One For Lady

New York-born jazz pianist Mal Waldron’s incredible career saw him backing Mingus, Coltrane, and Billie Holiday, and after surviving a heroin overdose and mental breakdown, he decamped to Europe to compose film scores; then, in 1970, he made his maiden voyage to Japan, where One For Lady was recorded with rising star Kimiko Kasai, drummer Hiroshi Murakami and bassist Yoshio Suzuki from Sadao Watanabe’s band. Waldron’s expressive pianos and Kasai’s sultry vocal delivery are the outstanding draws, the sensitive renditions of ‘Willow Weep For Me’ and ‘Lover Man’ summing up the album’s enduring appeal.