What It Is

by Mal Waldron

What It Is cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 1982
  • Label: Enja
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 36:58
  • Community rating: 4.05/5 from 3 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

The veteran pianist, long known for his distinctively brooding, repetitive vamp style, leads a brilliant European quartet on this compelling session. Recorded for the Enja label, the compositions emphasize heavy, cyclical grooves that build intense psychological tension through masterful restraint and deliberate phrasing. It highlights Waldron's enduring ability to generate immense power without resorting to flashy technical excess.

Genres

Descriptors: piano, repetitive, dissonant, minimal, moody

Tracklist

  1. Charlie Parker's Last Supper (7:10)
  2. Hymn From The Inferno (11:55)
  3. What It Is (17:53)

Credits

  • Mal Waldron - primary artist, piano, written-by
  • Clifford Jordan - primary artist, tenor saxophone, written-by
  • Cecil McBee - primary artist, bass
  • Dannie Richmond - primary artist, drums

More from Mal Waldron: full discography