1965 Mal Waldron”Les Nuits De La Negritude - Reflections In Modern Jazz” on Powertree Records

Well, the good news is that I seriously love this record. Actually, for the number of records he put out, especially in the EU and Japan, I think Mal may be The King in all of jazz for total amount of releases without a single even mediocre, let alone subpar, title. This one is a particular favorite for its spare, uncompromising sound. It’s not Mal Alone, but I think Mal is alone in his head for the duration, it just conveys a sense of deep rumination and personal expression. George Tucker and Al Drears on bass and drums both do their jobs with aplomb, which is generally to stay out of the way of genius. Another piece of good news is that this badboy is a very clean OG. The bad news is that Powertree Records out of NYC went out of business quickly because they had no clue how to press a record, and that includes releases of actor Lou Gossett Jr. singing hippie East Village nonsense, or the no doubt highly stirring “President Kennedy Speaks In Ireland.” There’s just a heavy, smoky haze over both sides, and although clean, plays with hiss. I’ve never seen a copy in which this wasn’t the case. The good news is that I also have the 1977 Japanese RE, which sounds great, so owning this version is really about Greed & Vanity, which as we all know are the two essential cornerstones of vinyl. If nothing else, this record makes it abundantly clear why Billie Holiday loved Mal so much, he understands melancholy down to his marrow, like oxygen, without ever wallowing in it.