Pimuins Guide to Mal Waldron Records

[Pim]

20 hours ago, EKE BBB said:

A few stats:

Rating	#
5	12	60
4.5	25	112.5
4	40	160
3.5	32	112
3	19	57
2.5	5	12.5
2	7	14
1.5	1	1.5
1	4	4
	145	533.5	3.7	Average rating

Thanks for those stats! Interesting to see. A 3.7 seem like a reasonable outcome.

20 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Well done on this Pim! I've learned a lot and discovered things I would not have otherwise. 

Looking forward to the next instalment, whatever it is going to be.

Thanks Rabshakeh it was a pleasure doing this!

[Д.Д.]

Gret undertaking, Pim. Prompted me to review my Waldron collection. The effect was probably not the one you expected your blog would have on its readers - I significantly pruned my Waldron collection, leaving just a few items (TUTUs, discs with Lacy, duo with Marion Brown). But that's not your fault - it's that Waldron fella. 

Regarding obtaining TUTU CDs - one can contact the label owner, Peter Weissmüller, directly at tutu@jazzrecords.com - his prices are actually very reasonable, and most of the CDs are in print.

Have you covered these Time Warp duos (four volumes!) with Christian Burchard: https://open.spotify.com/album/1sG6Oljx9LSGxyomKmkhe7   ? 

[Guy Berger]

Pim, I really love this body of work.  You got me interested in a bunch of Waldron I’d never heard of 👏👏👏

[Pim]

On 15-5-2021 at 11:48 AM, Д.Д. said:

Have you covered these Time Warp duos (four volumes!) with Christian Burchard: https://open.spotify.com/album/1sG6Oljx9LSGxyomKmkhe7   ? 

I did not, thanks!

14 hours ago, Guy Berger said:

Pim, I really love this body of work.  You got me interested in a bunch of Waldron I’d never heard of 👏👏👏

Thanks Guy hope you'll enjoy them just as much as I do!

[Late]

Reissued in Japan on August 11, 2021.

[Pim]

Nice trio outing with George Mraz and Al Foster. But I would go for the recent 2cd Progressive release that also includes the other session: Mal ‘81. I believe it’s still in print.

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00VGQTCFG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=news+run+about+mal&qid=1625510759&sr=8-1

I reviewed it here:

https://snake-out.blogspot.com/2021/02/1981-news-run-about-mal-mal-81.html?

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by Pim

[Pim]

 
Now finally reviewed on my Mal Waldron blog: 

https://snake-out.blogspot.com/

[soulpope]

58 minutes ago, Pim said:

 
Now finally reviewed on my Mal Waldron blog: 

https://snake-out.blogspot.com/

Interesting review ....

[Pim]

58 minutes ago, soulpope said:

Interesting review ....

Thanks!

[HutchFan]

2 hours ago, Pim said:

 
Now finally reviewed on my Mal Waldron blog: 

https://snake-out.blogspot.com/

Well done!   

 

[Pim]

10 hours ago, HutchFan said:

Well done!   

 

Thanks HutchFan! 

[Pim]

Well it’s been a while since I posted something but of course I had to review the new Sam release. Five stars from me: it’s very very Mal and very very good! 

https://snake-out.blogspot.com/2024/11/1970-mal-waldron-trio-rat-nowparis-70.html?

Edited November 21 by Pim

[soulpope]

18 minutes ago, Pim said:

Well it’s been a while since I posted something but of course I had to review the new Sam release. Five stars from me: it’s very very Mal and very very good! 

https://snake-out.blogspot.com/2024/11/1970-mal-waldron-trio-rat-nowparis-70.html?

Thnx for sharing 👌👍 ....

[clifford_thornton]

Will definitely pick this one up at some point. The band is very interesting; Mal had an affinity for playing with rock-adjacent musicians at the time, given his work with Christan Burchard of Embryo, Jimmy Jackson (Embryo, Haboob, Amon Düül II), the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band, and probably more I am forgetting.

[HutchFan]

Excellent review.  Thanks for sharing your impressions, Pim!  

 

[romualdo]

10 hours ago, Pim said:

Well it’s been a while since I posted something but of course I had to review the new Sam release. Five stars from me: it’s very very Mal and very very good! 

https://snake-out.blogspot.com/2024/11/1970-mal-waldron-trio-rat-nowparis-70.html?

Thanks for the review Pim - will probably get this before it sells out - picked up a few SAM items in the past, most recently the wonderful Billy Harper LP

BTW I was very into Magma in the 70s - still have some of their vinyl

[Pim]

Thanks for reading guys. I hope you enjoy the new release as much as I do  As I am a little bit familiar with your musical taste now I think you will.

Edited November 22 by Pim

[Teasing the Korean]

Mal Waldron is a name I've heard for decades, but I never checked him out. 

I recently liberated a Mal Waldron CD from the free bin, on the Black Lion label.  It is called Blues for Lady Day.  It apparently contains a second album, too, considering the 70-minute disc length and the additional two tracks clocking in at 35 minutes.  

I haven't spun it yet.

