Mal Waldron • Mal ⁄ 3 Sounds

 

Review by Scott Yanow

This is an unusual set by pianist Mal Waldron. He utilizes a sextet with trumpeter Art Farmer, flutist Eric Dixon, cellist Calo Scott, bassist Julian Euell and drummer Elvin Jones on three of his picturesque originals and his wife Elaine Waldron contributes vocals to the wordless "Portrait of a Young Mother" and Harold Arlen's "For Every Man There's a Woman."

https://www.allmusic.com/album/mal-3-sounds-mw0000091965

 Artist Biography by Scott Yanow

A pianist with a brooding, rhythmic, introverted style, Mal Waldron's playing has long been flexible enough to fit into both hard bop and freer settings. Influenced by Thelonious Monk's use of space, Waldron has had his own distinctive chord voicings nearly from the start. Early on, Waldron played jazz on alto and classical music on piano, but he switched permanently to jazz piano while at Queens College. He freelanced around New York in the early '50s with Ike Quebec (for whom he made his recording debut), Big Nick Nicholas, and a variety of R&B-ish groups. Waldron frequently worked with Charles Mingus from 1954-1956 and was Billie Holiday's regular accompanist during her last two years (1957-1959). Often hired by Prestige to supervise recording sessions, Waldron contributed many originals (including "Soul Eyes," which became a standard) and basic arrangements that prevented spontaneous dates from becoming overly loose jam sessions.

After Holiday's death, he mostly led his own groups, although he was part of the Eric Dolphy-Booker Little Quintet that was recorded extensively at the Five Spot in 1961, and also worked with Abbey Lincoln for a time during the era. He wrote three film scores (The Cool World, Three Bedrooms in Manhattan, and Sweet Love Bitter) before moving permanently to Europe in 1965, settling in Munich in 1967. Waldron, who has occasionally returned to the U.S. for visits, has long been a major force in the European jazz world. His album Free at Last was the first released by ECM, and his Black Glory was the fourth Enja album. Waldron, who frequently teamed up with Steve Lacy (often as a duet), kept quite busy up through the '90s, featuring a style that evolved but was certainly traceable to his earliest record dates. Among the many labels that have documented his music have been Prestige, New Jazz, Bethlehem, Impulse, Musica, Affinity, ECM, Futura, Nippon Phonogram, Enja, Freedom, Black Lion, Horo, Teichiku, Hat Art, Palo Alto, Eastwind, Baybridge, Paddle Wheel, Muse, Free Lance, Soul Note, Plainisphere, and Timeless. In September of 2002, Waldron was diagnosed with cancer. Remaining optimistic, he continued to tour until he passed away on December 2 in Brussels, Belgium at the age of 76.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mal-waldron-mn0000665824/biography

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Reseña de Scott Yanow

Este es un set inusual del pianista Mal Waldron. Utiliza un sexteto con el trompetista Art Farmer, el flautista Eric Dixon, el violonchelista Calo Scott, el bajista Julian Euell y el baterista Elvin Jones en tres de sus pintorescos originales, y su esposa Elaine Waldron contribuye con la voz en el sin palabras "Portrait of a Young Mother" (Retrato de una madre joven) y "For Every Man There's a Woman" (Para cada hombre hay una mujer) de Harold Arlen.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/mal-3-sounds-mw0000091965

 Biografía del artista por Scott Yanow

Un pianista con un estilo melancólico, rítmico e introvertido, la interpretación de Mal Waldron ha sido durante mucho tiempo lo suficientemente flexible como para encajar tanto en el hard bop como en los ambientes más libres. Influenciado por el uso del espacio de Thelonious Monk, Waldron ha tenido sus propias voces de acordes casi desde el principio. Al principio, Waldron tocaba jazz en contralto y música clásica en piano, pero cambió permanentemente al piano de jazz mientras estaba en Queens College. Trabajó como freelance en Nueva York a principios de los años 50 con Ike Quebec (para quien hizo su debut discográfico), Big Nick Nicholas, y una variedad de grupos de R&B-ish. Waldron trabajó frecuentemente con Charles Mingus de 1954 a 1956 y fue la acompañante habitual de Billie Holiday durante sus dos últimos años (1957-1959). A menudo contratado por Prestige para supervisar las sesiones de grabación, Waldron aportó muchos originales (incluyendo "Soul Eyes", que se convirtió en un estándar) y arreglos básicos que evitaron que las citas espontáneas se convirtieran en jam sessions demasiado sueltas.

Después de la muerte de Holiday, dirigió sus propios grupos, aunque fue parte del Eric Dolphy-Booker Little Quintet que se grabó extensamente en el Five Spot en 1961, y también trabajó con Abbey Lincoln por un tiempo durante la época. Escribió tres partituras de películas (The Cool World, Three Bedrooms in Manhattan y Sweet Love Bitter) antes de mudarse permanentemente a Europa en 1965 y establecerse en Munich en 1967. Waldron, que ha regresado ocasionalmente a Estados Unidos de visita, ha sido durante mucho tiempo una fuerza importante en el mundo del jazz europeo. Su álbum Free at Last fue el primero publicado por ECM, y su Black Glory fue el cuarto álbum de Enja. Waldron, quien frecuentemente se asoció con Steve Lacy (a menudo como un dúo), se mantuvo bastante ocupado durante los años 90, presentando un estilo que evolucionó pero que ciertamente se remonta a sus primeras fechas de grabación. Entre los muchos sellos que han documentado su música se encuentran Prestige, New Jazz, Bethlehem, Impulse, Musica, Affinity, ECM, Futura, Nippon Phonogram, Enja, Freedom, Black Lion, Horo, Teichiku, Hat Art, Palo Alto, Eastwind, Baybridge, Paddle Wheel, Muse, Free Lance, Soul Note, Plainisphere y Timeless. En septiembre de 2002, Waldron fue diagnosticado con cáncer. El optimista continuó su gira hasta que falleció el 2 de diciembre en Bruselas, Bélgica, a la edad de 76 años.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mal-waldron-mn0000665824/biography

Tracklist:
1 - Tension
2 - Ollie's Caravan
3 - The Cattin' Toddler
4 - Portrait Of A Young Mother
5 - For Every Man There's A Woman


Credits:
    Bass – Julian Euell
    Cello – Calo Scott
    Cover – Esmond Edwards
    Drums – Elvin Jones
    Flute – Eric Dixon
    Liner Notes – Ira Gitler
    Piano – Mal Waldron
    Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
    Remastered By – Phil De Lancie
    Supervised By – Bob Weinstock
    Trumpet – Art Farmer
    Voice – Elaine Waldron (tracks: 4, 5)
    Written-By – Harold Arlen (tracks: 5), Waldron (tracks: 1 to 4)


Notes:
Recorded At – Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey
Recorded in Hackensack, New Jersey; January 31, 1958.

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