Customer Reviews

Maya With Love

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Harold Mabern Jr. has been around "as long as dirt" as the saying goes. I first
became aware of Mabern's work as a sideman with Lee Morgan and Hank Mobley. They
didn't have anybody in the stable better to play any number of sessions than Mr.
Mabern. Harold's still around, on the scene, often as not playing again as a
sideman to 'younger' tenor player Eric Alexander or somebody else. He's got to
be around 75. He is always worth seeing perform as leader or sideman. Harold is
one of those treasures from another era that was seemingly forgotten by the late
1970's or 1980's. By 1985 he was part of the Toronto jazz scene which included
the likes of Anthony Braxton and Don Pullen both of whom along with Harold released
albums for the Sackville label. Mabern is Memphis born and the major influence on
his playing, bar none is Phineas Newborn Jr. Harold was 59 years old before he got a
real send-off as a leading man with the album for Columbia "The Leading Man" (1995) a
great album in U.S. packaging. James Williams, the fantastic hard bop pianist, and
younger man, produced that one. James kept pushing, and when Columbia and other U.S.
labels were too busy, landed Mabern two great contracts. The first in Japan with DIW
gave us (this is not a discography) at least two great albums. First "Mabern's
Grooveyard" followed shortly thereafter in the same year 1998 "Maya With Love".
Harold has a lot of energy and you can feel it on these. He also sticks close
enough to a melody line in his improvisations that you might (?) remember where
he began. Tony Reedus, looking back seemed to be especially fine at bringing out
the best in Mabern. Mabern's Grooveyard was arguably a bit easier to warm to,
but for people who love this music, "Maya With Love" doesn't take but a listen or
three. Mabern's work continued with Venus, Japan where he came out with a
succession of albums each of which needs it's own comments (See the review of
"Don't Know Why".) The only luke warm word I've ever read on Mabern's albums
was in the only review that has been published here to date. What that review
suggests to me is if you want something a bit further out, there are and have long
been great, great and equally neglected artists to choose from going back to
the 60's. If you're looking for life after bebop and are looking for hard bop,
check out Mabern. And check out James Williams while you're at it, any of his
Magical Trio albums, but Magical Trio 2 gets the most acclaim, and don't forget
Phineas Newborn Jr. If you love jazz piano, Phineas, as few others in the history
of modern jazz is in a class of his own. And oh yes, forget the packaging.

I was unfamiliar with Harold Mabern before this, but I was somehow drawn in by the hip japanese import packaging, and by the rhythm section of Christian McBride and Tony Redus.

This trio is tight as anything, but there's something a bit dull about the music. It's not that there isn't energy, it's just that the improvisation tends to be unadventurous. This is a very accessible album by top-notch musicians, but I've come to like my jazz a bit kinkier.