Cover of the Craft Recordings reissue of Mal/2 (from the Amazon.com Web page for the vinyl reissue)
At the beginning of this week, this site wrote about the Craft Recordings reissue of Gene Ammons’ Prestige album Got My Own. At the same time Craft released another significant album for those particularly interested in “the state of modern jazz” in the Fifties. The title of the album is Mal/2, and it was released on Prestige in November of 1957. As of this writing, the Craft Web site seems to have some serious difficulties. However, Amazon.com has a Web page for Craft’s reissue of the original LP. Unfortunately, vinyl is the only option on that Web page.
However, those that want a more thorough account will find it in the sixteen-CD box set, John Coltrane: The Prestige Recordings. All six of the original Mal/2 tracks are included, along with the two tracks added for the CD reissue. This was how I had originally encountered Waldron’s work with Coltrane, since I have been listening to all of the CDs in that collection since I purchased the box on December 30, 1993, while I was living in Singapore, where recordings provided my best opportunities to listen to jazz. For those not interested in the entire collection, the Amazon Web page offers unlimited streaming of all of the individual tracks.
As some readers might guess, my personal interests involve the Waldron originals. These can be found on three of the six tracks on the vinyl release. They are “J.M.’s Dream Doll” (presumably composed for alto saxophonist Jackie McLean), “One By One,” and “Pot Pourri,” all of which are on the new Craft release. The CD version also includes “Blue Calypso.”
Personally, I am happier having the Prestige box as my primary resource. Waldron contributes to many more tracks than those taken from the Mal/2 album. Those interested in the breadth of his skills will probably share my preference.
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