Mal Waldron in concert: review
Mark Linimon
The quartet was Waldron - piano, Ricky Ford on sax (!), Reggie Workman on bass,
unfortunately the drummer's name has slipped my mind. Apparently
this is a working group and has a release coming out soon on Black Saint.
If you're unfamiliar with Waldron, as a kid he performed as Billie Holliday's
accompanist; later, he stretched out in a more 'modern' style. Many of
his LPs are collaborations with Steve Lacy. (One of those, 'Moods' on
Inner City, is a fantastic album, if you can find it...dual LP, one
with group, one solo). Ford, I believe, played with Mingus for a short
time (MFS will correct me if I'm wrong :-) ), and has several albums
as a leader to his credit as well. Workman, of course, has played
with everybody...
I thought they might be pretty good, but instead they blew me away with
how TIGHT they were. All Waldron compositions, I believe, except for
one ballad. Waldron uses odd chord changes and 'space', much in the
way that Monk did, while establishing his own sound. Nevertheless,
if he _were_ playing Monk, he would be one of the few performers that
_could_. Impeccable sense of timing.
Ford just burned. Not only that, when he stepped to one side for
others' solos, he watched attentively. I got the feeling that he
was more than 'just along for the ride,' that he was there to learn
as well as play. I think his attitude helped to encourage the
audience to do the same.
In short, check it out. Mal's an 'old lion' who is still creating
living, dynamic music; his obscurity is totally undeserved. Ford
is a young kid, up and coming; the combination is even better.
btw, I would be interested in collecting/posting tour dates and discography
information.
Mark Linimon
Mizar, Inc.
{convex, killer, sun!texsun}!mizarvme!linimon
Marc `Play Ball!' Sabatella
>Many of
>his LPs are collaborations with Steve Lacy.
>...
>if he _were_ playing Monk, he would be one of the few performers that
>_could_.
Steve Lacy did an album called "Reflections", consisting entirely of Monk
tunes, with guess who on piano!
Marc Sabatella
--------------
"When I'm on the bandstand - it's like the altar -
it transcends all negative feelings" - Woody Shaw (d. 1989)
Doug Doucette
>I got to see the Mal Waldron quartet live in San Francisco on 06/14/89.
>The quartet was Waldron - piano, Ricky Ford on sax (!), Reggie Workman on bass,
>unfortunately the drummer's name has slipped my mind. Apparently
>this is a working group and has a release coming out soon on Black Saint.
>
Dewey Redman made in the 70's, but don't know anything else about him.
I enjoyed the group's performance a lot, especially Ford's solos.
Looking forward to the recording.
Doug Doucette {amdahl,oliveb,uunet}!stratus!doug
Damballah Wedo
> I got to see the Mal Waldron quartet live in San Francisco on 06/14/89.
> The quartet was Waldron - piano, Ricky Ford on sax (!), Reggie Workman on bass,
> unfortunately the drummer's name has slipped my mind. Apparently
> this is a working group and has a release coming out soon on Black Saint.
Bill Hery and I (hi Bill!) went to see Waldron at Sweet Basil on June 7.
The band, in addition to the above, also included Sonny Fortune
on alto. The drummer, if it's the same guy, was Eddie Moore (Eddie is a
very large, very dark-skinned man with a salt'n'pepper beard, who smiles
when he plays, and tends to fix on a member of the audience for several
minutes at a time, and then move on to someone else)
> If you're unfamiliar with Waldron, as a kid he performed as Billie Holliday's
> accompanist; later, he stretched out in a more 'modern' style. Many of
> his LPs are collaborations with Steve Lacy. (One of those, 'Moods' on
> Inner City, is a fantastic album, if you can find it...dual LP, one
> with group, one solo). Ford, I believe, played with Mingus for a short
> time (MFS will correct me if I'm wrong :-) ), and has several albums
> as a leader to his credit as well. Workman, of course, has played
> with everybody...
Ricky Ford and Bob Neloms replaced George Adams and Don Pullen in Mingus'
working group. Ford is on: THREE OR FOUR SHADES OF BLUES; CUMBIA AND JAZZ
FUSION; SOMETHING LIKE A BIRD; and ME MYSELF AN EYE.
Waldron has a solo piano on the late, lamented Arista Freedom label called
BLUES FOR LADY DAY. Beautiful, and atypical. He's been around for a long
time, and so is all over the place. He's on the titanic Mingus album
BLUES AND ROOTS and on the Eric Dolphy-Booker Little Five Spot recordings
(see THE GREAT CONCERT OF ERIC DOLPHY, which collects the three albums),
to name two that pop into my head. I'll look at home for other sideman
appearances.
