Mal Waldron

Mal Waldron

Arranger, composer and pianist Malcolm “Mal” Waldron played in a number of big bands and fronted his own before a drug overdose left him unable to play or remember music. As he regained his technique through listening to his own records, Waldron began a second leg of his career with a decidedly different sound than the first. In this edition of Liner Notes, jazz historian and Rabbi Neil Blumofe recalls Mal Waldron, his struggle with addiction, and how he interpolated his former style.