Mal-1 Explained

Mal-1
Type:	Album
Artist:	Mal Waldron
Cover:	Mal-1.jpg
Recorded:	November 9, 1956
Genre:	Jazz
Length:	37:48
Label:	Prestige
Producer:	Bob Weinstock
Chronology:	Mal Waldron
Next Title:	Mal/2
Next Year:	1957

Mal-1 is the debut album by the jazz pianist and composer Mal Waldron. It was released through Prestige Records in May 1957.^{[1] [2] [3]} It was recorded in November 1956.

Reception

A contemporaneous review by John S. Wilson stated that trumpeter Idrees Sulieman and alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce "play unusually well while Waldron contributes several provocative compositions and arrangements (especially a version of Yesterdays that is a remarkably interesting rewriting of a real warhorse) and plays with typically dark, warm charm".^[4] The Allmusic review by Jim Todd awarded the album 4 stars, stating "Mal Waldron's recording debut as a leader presents the pianist with his many gifts already well developed".^[5]

Track listing

1. "Stablemates" (Benny Golson) – 4:51
2. "Yesterdays" (Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern) – 7:47
3. "Transfiguration" (Lee Sears = Gigi Gryce) – 7:17
4. "Bud Study" – 5:48 (Mal Waldron)
5. "Dee's Dilemma" – 6:58 (Mal Waldron)
6. "Shome" (Idrees Sulieman) – 5:07

• Recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey on November 9, 1956.

Personnel

• Mal Waldron – piano
• Idrees Sulieman – trumpet
• Gigi Gryce – alto saxophone
• Julian Euell – bass
• Arthur Edgehill – drums

Notes and References

1. News: May Album Releases . 6 May 2021 . . New York . The Cashbox Publishing Co. . May 11, 1957.
2. Reviews and Ratings of New Albums . 6 May 2021 . Cincinnati. The Billboard Publishing Co.. . May 27, 1957.
3. http://www.jazzdisco.org/mal-waldron/catalog/#prestige-prlp-7090 Mal Waldron discography
4. Wilson, John S. (1959) The Collector's Jazz: Modern, pp. 297–298. J.B. Lippincott.
5. Todd, J. Allmusic Review accessed February 21, 2011