There are also many albums as a leader, in various stages of availability.
MINGUS LIVES on Enja is solo piano, and kind of angry. WHAT IT IS, also
Enja, is a free blowing quartet with Clifford Jordan, Cecil McBee and
Dannie Richmond, that is tempered by Waldron's compositional rigorousness.
THE QUEST, from 1961, reissued a few years ago by Fantasy, is a monster
album, with Dolphy and Booker Ervin. As Mark notes, there are several
with Steve Lacy, a couple more piano solos I don't have (sniff, sniff),
and a number of imports that disappear by the time one can figure out
if they're worth their price.
> I thought they might be pretty good, but instead they blew me away with
> how TIGHT they were. All Waldron compositions, I believe, except for
> one ballad. Waldron uses odd chord changes and 'space', much in the
> way that Monk did, while establishing his own sound. Nevertheless,
> if he _were_ playing Monk, he would be one of the few performers that
> _could_. Impeccable sense of timing.
Waldron's resemblance to Monk is both in style and appearance. He tends
to bend over the piano, with the hairs of his goatee inches above the
keys. From three quarters behind, he looks very Monk-ish. During bass
solos, drum solos and at any time he's not playing, he stis at the piano
and smokes his thin cigars, staring into space. Looks like he cares not
a bit for what's happening around him. But he listens: more than once
I've heard him take some ideas from a bass solo and re-spin them into
his own voice.
I agree with Mark on his use of space, and on his percussive approach,
both of which are Monk devices. Waldron, though, loves to write quirky
vamps that swing like mad, and tends to develop them slyly, as an
organic whole rather than as a succession of choruses. During his
solos, he keeps constructing figures on the basic vamp, and as the
sturcture builds and bulds, one waits for him to resolve it, by going
back to the vamp. And he might never do so, and go on for several
choruses; the tension can be unbearable. And then he'll drop a little
sly variation, not necessarily the vamp itself, and move on to building
something else. Beautiful demonstration that less is more.
> Ford just burned. Not only that, when he stepped to one side for
> others' solos, he watched attentively. I got the feeling that he
> was more than 'just along for the ride,' that he was there to learn
> as well as play. I think his attitude helped to encourage the
> audience to do the same.
As I said, Bill and I saw them the week before. Fortune cut Ford to
shreds during the first set. Not that Ford was not playing well, but
that Fortune was *hot*. His tone sizzled, his ideas came out fully
grown and went out from there. He started one solo with a glissando
that moaned like a lover in ecstasy, and then erupted into a geyser
of sixteenth notes. All in the first half-chorus, as a scene setter.
He played so much horn he cracked up Ford, who would play quickly, then
step aside, to watch and listen. Ford came back during the second set,
and the saxophonics really started. That was some show.
> In short, check it out. Mal's an 'old lion' who is still creating
> living, dynamic music; his obscurity is totally undeserved. Ford
> is a young kid, up and coming; the combination is even better.
Well, he is in his late 30s, so 'young kid' is a relative term.
But do check out Waldron. He comes out once a year or so with a
band, plays a week in New York (tours, apparently), and then goes back
to Europe, which is a damn shame. His gigs are never less than superb:
one with Woody Shaw and Charlie Rouse and Workman at the Vanguard;
another with Ford and Pat Patrick (the ex Sun Ra tenor man; another hot
horn); and this one with Ford and Fortune. Check it out.
--
Marcel-Franck Simon min...@attunix.ATT.COM, attunix!mingus
" Papa Loko, ou se' van, ou-a pouse'-n ale'
Nou se' papiyon, n'a pote' nouvel bay Agwe' "
Mark Linimon
> The band, in addition to the above, also included Sonny Fortune on alto.
> The drummer, if it's the same guy, was Eddie Moore...
Yes.
> [when Mal plays, he] looks like he cares not a bit for what's happening
> around him. But he listens...
I wouldn't agree with the former observation, matter of choice I guess
(maybe it's just my _own_ habit is to stare off into space...)
>
> Well, [Ford] is in his late 30s, so 'young kid' is a relative term.
Well, he *looks* like a kid :-)
OK you are a lucky bunch of netters today, I'm at the HOUSE for once,
next to the LP collection...
