Mal/2

Description

Craft Recordings announces the second batch of Original Jazz Classics series reissuesall of which are essential additions to any jazz fans collection. Delivering the highest-quality listening experience, each album boasts lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI and tip-on jackets, replicating the original artwork. All titles will also be released digitally in 192/24 HD audio.

First launched in 1982 under Fantasy Records, Original Jazz Classics served as a home for the labels impressive jazz catalogwhich had grown to include thousands of celebrated titles from Prestige, Galaxy, Milestone, Riverside, Debut, Contemporary, Jazzland and Pablo. Over the next three decades, OJC became the go-to source for jazz reissuesand faithfully presented more than 850 memorable albums. Given Craft Recordings shared passion for meticulous preservation and quality, it was a natural step to relaunch Original Jazz Classicsthis time with a focus on vinyl and hi-res digital audio.

Pianist Mal Waldron (19252002) 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 leveland recruiting some of the eras 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 Porters joyful classic From This Moment On and Fields/Kerns The Way You Look Tonight. A bluesy, hard-bop gem in Waldrons extensive catalog, this long out-of-print classic was hailed as a cut above its contemporaries by AllMusic, which also praised its engaging and originalarrangements.