MAL WALDRON - SPANISH BITCH

















Mal Waldron for JVC/ECM Japan from 1971.
Mal Waldron (p) Isla Eckinger (b) Fred Brasful (d)
Ludwigsburg, West Germany, September 18, 1970

This has been on my "most wanted" list for some time so I was bowled over to receive the actual LP through the post last week purchased from Japan (at considerable cost it should be said) and sent as a thankyou gift from one of the followers of this blog.
So stand up and take a bow Munnnnnph !!! Thanks a million - what a guy!

Recorded and produced by Manfred Eicher this is only the second recording for ECM (the first being Waldron's Free At Last).Recorded prior to Eicher setting up his own label both albums were picked up and issued only for the Japanese market by JVC's Globe subsidiary . Despite it's historic importance "Spanish Bitch" has never seen a reissue in either cd or vinyl format thus making it extremely hard to track down.
So here it is - 3 long Waldron compositions plus a comprehensive shredding of "Eleanor Rigby" through Mal's mangle. Waldron's wall of sound soloing is in full effect throughout the lp complete with his banging keys in the lower registers and usual dissonant chords-"Black Chant" and "All That Funk" are just immense!
Fred Braceful's intricate drumming drives the music forward sounding like a proto-breakbeat blueprint with it's meticulously placed accents and beats while Isla Eckinger anchors the whole thing down before it spirals off the planet!
All Killer No Filler ....and don't forget to say thanks to Munnnnnph.

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