MAL WALDRON

STARDUST & STARLIGHT AT THE JAZZ SHOWCASE

Resonance Records

Mal Waldron, piano/composer; Steve Rodby, bass; Wilbur Campbell, drums; SPECIAL GUEST: Sonny Stitt, alto saxophone.

It was “Charlie Parker Month” in Chicago, August of 1979. that marked the debut performance of Mal Waldron at the famed Jazz Showcase.  Waldron was already a professional New York city recording artist, with his artistic beginnings rooted in the mid-1950s. He became the sympatico accompanist to Billie Holiday in her final years. Waldron also worked with Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, Eric Dolphy, Steve Lacy and others who were on the scene in those bebop days.

Mal Waldron’s style was recalled by Steve Rodby, (Artist in Residence at the School of Music, University of Washington), who witnessed his piano playing onstage as his bassist.

“…He sounded so modern to me.  His style was pre-Herbie Hancock, but post-Oscar Peterson, sort of in the Monk zone.  It had an edge to it. I always felt like you could hear him exploring when he was playing, something you hear in every great player. He really did embody that premium on individuality and distinctive voice that the era favored. … that got my attention,” Rodby affirmed.

Before Waldron’s death from Cancer in 2002, at age 77, he had collaborated with artists including Jeanne Lee, David Murray and Archie Shepp. He and Billie Holiday co-wrote a tune called “All Alone” that opens this album.  Lady Day never got around to recording the piece, but she wrote the lyrics for it. This composition stands strong as an instrumental by Waldron. The sadness and melancholy spirit of this song grab my attention in the very first couple of bars. I can immediately imagine how Billie Holiday’s vocals would sound singing this heartbreaking arrangement.

Waldron incorporates a medley of music into “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” which clearly sounds like “Our Love is Here to Stay,” and “I’m Old Fashioned” combined.  It does not sound like the tune title.

The gifted pianist turns the tune, “I Thought About You” into a pensive, bluesy, melancholy arrangement. I’m used to hearing this tune in a ‘swing’ mode.  But Mal Waldron takes me to a whole ‘nother place, making me feel sad, sitting at that train window and watching the world race past. His music touches the heart.

Each familiar standard tune he tackles becomes uniquely his own.  That’s when you know you’re listening to a master.  Even though there are drums and bass on this ‘live’ performance, it sounds like a solo piano presentation.  His light shines so brightly, like someone opened a skylight on the stage, mid-concert, and let the sun shine in.

I love his improvisation on “It Could Happen to You.”  Also, his presentation of “Round Midnight” memorializes Monk in Waldron’s own soulful way.  The improvised harmonics he hears and plays staggers the imagination.

Surprisingly, “Stella By Starlight” develops into a swing arrangement from its ballad introduction, pushed forward by Wilbur Campbell’s drums and supported vigorously by Steve Rodby’s walking bass. Rodby also takes an impressive bass solo, and then trades fours with Campbell, giving him time to shine.

On the final two tunes, special guest Sonny Stitt adds his incomparable beauty to this project on alto saxophone.  He flavors one of my favorite standards, “Old Folks” with his satin smooth, fluid sound and rich tone.

Here is great music, released for history’s sake, also to celebrate the unquestionable talent of Mal Waldron.  It recalls the farsighted determination of Joe Segal in finding and recording the best of the best jazz musicians in his famous venues, and celebrates the jazz detective himself, Zev Feldman, who continues to uncover these musical gems from files across the country.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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