Mal Waldron – Mal/2: The Split-Session Secret (Coltrane & McLean)

Mal Waldron - Mal/2: Why does this 1957 session feel like two different records stitched into one?

Because it is. Mal/2 isn't a unified concept album-it's a split-session project recorded across two separate dates in the spring of 1957, each with a different ensemble. On April 19, Waldron brought in Jackie McLean, Bill Hardman, Sahib Shihab, Julian Euell, and Ed Thigpen. On May 17, he returned with John Coltrane, Idrees Sulieman, Shihab again (this time on baritone), and Art Taylor. The result is a record that shifts personnel mid-album, giving you two distinct sonic personalities under one roof. It's not chaos-it's Waldron's deliberate choice to explore different harmonic textures without locking himself into a single configuration. Prestige released it in November 1957, and the CD reissue later added bonus tracks from The Dealers sessions. The split-session format became a common Prestige tactic, but here it worked because Waldron's piano stayed constant, acting as the connective tissue between the two ensembles.

Mal Waldron - Mal/2: What makes this record more than just a sideman showcase?

Because Waldron wasn't coasting on star power-he was composing for the room. While the lineup reads like a who's-who of late-'50s hard bop (Coltrane! McLean!), Waldron wrote charts that demanded ensemble listening, not just blowing space. Take "J.M.'s Dream Doll," a 12-bar structure that forces McLean's alto to navigate Waldron's harmonic traps-wide interval leaps that resist predictable bebop lines. Or "One By One," where Waldron's comping isn't accompaniment, it's counterpoint. The record also captures Coltrane in transition: pre-Giant Steps, post-Miles quintet, still experimenting with scalar runs but not yet committed to sheets of sound. The April 19 session leans warmer and more lyrical (McLean's alto has that plaintive edge). The May 17 date is harder, more angular, with Coltrane's tenor pushing the harmonic boundaries. The split-session structure isn't a gimmick-it's Waldron testing two moods, two energies, and two approaches to hard bop architecture.

Full Tracklist

1. From This Moment On
2. J.M.'s Dream Doll
3. The Way You Look Tonight
4. One By One
5. Don't Explain
6. Potpourri

Start the stream. Let the atmosphere settle before we look at the wax.

The Needle Drop: Opening the Gatefold on a Split Personality

You pull the jacket out of the crate and the first thing you notice is the weight-not just physical heft, but the density of the roster printed on the back. Ten musicians across two sessions. That's not a quintet date. That's Waldron curating a conversation he couldn't have with one lineup alone. You slide the record out. The vinyl is black, clean, and the label reads "Craft Recordings"-the 2023 reissue that brought Mal/2 back from the dead after decades of being a Prestige catalog deep cut. You drop the needle on "From This Moment On," and the first thing that hits you is the piano. Waldron doesn't comp-he converses. His left hand walks like a bass player with insomnia, and his right hand punctuates Coltrane's lines with stabs that feel less like support and more like challenge. The tempo sits around 168 BPM on the uptempo cuts, settling into a medium-swing pocket on ballads like "Don't Explain." This is a record for late afternoon, when the light starts to slant through the blinds and you need something that sounds like it's thinking out loud. Pair it with black coffee or a dry martini-something that won't distract from the conversation happening between Waldron's hands and the horn section.

The Nerd Sheet: Why This Record Keeps Resurfacing in Wantlists

Let's talk numbers. On Discogs, Mal/2 sits at a 9-to-8 Want-to-Have ratio. That's not Grail territory, but it's a signal: more people are hunting this than holding it. The community rating is 4.67 out of 5 from three voters-a small sample size, but unanimous in its respect. The original Prestige pressing (PRLP 7111) is harder to find and commands higher prices on the secondary market, but the 2023 Craft Recordings reissue-catalog number CR00616-is the most accessible entry point for collectors who don't want to gamble on a sixty-six-year-old original. The median price for the reissue sits at $31.99, which is fair for a remastered AAA chain that pulls from the original tapes.

