Mal Waldron – Mal/2: OJC Series (180g Vinyl LP)

Original Jazz Classic Series 180g Vinyl LP Reissue Cut from the Original Master Tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and Pressed at RTI

Craft Recordings announces the relaunch of Original Jazz Classics – the acclaimed reissue series that faithfully presented more than 850 memorable jazz albums over three decades. This reissue of the Mal Waldron Sextet’s Mal/2 has been cut from the original master tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, pressed on 180-gram vinyl LP at RTI and is housed in a replica of its original tip-on jacket.

First launched in 1982 under Fantasy Records, the imprint served as a home for the label’s impressive jazz catalog – which had grown to include thousands of celebrated titles from Prestige, Galaxy, Milestone, Riverside, Debut, Contemporary, Jazzland, and Pablo. Fantasy also had its own place in jazz history, beginning in 1949 with its very first signing, Dave Brubeck. The Bay Area label was also home to the likes of Cal Tjader, Gerry Mulligan, and Vince Guaraldi. In the ’80s and ’90s, Original Jazz Classics became the go-to imprint for jazz reissues on vinyl, CD and cassette. Its extensive catalog not only boasted some of the most important albums ever recorded, but also long-out-of-print favorites – all of which featured original cover art and liner notes, as well as superior audio. Original OJC vinyl pressings are still praised and much sought after by jazz fans and audiophiles alike, who have gone to great lengths to document and share how to find the best-sounding pressings. However, with the relaunch of Original Jazz Classics, there is no need to search any longer.

Pianist Mal Waldron was a prolific composer, arranger and musician, who released more than 100 albums as a leader (including numerous film scores) during his five-decade-long career. Revered for his versatility and blues-forward, innovative stylings, Waldron also served as the house pianist at Prestige Records and was an in-demand accompanist who played for Billie Holiday and Abbey Lincoln and served as a sideman for Charles Mingus, John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy, among others.

In 1957, Waldron was ready to break out on his own with Mal/1 and, several months later, Mal/2. While his debut was well received, Mal/2 found the pianist taking his work to the next level – and recruiting some of the era’s most exciting musicians. In addition to trumpeter Idrees Sulieman and bassist Julian Euell (who both appeared on Mal/1), Waldron was joined by rising star John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), who had recently recorded his own debut as a leader. Also splitting duties on horns were Sahib Shihab (alto/baritone sax), Jackie McLean (alto sax) and Bill Hardman (trumpet), while drums were handled by Ed Thigpen and Art Taylor.

In a variety of sextet settings, the musicians nimbly perform Waldron originals (the moody “One by One,” the energetic “Potpourri” and “J.M.’s Dream Doll,” named for McLean, who delivers a standout solo) and standards, including Cole Porter’s joyful classic “From This Moment On” and Fields/Kern’s “The Way You Look Tonight.” A bluesy, hard-bop gem in Waldron’s extensive catalog, this long out-of-print classic was hailed as “a cut above” its contemporaries by AllMusic, which also praised its “engaging and original…arrangements.”

Musicians:
Mal Waldron, piano
John Coltrane, tenor saxophone
Jackie McLean, alto saxophone
Sahib Shihab, alto & baritone saxophone
Idrees Sulieman / Bill Hardman, trumpet
Julian Euell, bass
Ed Thigpen / Art Taylor, drums

1. From This Moment On
2. J.M.’s Dream Doll
3. The Way You Look Tonight
4. One By One
5. Don’t Explain
6. Potpourri