This post is by Scott and Dan
Recorded on June 6, 1989
For Crowd Scene, Mal Waldron's quintet was altered to include two of the best (and hottest) saxophonists on the scene during the latter part of the 1980s. With Sonny Fortune and Ricky Ford, Waldron opted for long pieces that gave the horn men ample space. There are only two tracks: "Crowd Scene" (26:50) and Yin Yang (25:26). The horns take most of the solo space on both numbers.
The title composition, like so much of Waldron's music, is based on a repeated vamp of four ascending notes within one octave. The opening section is played by the pianist over Reggie Workman's arco bass and Eddie Moore's cymbals. Waldron's vamp never gets boring because he introduces minor variations and adds right-hand figures. As these figures appear, both horns enter in loose counterpart. At about the four-minute mark, Ford launches into a monster solo for about seven minutes. Waldron then elaborates the vamp with a short solo before Fortune takes the lead. His solo is also of epic proportions. The tune eventually fades out.
"Yin Yang" offers a second workout with about the same formula. The tune itself is attractive, but all of the soloing is over four closely related chords that are each played over four bars, repeating over and over. This modal style is reminiscent of John Coltrane's approach to soloing after stating a basic melody. Fortune takes the first solo which lasts a good seven minutes, followed by Workman's shorter spot. Ford then releases another lengthy solo that lasts almost 10 minutes. Waldron turns up the heat even further near the end. Following a few drum fills over the piano, the two horns return to the theme. Whew!
Crowd Scene succeeds with a format that most leaders would shy away from. Showcasing two powerful saxes over two very long tunes might seem like overkill but it works here. The solos are fascinating to track over their long extents, and both Ford and Fortune exploit the full range of their instruments. The album receives an "AA" grade from us for Artistic Ambition, fully realized.
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