Now let's talk lineage. This session captures two of hard bop's most important voices-Jackie McLean and John Coltrane-at the same table, but on different nights. McLean, fresh off his work with Charles Mingus and Miles Davis, brings a lyrical, blues-drenched alto sound. Coltrane, still a year away from Giant Steps, is in his exploratory phase-testing scalar runs and harmonic substitutions that would later define his modal work. The fact that they never recorded together on this album is part of its charm. You get two perspectives on Waldron's compositions without the competitive energy that often comes when two horn players share the same date.

The listening lineage of Mal/2 is quieter than some of Waldron's later work, but you can hear echoes of his harmonic approach in the work of pianists like Andrew Hill and Herbie Nichols-players who understood that the piano could be a rhythm section, a melodic voice, and a harmonic disruptor all at once. Waldron's comping on "One By One" anticipates the kind of percussive, angular piano work that would become a hallmark of '60s post-bop. The record also marks an early collaboration between Waldron and Jackie McLean, who would go on to record together extensively throughout the late '50s and early '60s. For session synergy, this is a one-off: Waldron never recorded with this exact combination of players again. But the sidemen? They were everywhere. Coltrane was simultaneously working with Thelonious Monk at the Five Spot. McLean was recording as a leader for Prestige. Sahib Shihab was transitioning from alto to baritone and establishing himself as a go-to utility horn. Art Taylor and Ed Thigpen were two of the most in-demand drummers in New York. This wasn't a supergroup-it was a snapshot of the working musician ecosystem in 1957.

More context from Wikipedia: the CD reissue added two bonus tracks from The Dealers sessions, which were recorded around the same time and featured similar personnel. The original LP was released through Prestige Records in November 1957, during a period when the label was cranking out hard bop sessions at an industrial pace. Waldron was a Prestige house pianist at the time, appearing on sessions for Gene Ammons, Jackie McLean, and others. Mal/2 was his second album as a leader, following Mal-1 earlier that same year.

The Educational Deep Dive: Who Was in the Room and What Were They Chasing?

Let's break down the personnel. On April 19, 1957, Waldron assembled a quintet: Jackie McLean (alto saxophone), Bill Hardman (trumpet), Sahib Shihab (alto saxophone), Julian Euell (bass), and Ed Thigpen (drums). They recorded three tracks: "J.M.'s Dream Doll," "One By One," and "Don't Explain." The energy on these cuts is warm, almost conversational. McLean's alto has that plaintive, singing quality-less fire, more blues. Hardman's trumpet is clean and crisp, never overplaying. Euell and Thigpen lock into a pocket that feels lived-in, like they've been playing these tunes for weeks.

On May 17, Waldron switched it up. He brought in John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Idrees Sulieman (trumpet), Sahib Shihab (this time on baritone saxophone), and Art Taylor (drums). They cut three more: "From This Moment On," "The Way You Look Tonight," and "Potpourri." The vibe shifts. Coltrane's tenor is more probing, more restless. He's not yet playing the torrential runs that would define his work with Atlantic, but you can hear him testing the edges of the changes. Sulieman's trumpet is brighter than Hardman's, more extroverted. Art Taylor's drumming is sharper, more propulsive. The bass chair was filled by a different player (uncredited in some sources, though likely either Euell or another Prestige regular). The result is a harder, more angular sound.

The "happy accident" here isn't a single take-it's the format itself. Prestige was notorious for split-session LPs, but Waldron made it work by treating the album as a compositional experiment rather than a cost-cutting measure. He wasn't just throwing together whatever players were available-he was deliberately testing how his compositions would sound with different harmonic textures. "J.M.'s Dream Doll" is a perfect example: McLean's alto navigates the changes with a lyrical, almost vocal quality, while Coltrane (on "From This Moment On") attacks the same harmonic terrain with a scalar, more analytical approach. Same composer, two interpreters, two moods.

Grab one of our curated copies of Mal Waldron - Mal/2 in the Miles Waxey bins here.

The Technical Scrutiny: What You're Actually Hearing on This Reissue

The 2023 Craft Recordings reissue is a straight remaster from the original Prestige tapes. No digital intermediate. No mystery source files. This is analog all the way, and you can hear it in the room tone. Rudy Van Gelder's engineering on the original sessions was clinical in the best sense-close-miked horns, tight stereo spread, no reverb gimmicks. The 2023 remaster doesn't try to modernize the sound; it just cleans up the high end and tightens the low-frequency response. You get a little more air around Coltrane's tenor, a little more definition on Art Taylor's ride cymbal.

