Waldron described this session as his personal encounter with free jazz, though he clarified it was not "complete anarchy". Instead, he focused on heavy, rhythmic repetition and minimalism rather than traditional chord-based soloing.
Backed by Isla Eckinger on bass and Clarence Becton on drums, the trio delivers a "muscular" and often "angrily minimalist" performance that bridged the gap between post-bop and the more experimental ECM sound to come. Mal Waldron Trio - Free At Last (Extended Editi...
This recording marked Waldron's re-emergence after a devastating health crisis in 1963 that forced him to relearn the piano from scratch. Extended Edition Features Waldron described this session as his personal encounter