Music Monday: Some Mal Waldron

This year is Mal Waldron’s centennial. Waldron is one of Matthew Shipp’s celebrated “Black Mystery School” pianists. His style is all his own. It defies categorization, of course, but also has the capacity to evoke the full range of emotions from sorrow, to anger, to joy.

Like most people, I love 1950s Mal Waldron and this weekend, I’ve enjoyed his Impressions (1959) with Addison Farmer (Art Farmers’ twin brother!) on bass and Albert Heath on drums:

I’ve also listened to and enjoyed Black Glory, a live album recorded in Germany in 1971 with Jimmy Woode on bass and Pierre Favre on drums. The album consists of four long form tracks that I think show off Waldron’s range and style.   

(It’s worth checking out First Encounter recorded live in Japan in the same year, but an overall more obscure date with Gary Peacock and Japanese drummer Hiroshi Murakami:)

You’d be excused if you started to feel like Waldron is heavy. I discovered one of his 1980s album this weekend: Breaking New Ground (1983) with Reggie Workman on bass and Ed Blackwell on drums. The album is covers of contemporary pop songs. His cover of “Beat It” is wonderfully bizarre and fun!