Mal Waldron, Marion Brown - Songs of Love and Regret (Freelance, 1985)

This post is by Dan

Mal Waldron (p); Marion Brown (as)

Recorded November 9 and 10, 1985

Mal Waldron and Marion Brown made two duet albums in the 1980s: Songs of Love and Regret in 1985 and Much More! (Freelance, 1988). Both were recorded in France. The choice of the former as my favorite is arbitrary. Much More! is a brilliant continuation of a warm and intimate dialogue. Both albums are great examples of the possibilities afforded by duo performances. 

My first exposure to Brown was his role in Coltrane's free-blowing Ascension album (Impulse, 1965). First impressions can be misleading. It is wrong to type-cast the members of Coltrane's ensemble as ferocious free players. To the contrary, other members of Coltrane's Ascension group - including Archie Shepp, John Tchicai, Pharoah Sanders, Freddie Hubbard, and Coltrane himself - proved to be versatile players who frequently chose tender balladry over avant garde roars. Brown has a plaintive tone on alto that sounds almost like a speaking voice. His playing is deeply emotional, befitting the themes of love and regret in the title. 

As for Waldron, this type of setting reveals his inimitable style of comping and soloing. He likes to repeat figures and create slight variations instead of leaping around the piano keys. He's still a virtuoso, but one that conveys his message in measured steps that all seem connected.

The CD version contains a bonus track - a much longer version of Blue Monk" - in addition to the LP version. The music on each track proceeds unhurriedly over durations ranging from 4:42 to 15:42 (for the alternate take of Blue Monk on the CD).