[Rooster_Ties]

34 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I recently liberated a Mal Waldron CD from the free bin, on the Black Lion label.  It is called Blues for Lady Day.  It apparently contains a second album, too, considering the 70-minute disc length and the additional two tracks clocking in at 35 minutes.

I think that very Black Lion disc was my second-ever Mal purchase (maybe 15-18 yrs ago) — after Free At Last (1969) perhaps a year before.

Funny story — I was in a Half Price Books and heard some distinctive, brooding piano-trio thing on the overhead speakers throughout the store. And even though I wasn’t steeped in Mal at the time (not at all), I felt strongly it might have been him… and I made one of the HPB employees go find the 6-disc player in the back office, and after I’d followed him to the back of the store, he came out of the office with 6 empty jewel boxes saying “one of these”. And low and behold, it was that Mal Black Lion disc.

I asked him if it was a disc they’d pulled from the for-sale stock out on the floor, and when he said yes, I said I’d take it! Got it home, and discovered that it was that extra ‘bonus’ live album (just two long tracks) that I’d heard in the store.

And then within 6 months I think I’d tracked down close to half-a-dozen other Mal discs (specifically from the early 70’s), most of them live.

[soulpope]

1 hour ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Mal Waldron is a name I've heard for decades, but I never checked him out. 

I recently liberated a Mal Waldron CD from the free bin, on the Black Lion label.  It is called Blues for Lady Day.  It apparently contains a second album, too, considering the 70-minute disc length and the additional two tracks clocking in at 35 minutes.  

I haven't spun it yet.

The live tracks originally released on "A Little Bit Of Miles"(Freedom) in 1974 .... btw a mighty fine hour of dutch bassplayer Henk Haverhoek .... 

[Pim]

2 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Mal Waldron is a name I've heard for decades, but I never checked him out. 

I recently liberated a Mal Waldron CD from the free bin, on the Black Lion label.  It is called Blues for Lady Day.  It apparently contains a second album, too, considering the 70-minute disc length and the additional two tracks clocking in at 35 minutes.  

I haven't spun it yet.

Thats a nice record but hardly his best. If you're curious to get to know his music you might want to check out my blog

https://snake-out.blogspot.com/2020/12/all-reviews-by-rating.html

This page may be helpful

[Teasing the Korean]

6 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

I think that very Black Lion disc was my second-ever Mal purchase (maybe 15-18 yrs ago) — after Free At Last (1969) perhaps a year before.

Funny story — I was in a Half Price Books and heard some distinctive, brooding piano-trio thing on the overhead speakers throughout the store. And even though I wasn’t steeped in Mal at the time (not at all), I felt strongly it might have been him… and I made one of the HPB employees go find the 6-disc player in the back office, and after I’d followed him to the back of the store, he came out of the office with 6 empty jewel boxes saying “one of these”. And low and behold, it was that Mal Black Lion disc.

I asked him if it was a disc they’d pulled from the for-sale stock out on the floor, and when he said yes, I said I’d take it! Got it home, and discovered that it was that extra ‘bonus’ live album (just two long tracks) that I’d heard in the store.

And then within 6 months I think I’d tracked down close to half-a-dozen other Mal discs (specifically from the early 70’s), most of them live.

👍

4 hours ago, Pim said:

Thats a nice record but hardly his best. If you're curious to get to know his music you might want to check out my blog

https://snake-out.blogspot.com/2020/12/all-reviews-by-rating.html

This page may be helpful

So I just played this.  I found the solo piano tracks to be underwhelming.  The two long trio tracks were much more interesting, especially from a rhythmic standpoint.

Is it me, or am I hearing some weird pitch/tape speed issues at the end of "A.L.B.O.M."?  Talking like the last minute or so of the tune.

[clifford_thornton]

I haven't dug the vinyl of A Little Bit Of Miles out in many years but don't recall anything like that. Certainly possible it's on the record and I just don't remember.

Blues for Lady Day is ok, not one of Mal's best. Certainly not bad, but as Pim says in his blog, not particularly emotional or tense, and kind of phoned-in. As far as soli go, The Opening (Futura), All Alone (GTA), and On Steinway (Overseas/Carson) are three of my favorites. The Snake Out blog is essential to get one started on the Mal journey!

[romualdo]

11 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Mal Waldron is a name I've heard for decades, but I never checked him out. 

I recently liberated a Mal Waldron CD from the free bin, on the Black Lion label.  It is called Blues for Lady Day.  It apparently contains a second album, too, considering the 70-minute disc length and the additional two tracks clocking in at 35 minutes.  

I haven't spun it yet.

have you listened to any of the Steve Lacy/Mal Waldron collaborations - sublime stuff IMHO

My favourite is the Hat/Hatology 4CD set "Live At Dreher, 1981"

Also currently enjoying the recent CD reissue of Waldron/Terumasa's "Reminiscent Suite"

[clifford_thornton]

great ones, for sure. I have the Dreher set spread across two double LPs. The Waldron-Hino is a beaut, picked up on Japanese vinyl when it was a more affordable title.