Mal Waldron



Malcolm Earl Waldron (New York City, 1926 - August 16, Brussels, 2 december 2002) was an American jazzand world music pianist and jazz composer.

Because he was born in New York he held mainly with hard-bop. He was inspired by Thelonious Monk.

After a small price he received for his compositions in New York, in 1950, he went to work with Ike Quebec, ' Big ' Nick Nicholas and different blues & rhythm-groups. He then worked several times with Charles Mingus in 1954 and was the accompanying pianist of Billie Holiday from 1957 to 1959 until she died. After the death of Billie Holiday began Mal Waldron own groups and he took multiple boards for the well-known jazz label Prestige. He then wrote the jazz standard Soul Eyes, a piece that is especially known for the version of the label John Coltrane for Impulse.

Waldrons game was unique. He played his bass a whole octave lower and his solos showed affinity with the later minimal music. Waldron is on to find many plates, including on his own albums but also as a player with: John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Clifford Jordan, Archie Shepp, David Murray and Booker Little.

In 1963 he became huge arched and he had to get back under control after his technique, presumably by listening to his own recordings. After 1965 Waldron moved toMunich in Germany and then on to Brussels. Sometimes he returned to the us to act there again. In the 80 's and 90 's he worked much with Steve Lacy and Embryo.

Waldrons health went still further backwards and eventually he died in 2002 in Brussels.