Don Pullen, (with Giuseppe Logan), "More Guiseppe Logan", ESP-DISK 1013,
1965 (OBSCURE?? YOU THINK MY COLLECTION IS OBSCURE???? :-) )
Don Pullen, "Solo Piano Album," Sackville 3008, 1975. Recommended.
Don Pullen, "Montreux Concert",
Atlantic 8802, 1978. Group recording.
oops, got to go. Waldron stuff tommorrow.
Mark Linimon
{convex, killer, sun!texsun}!mizarvme!linimon
Mark Goldstein
>>His gigs are never less than superb:
>>one with Woody Shaw and Charlie Rouse and Workman at the Vanguard
This was saved on Soul Note as Mal Waldron "The Git Go." I picked it up recently and am a bit disappointed. I was expecting a tremendous performance considering the personnel. Instead I found a good set that seemed to be missing an extra ingredient which would have put the music across completely.
Anyway, I'll listen again tonite and report back tomorrow.
Mark
Goldstein...@Xerox.COM
Damballah Wedo
< >>I wrote:
< >>His gigs are never less than superb:
< >>one with Woody Shaw and Charlie Rouse and Workman at the Vanguard
< This was saved on Soul Note as Mal Waldron "The Git Go." I picked it up
< recently and am a bit disappointed. I was expecting a tremendous
< performance considering the personnel. Instead I found a good set that
Weird, isn't it? The two sets I saw (Thursday night, as I recall)
were superb, a beautiful mix of incandescent Shaw and sweet and sour
Rouse. But the recording is pretty flat. Just goes to show how much
things can change from night to night; or else I am completely crazy,
which of course is a possibility that should not be discounted :-)
william.j.hery
>> lin...@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Mark Linimon) (in <84...@killer.DALLAS.TX.US>):
>
>> accompanist; later, he stretched out in a more 'modern' style. Many of
>> his LPs are collaborations with Steve Lacy. (One of those, 'Moods' on
>> Inner City, is a fantastic album, if you can find it...dual LP, one
>> with group, one solo). Ford, I believe, played with Mingus for a short
He was; he was also in the Ellington Orch. (led by son Mercer Ellington)
right before he joined Mingus
>
>Waldron has a solo piano on the late, lamented Arista Freedom label called
>BLUES FOR LADY DAY. Beautiful, and atypical. He's been around for a long
>time, and so is all over the place. He's on the titanic Mingus album
>BLUES AND ROOTS...
He's also on an old Mingus on Savoy, as well as two Debut albums (CHAZZ and
C. M. QUINTET WITH MAX ROACH, later repackaged as a Prestige twofer called CHARLES MINGUS), and a few other miscellaneous cuts and air checks
>.......and on the Eric Dolphy-Booker Little Five Spot recordings
>(see THE GREAT CONCERT OF ERIC DOLPHY, which collects the three albums),
>to name two that pop into my head. I'll look at home for other sideman
>appearances.
He was a Prestige house pianist at this time and, as Marcel says, is all
over the place. Besides the Dolphy dates, he was on Ron Carter's WHERE
and his own THE QUEST, both featuring Dolphy. Maldron and Dolphy both
were on some Max Roach sessions around that time also. A lot of the Prestige
material is out on mid priced reissues on OJC.
>There are also many albums as a leader, in various stages of availability.
>MINGUS LIVES on Enja is solo piano, and kind of angry. WHAT IT IS, also
>Enja, is a free blowing quartet with Clifford Jordan, Cecil McBee and
>Dannie Richmond, that is tempered by Waldron's compositional rigorousness.
>THE QUEST, from 1961, reissued a few years ago by Fantasy, is a monster
>album, with Dolphy and Booker Ervin. As Mark notes, there are several
>with Steve Lacy, a couple more piano solos I don't have (sniff, sniff),
>and a number of imports that disappear by the time one can figure out
>if they're worth their price.
ONE ENTRANCE, MANY EXITS on Palo Alto Jazz is a fine quartet data with
Joe Henderson, Dave Friesen and Billy Higgins. 1982, but probably out of
print already.
UPDATE (Soul Note) is a fantastic solo date in the same vein as MINGUS
LIVES.
DEDICATION (Soul Note), a duo with bassist Dave Friesen, is a bit more
laid back but still very distinctively Waldron.
YOU AND THE NIGHT AND THE MUSIC (Pro Jazz) and BREAKING NEW GROUND (IMC)
are recent trio dates with Workman and Blackwell/Higgins. Both are
good, stright ahead piano trios, but they don't get into Waldron's
distinctive style very much.
