Encounters

by Ken Dryden Longtime fans of Mal Waldron will find his duo session with bassist David Friesen to be of a very different character. The pianist's solo and trio recordings are typically intense, very moody performances, but his touch is much lighter in his partnership with Friesen. The two play as equals with Waldron often fading somewhat into the background during Friesen's solo in "If I Were a Bell." "Encounters" is evidently a free-form duo improvisation in the studio and full of surprising twists. The bassist's unaccompanied "My Toby," dedicated to his youngest son, finds him utilizing a delay to make it sound like he overdubbed a second line. Friesen switches to playing shakuhachi (a delicate Japanese wind instrument) for "Night Wind," a soft work with an obviously Far Eastern flavor. The piano-bass duet of the standard "Imagination" is played at a very slow tempo with an almost reverent touch. The finale, "Outside's Inside Too," is a solo feature for Waldron that sounds as if it was improvised on the spot. Long out of print, this album is definitely worth acquiring.