If you're hunting an original Prestige pressing, you're looking for PRLP 7111. The label will say "Prestige" in silver text on a blue background, and the deadwax will likely have a hand-etched "RVG" (Rudy Van Gelder) stamp if it's a first pressing from the Hackensack studio. Later pressings moved to Englewood Cliffs and carry different matrix codes. The sound difference between an original Van Gelder cut and the Craft reissue is noticeable but not dramatic-the original has a slightly warmer midrange, while the reissue has cleaner transients. If you're paying $200+ for an original, make sure the seller can provide deadwax photos. If you're paying $32 for the Craft reissue, you're getting 95% of the sound for 15% of the cost.

As for sound description: the soundstage is narrow but deep. Waldron's piano sits center-left, the horns are panned slightly right, and the rhythm section is anchored dead center. There's very little bleed between instruments-Van Gelder's mic placement was precise, almost surgical. The floor noise is minimal, though you'll hear a little tape hiss on the quieter passages. The frequency response leans toward the upper-mids, which brings out the bite in McLean's alto and the percussive attack of Waldron's piano. If you're listening on a bright system, dial back the treble a notch or two to avoid fatigue.

Mood-wise, this is a record for focus. It's not background music. It demands attention. Best pairing? Late afternoon, when the day is winding down but you're not ready to shut your brain off. Drink of choice: black coffee if you're working, whiskey neat if you're listening for pleasure. The tempo on the uptempo cuts is brisk enough to keep you engaged, but the ballads ("Don't Explain," "The Way You Look Tonight") slow things down just enough to let you breathe.

Context & Afterlife: The Pianist Who Kept Working While Everyone Else Got Famous

Mal Waldron was born Malcolm Earl Waldron on August 16, 1925, in New York City. He studied classical piano as a child but gravitated toward jazz in his teens, eventually earning a degree in music from Queens College. By the mid-'50s, he was a Prestige house pianist, appearing on sessions for Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Jackie McLean, and others. He also served as Billie Holiday's accompanist from 1957 until her death in 1959-a relationship that profoundly shaped his harmonic approach. (You can hear echoes of Holiday's phrasing in the way Waldron voices his chords, leaving space for the melody to breathe.)

Mal/2 arrived at a pivotal moment in Waldron's career. He was still primarily known as a sideman, but albums like this were his proof of concept: he could lead a session, write charts, and pull performances out of A-list players without stepping on their toes. The album didn't chart, didn't win awards, and didn't make Waldron a household name. But it stayed in print (on and off) for decades, which tells you something about its staying power.

Waldron passed away on December 2, 2002, at the age of 77, in Brussels, Belgium, after a long battle with cancer. By then, he'd recorded over 100 albums as a leader and appeared on countless sessions as a sideman. He spent the latter half of his career living in Europe, where he found a more receptive audience for his cerebral, often introspective approach to post-bop piano. His cultural afterlife is quieter than Coltrane's or McLean's, but his influence on later pianists-especially those interested in the intersection of composition and improvisation-is undeniable.

Collector's Corner: The Final Audit

Here's the bottom line: if you're chasing the original Prestige pressing, expect to pay $150-$250 for a clean VG+ copy. If you're patient and willing to gamble on condition, you might find a beater for $75-$100, but you'll be dealing with surface noise and potential groove wear. The 2023 Craft Recordings reissue is the smart play for most collectors. At $31.99, it's affordable, it's in print, and it sounds great. The mastering is faithful to the original, and you're not gambling on a sixty-six-year-old piece of vinyl that might have been stored in a garage for the last four decades.

If you already own the reissue and you're curious about the original, focus on finding a copy with the "RVG" stamp in the deadwax. That's your guarantee that it was cut by Rudy Van Gelder himself. Later pressings (post-1960) were often cut from safety masters or dubs, and the sound quality can vary wildly. Check the matrix numbers against the Discogs database to verify the pressing plant and approximate date. And as always: demand photos of the deadwax before you buy.

Does your copy have the "RVG" stamp or is it a later digital remaster? Tell us your runout numbers in the comments.

Grab one of our curated copies of Mal Waldron - Mal/2 in the Miles Waxey bins here.