ERIC DOLPHY AND BOOKER LITTLE REMEMBERED and FIRE WALTZ are two recent
recordings of a quintet that tries to duplicate the famous Dolphy/Little
Five Spot group, with Donald Harrison and Terrance Blanchard taking
the Dolphy/Little parts. They're both fine young musicians, but they're
not Dolphy and Little, so these records pale in comparison to the
originals.
>................................. His gigs are never less than superb:
>one with Woody Shaw and Charlie Rouse and Workman at the Vanguard;
About two years ago PBS broadcast a show with this quintet taped at
the Vangard.
>another with Ford and Pat Patrick (the ex Sun Ra tenor man; another hot
>horn); and this one with Ford and Fortune. Check it out.
Bill Hery
att!wayback!wjh
Sandeep
>>...
>>if he _were_ playing Monk, he would be one of the few performers that
>>_could_.
>
>Steve Lacy did an album called "Reflections", consisting entirely of Monk
>tunes, with guess who on piano!
>
I'm yet to hear it.
sandeep
--
Sandeep Mehta ...to be or not to bop ?
uunet!philabs!bebop!sxm s...@philabs.philips.com
Chuck Karish
Cultural Gallery in Oakland. A very enjoyable concert, with lots of
free-ranging improvisation. Waldron's playing sounds like he keeps his
fingers straight and stiff. His touch is very different from Monk's,
though both styles are sometimes heavier than what classical players
(and most jazz pianists) would use.
There's a Waldron/Brown duet album out, from a few years ago. Has
anyone here heard it?
Chuck Karish {decwrl,hpda}!mindcrf!karish
(415) 493-7277 kar...@forel.stanford.edu
Mark Linimon
And here are some more (probably in order of my preference):
I've mentioned MOODS (Inner City 3018-2, '78) before but now I have it
in front of me. One solo lp, one with Sextet consisting of Waldron (pno),
Terumasa Hino (cnt), Steve Lacy (ss), Hermann Breuer (tb), Cameron Brown
(b), Makaya Ntshoko (d). Swingin' stuff. I think this was licensed
from Enja.
From 78 we have ONE-UPMANSHIP (Inner City 3010), licensed from Enja.
Waldron, Lacy, Ntshoko, Manfred Schoof (tpt), Jimmy Woode (b).
Here's a '76 Prestige re-issue twofer called ONE AND TWO (originally
MAL 1 and MAL 2, 56/57). Various combinations of Idrees Sulieman
(tpt), Gigi Gryce (as), Julian Euell (b), Arther Edgehill (d);
Bill Hardman (tpt), Jacke McLean (as), Trane (ts), Euell, Art Taylor (d);
Sulieman, Sahib Shihab (as)*, Trane, Euell, Ed Thigpen (d). Split
between Waldron originals and standards, with a Sulieman tune as well.
Then we have the one I'm going to torture Marcel-Franck with :-),
from the Mark Linimon Obscure Collection. It's from 1969 on an
import label -- actually, the first LP on the label. FREE AT LAST
is a 'free jazz' (I don't like the term...) session with Isla
Eckinger (b) and Clarence Becton (d). It's been a while since
this one has been on the ol' turntable, I don't know, what can
I say, it's more "obscure" than "great."
My challenge is: YOU supply the name of the label, you might win
a valuable prize (or you might win my extra copy of, say, The
Ventures 'Rock and Roll Forever :-) ). It _should be_ easy to
guess, but it isn't...
Oh yeah, * is to remind me to say "Sahib Shihab, come home,
all is forgiven." Anyone got a discography, other than the
(early) twofer reissue on Savoy with the yellow cover, about 8 years
back? (note to klong -- if you ever decide to get rid of
this album, heh heh, etc.) (ps. goes double and triple for
Herbie Nichols double lp).
(Open offer: I will pay cash $$ for a decent copy of the Herbie
Nichols double LP on Blue Note.)
BONUS: easy Herbie Nichols discography:
- double LP on Blue Note circa '76.
- Bethlehem BCP-6028 reissue from '76.
- reissue of a few tunes, circa '83, half Monk, half Nichols.
Searching for the latter, I came across a solo Waldron outing
called SIGNALS -- had we mentioned it yet? Arista/Freedom AF1042,
recorded '71, released '77 (sigh).
Enough for now, this has become totally rambling.
Mark Linimon
Mizar, Inc.
{sun!texsun, killer, convex}!mizarvme!linimon