Earlier this year, I participated in @what_can_brown’s impossible #top5jazzalbums challenge. For some reason I blanked and didn’t think of pianist Mal Waldron's landmark album "The Quest," which is one of the most spectacular sessions that the genre has to offer. After my recent post of #RonCarter’s debut “Where?”, which was recorded one week before “The Quest” and with an almost identical cast, I decided to revisit this album today and pay tribute once again.
Maybe it was the dark aura and haunting beauty of the music pressed into these grooves that made me fall in love with this album the first time I heard it. We'll never know what Waldron was looking for on his quest, the liner notes don't offer many clues as to his motive, but whatever it was, the mature sophistication and prudent execution of the music offered here imply that he may have found it.
This sextet date from 1961, occasionally released under #EricDolphy's name, stands among the most mesmerizing works in post-bop. There are no standards here, Waldon contributes all the tunes but he retains a modest presence as a soloist, graciously allowing his ever-curious sidemen to spearhead their search for new, uncharted musical territories. Dolphy sticks to alto sax (apart from a single excursion on clarinet), #BookerErvin shines on tenor, a young Carter on cello, #JoeBenjamin on bass and #CharliePersip on drums.
There is no filler, every tune serves a distinct purpose in this beguiling exercise in highly artistic grandstanding (and I don't mean that in a bad way.) My favorite moments, however, are the quieter parts, such as "Duquility," which features Carter's lyrical cello playing, and "Warm Canto," another ballad that benefits from Waldron's dark, introverted style. In a 2001 interview, Waldron recalled that "the sound just came to me as an entity." To me, this album is an indubitable masterpiece, one that holds many surprises even after repeated listening.
#MalWaldron#NewJazz#Prestige#RVG#Jazz#hardbop#vinyl#jazzvinyl#jazzrecords#jazzcollector#recordoftheday#vinyloftheday#recordcollection#igvinyl#igvinylclub#IGjazzvinyl
A month or so ago I decided to take a bit of a gamble with an ungraded liberty copy of Speak No Evil and to my luck it was NM. Speak No Evil has always been on my radar and I realize the classic series has been for a while now but sometimes I hold off on getting one because I want an earlier pressing and usually doing that works in my favor😂There’s not many albums I can listen to on repeat but this has always been one, with an extraordinary line-up like this it keeps me individually in tune with each player each time I hear it and it’s almost like there’s something new each time around. #wayneshorter#freddiehubbard#roncarter#elvinjones#herbiehancock#bluenote#speaknoevil#records#vinyl#music#vinylrecords#jazzvinyl#jazzvinylcollector#jazz#collection