What It Is (Mal Waldron album)

Last updated
What It Is
What It Is (Mal Waldron album).jpg
Studio album by Mal Waldron
Released 1981
Recorded November 15, 1981
Genre Jazz
Length37:14
Label Enja
Producer Horst Weber
Mal Waldron chronology
Live at Dreher, Paris 1981
(1981) Live at Dreher, Paris 19811981		What It Is
(1981)		 One Entrance, Many Exits
(1982) One Entrance, Many Exits1982

What It Is is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1981 and released by the Enja label. [1]

Mal Waldron American jazz pianist and composer

Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from university. In the following dozen years or so Waldron led his own bands and played for those led by Charles Mingus, Jackie McLean, John Coltrane, and Eric Dolphy, among others. During Waldron's period as house pianist for Prestige Records in the late 1950s, he appeared on dozens of albums and composed for many of them, including writing his most famous song, "Soul Eyes", for Coltrane. Waldron was often an accompanist for vocalists, and was Billie Holiday's regular accompanist from April 1957 until her death in July 1959.

Enja Records record label

Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971.

Contents

Reception

The Allmusic review by Ron Wynn awarded the album 3 stars stating "dauntless piano". [2]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Track listing

All compositions by Mal Waldron except as indicated
  1. "Charlie Parker's Last Supper" (Clifford Jordan) — 7:14
  2. "Hymn from the Inferno" — 12:02
  3. "What It Is" — 17:58

Personnel

Piano musical instrument

The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700, in which the strings are struck by hammers. It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the strings.

Clifford Jordan American jazz saxophone player

Clifford Laconia Jordan was an American jazz tenor saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after which he recorded three albums for Blue Note. He recorded with Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, and Kenny Dorham, among others. He was part of the Charles Mingus Sextet, with Eric Dolphy, during its 1964 European tour.

Tenor saxophone type of saxophone

The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B♭ (while the Alto is pitched in the key of E♭), and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef, sounding an octave and a major second lower than the written pitch. Modern tenor saxophones which have a high F♯ key have a range from A♭2 to E5 (concert) and are therefore pitched one octave below the soprano saxophone. People who play the tenor saxophone are known as "tenor saxophonists", "tenor sax players", or "saxophonists".

Related Research Articles

<i>The Charles Mingus Quintet & Max Roach</i> 1964 live album by Charles Mingus

The Charles Mingus Quintet & Max Roach is an album by Charles Mingus, recorded at the Café Bohemia in December 1955 and released in 1964. Further recordings from the concert were released under the title Mingus at the Bohemia.

<i>Left Alone</i> (Mal Waldron album) 1959 studio album by Mal Waldron

Left Alone is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1959 and released on the Bethlehem label.

<i>First Encounter</i> 1971 studio album by Mal Waldron and Gary Peacock

First Encounter is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron and bassist Gary Peacock recorded in 1971 and released on the Japanese RCA Victor label.

<i>Mal Waldron on Steinway</i> 1972 studio album by Mal Waldron

Mal Waldron on Steinway is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron featuring solo performances recorded in Paris in 1972 and released on the Japanese Teichiku label.

<i>Mingus Lives</i> 1979 live album by Mal Waldron

Mingus Lives is a live album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in Belgium in 1979 and released by the Enja label.

<i>You and the Night and the Music</i> (Mal Waldron album) 1983 studio album by Mal Waldron

You and the Night and the Music is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1983 and released by the Japanese Paddle Wheel label.

<i>Encounters</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Mal Waldron & David Friesen

Encounters is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron and bassist David Friesen recorded in 1984 and released by the Muse label.

<i>Dedication</i> (Mal Waldron album) 1985 studio album by Mal Waldron & David Friesen

Dedication is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron and bassist David Friesen recorded in 1985 and released by the Italian Soul Note label.

<i>Left Alone 86</i> 1986 live album by Mal Waldron & Jackie McLean

Left Alone '86 is an album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron and saxophonist Jackie McLean released on the Japanese Paddle Wheel label in 1986. The album is a sequel to Waldron's 1959 recording Left Alone, on which McLean played on the title track.

<i>The Git Go – Live at the Village Vanguard</i> 1987 live album by Mal Waldron

The Git Go - Live at the Village Vanguard is a live album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded at the Village Vanguard and released on the Italian Soul Note label in 1987.

<i>The Seagulls of Kristiansund</i> 1987 live album by Mal Waldron

The Seagulls of Kristiansund is a live album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded at the Village Vanguard and released on the Italian Soul Note label in 1987.

<i>Our Collines a Treasure</i> 1987 studio album by Mal Waldron

Our Colline's a Treasure is an album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1987 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.

<i>The Super Quartet Live at Sweet Basil</i> 1987 live album by Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy

The Super Quartet Live at Sweet Basil is a live album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron featuring soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy recorded at Sweet Basil in New York City in 1987 and released on the Japanese Paddle Wheel label.

<i>Evidence</i> (Mal Waldron album) 1988 studio album by Mal Waldron

Evidence is a solo album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in Canada and released on the Canadian Dark Light Music label.

<i>Crowd Scene</i> 1989 studio album by Mal Waldron

Crowd Scene is an album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1989 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.

<i>Where Are You?</i> (Mal Waldron album) 1989 studio album by Mal Waldron

Where Are You? is an album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1989 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.

<i>Quadrologue at Utopia</i> 1989 live album by Mal Waldron

Quadrologue at Utopia is a live album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron featuring Jim Pepper recorded in 1989 and released on the German Tutu label.

<i>My Dear Family</i> 1993 studio album by Mal Waldron

My Dear Family is an album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1993 and released on the Evidence label.

<i>Earthy</i> (Kenny Burrell album) 1957 studio album by Kenny Burrell

Earthy is an album by the Prestige All Stars nominally led by guitarist Kenny Burrell recorded in 1957 and released on the Prestige label.

<i>Speak, Brother, Speak!</i> 1963 live album by Max Roach

Speak, Brother, Speak! is a live album by American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring performances recorded in San Francisco in 1962 and released by the Fantasy label.

References

  1. ↑ Mal Waldron discography accessed March 1, 2011
  2. 1 2 Wynn, R. Allmusic Review accessed March 1, 2011
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.