Mal Waldron - Candy Girl

Mal Waldron — Candy Girl

Remastered audio by The Carvery

New liner notes by Francis Gooding

A reissue of one of the most elusive yet mythical LPs ever conceived in France is coming back to vinyl. An electrified meeting of minds, Candy Girl is a lost 1975 session by jazz pianist Mal Waldron, recorded in Paris with core members of the mighty Lafayette Afro Rock Band.

All tracks, composed by unsung hero Mal Waldron, are backed by the key members of the famous Lafayette Afro Rock Band who gained cult status notably by being heavily sampled by the great names of the rap game: from De La Soul to Wu-Tang Clan, through Nas and of course Jay-Z among many, many others...

By 1975, Waldron was a decade into his self-imposed exile from the United States — a transformed musician who had reassembled his sound in Europe and Japan after a devastating breakdown in the early '60s. His post-1969 output had stripped jazz down to its core elements: modal intensity, locked grooves, and hypnotic repetition. Candy Girl doesn't interrupt this trajectory — it extends it, wrapping Waldron's minimalist mantras around the funked-up chassis of the Lafayette rhythm section.

The album consists of five pieces going from deep jazz funk to modal soul jazz even to uplifting jazz ballad, all sharing the profoundness of Mal Waldron's sensibility.

Candy Girl stands surely as one of the true Holy Grail of Jazz Funk coming out of Europe. This official edition features audio remastered by The Carvery, new liner notes by Francis Gooding, and packaging that pays tribute to the obscure original release, complete with replica Calumet label artwork.

Musicians:
Mal Waldron, composer and arranger
Frank Abel, electric piano
Lafayette Hudson, bass
Donny Donable, drums

 

Side A

1. Home Again

A2. Red Match Box

Side B

1. Bits And Things

2. Dedication To Brahms

3. Candy Girl

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