked up there part of their etno-fusion sound.

The first songs are both really experimental funk/fusion compositions with psychadelic influences. The compositions all have a modal and repetitive feeling. Mal play's this very weird electric piano which gives him yet another sound altough his trademarks are still clearly audible. It's also pretty clear it was Mal who wrote the piece 'Entrances' at least for the largest part. There's a constant groove in the back which is an excellent settlement for both Jackson and Mal to improvise on. I have to say that together with Burchard, those are the one's that impress me the most.

Then there's 'Warm Canto', written by Mal and first played on his excellent 'The Quest' date with Dolphy and Booker Ervin. Its played in a completely new form but it all works out pretty well. Mal's warm atmospheric touch is hearable all too yet is sounds all very different. Jackson's solo is thoughtful and him soloing with Mal in the background playing the chords just sounds great. 'Warm Canto' really is the highlight of the album. It's full of feeling and emotional depth. Great performance!

The original LP goes for over a 100 euros which is not really surprising. Reissues are avaible on both cd and vinyl but they aren't very cheap. This is another excellent example of Mal's collaborations with this great German band. Very refreshing stuff and definitely recommended!

(1970) Embryo - Steig Aus ****

With: Edgar Hoffman (violin), Jimmy Jackson (organ), Mal Waldron (electric piano), Roman Bunka (guitar), Jorg Evers, Dave King (bass), Christian Burchard (drums, vibes)
Record date: December 22, 1970

Mal has always been open to new influences to his music. He has experimented with classical music, pop music, rock and fusion. Between 1966 and 2002 he kept developing his own sound always trying out new thing. His basic sound always remained the same but from that basic sound he explored lots of territories. His experiments with Embryo date back till 1967 when that German 'krautrock' band wasn't even formed yet. In Münich he already played with Christian Burchard and other future members. I once heard some criticism of categorizing Embryo as a krautrock band and I tend to agree. I like the term etno-fusion which is used in the liner notes of my cd version. I think that pretty much describes what you can hear here altough I do not like catogorizing anyway. But if I had to call it a name: etno-fusion it is.

It's mostly fascinating music that draws influences from rockmusic, psychadelica, world music and contemporary jazz. It all blends well into creative and original music. In the liner notes Matthias Mineur talks about the uncreative and commercial music made in those years. He presents Embryo as a great alternative sound and he is right about that. I'm not necisarrily a big fusion or psychadelica fan but I can definitely dig this sincere and original music.

The band starts with a more psychadelic rock oriented composition. Roman Bunka starts on a 'saz', a guitar or lute kind of instrument from the middle east which gives it an oriental vibe. Then in comes the band with a hard vibing and downright funky Jimmy Jackson on organ. After his great solo it's Mal's turn and it's so interesting to hear him play in a setting like this. It's not a problem at all for him as he continues the path that Jackson has set out. It's funky and swings like mad. Mal's repetivie vamps sound like an excellent base for a band like Embryo to groove on.

Dreaming girls is something else: a more ambient like ballad with some beautiful playing by every single band member. It has a raga kind of feel with lots of repetition in sound and structure. Highlight is Mal's composition 'The Call'. I like the more jazzy/fusion version on his own classic JAPO album better but this one is defintely great as well. It's more rock oriented with Burchard playing some excellent drums here pushing the band to it's boundaries. I love Jimmy Jackson here who again plays downright funky, heavily influenced by the blues. Edgar Hoffman also shines on violin here.

I could definitely hear why Mal wanted to play with these guys. This is not necissarily my prime kind of music style but it's great fun to listen to. Also it sets Mal in a completely new direction, one that suits him well. Mal's affilition with them would be a live long one. With two more official albums to come an many more unoffical ones for he gigged with them trough all of his life in all kinds of settings.

Of course the original LP is pricey but reissues are widely avaible on cd for very reasonable prices. Highly recommended stuff for fans of Mal. Of course this album is in every Embryo fan's collection but it's also recommendable for all open minded jazz fans and mostly: those who like psychadelic rock.