Silence before the Big Silence: David Murray & Mal Waldron

I have been listening to a lot of Mal Waldron of late. That's mostly a result of discovering Steve Lacy. Their lengthy partnership produced some astonishing duets. Communiqué, Sempre Amore, Reflections, all are good examples. I think I bought a Waldron album back in my youthful jazz enthusiast days.

Today I chanced upon Fred Kaplan's Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2008 column at Slate, my favorite online only political/cultural magazine. And there I saw a new album, Silence, by David Murray and Mal Waldron. That's pretty surprising, considering that Waldron died in 2002. Must have been one from the vaults. Well, I note from Kaplan's column that it was recorded in 2001.

You can hear a clip from one of the numbers at Kaplan's column. David Murray is a more committed free jazz artist than Waldron was, though Waldron was clearly at the edges. If you thumb through my previous posts, you will find a clip from Murray to download.

God help me, and save me from my wife, I downloaded Silence from iTunes. The recording quality is superb. Murray's playing is sublime. One can scarcely believe that such things are possible, but I, dear reader, have been there, and I heard it for myself. The samples available at iTunes are not indication of what lies in store.

I won't post a sample of this because I don't like to do that with recent releases. Besides, Apple makes it a real bother. But here is a Waldron/Lacy piece that will whet your appetite.

Blue Monk/Steve Lacy and Mal Waldron/Reflections

Enjoy. And if you like it, you can find it on eMusic.

Update: here is a video of Tineke Postma on soprano, recommended by reader André. It's a really delightful clip. A small group playing before a small audience. Through the shades behind them, you can see electric trains moving. The effect is very modern jazz.