Interview with Mala Waldron


Q: Both your parents are professional jazz musicians. How much have they influenced you to become a musician yourself? Did they try to push you in this direction?

Mala Waldron: Fortunately, neither of my parents tried to push me in that way. They seemed to take note of my natural affinity for it, giving me lots of encouragement. As a young child I used to watch my mother rehearsing for performances. Mom started me off with classical piano lessons at age 7 years. When I wasn't practicing scales or some sonata, I would often go through her sheet music collection looking for something "cool" to play to impress my friends. Sometimes my father took my sister, Lauren, and I on tour with him in the summers. I remember one concert in particular, in Italy where he was scheduled to do a solo performance. I was about 13 years old and recall feeling frightened for him because there were thousands of people at this outdoor festival. I couldn't imagine what he could do up there all alone to hold this audience's attention. I saw him take the stage and in a matter of minutes, mesmerize the entire crowd. It was an amazing experience that made a lasting impression on me.

Q: You've had the chance to work and record an album with your late father. Please tell me more about this experience.

Mala Waldron: The first time my father and I worked together it was in 1995 during a tour of Japan. Jazz vocalist, Jeanne Lee was also on that tour with us. Dad turned 70 that year so I wrote a song for him called "He's My Father" and gave it to him as a birthday gift. Later it became the title track of our CD. We decided to make a recording of the songs we were performing. We ended up going to a studio on one of our days off and recorded six tracks. I couldn't imagine trying to accomplish so much in so little time, but Dad seemed so relaxed about it, I just followed his lead. I did "He's My Father" and another original piece as solo piano/vocals. We recorded the rest of the tunes as piano duets on two grand pianos. One of my favorites from that recording is a free piece called "Cat and Mouse." It was totally improvised from start to finish. We didn't know beforehand what we'd play, but somehow it was decided that I would be the "mouse" and he'd be the "cat" -- the rest just unfolded naturally.

Q: How would you describe your music and where do you see your place in today's music scene?

Mala Waldron: Lately I've been describing my music as "jazz/soul." My roots are undeniably in jazz. I listened to my parents' jazz music probably before I could talk, so it's inherent in everything I do. I was also drawn to numerous soul artists as a youngster and that influence is often apparent in my music. I believe that my place in today's music scene is one of creative substance stemming from my rich heritage. Many people might expect me to be more like my father in terms of style. My hope is that by embracing my own unique musical expression, I will be an inspiration to others to follow their personal vision of what's right for them, regardless of whether the result matches other people's expectations.

Q: Always There is already your third album. Where do you see the difference to your first two and your musical progress over the years?

Mala Waldron: The instrumentation used on all 3 recordings is different, and therefore they each reflect different moods. On "Lullabye" there's only acoustic bass, violin and myself on acoustic piano and vocals. I feel that "Always There" is a truer reflection of who I am today as an artist and that's probably because I had complete creative control over the project. One of the things I love most about "Always There" is the tightness of the band. There's just nothing better for a recording than the chemistry you feel when you come together with certain musicians. It comes across in a powerful way. It takes the compositions to a new level and causes us to interact with one another dynamically. It's the musical equivalent of a lively conversation among old friends.

Q: Three songs on Always There are dedicated to your grandmother, your mother and your father respectively. Please tell me why you've recorded the songs I Do Remember You, Ellie and Proud Lion.

Mala Waldron: I Do Remember You was written for my grandmother, Mardi. This is a new arrangement of a song from my "Lullabye" CD. Originally I wrote it as a ballad. My mother suggested that I try it more up-tempo, in a Latin style. I liked it so much I decided to record the new arrangement. My grandmother had a major impact on me as a child. The lyrics are based on vivid memories I have of watching her as she did her housework. She was an extremely musical person. She was a pianist too, but even when she wasn't playing, she always seemed to be dancing and making music with whatever was handy. In retrospect, I think she was very aware of her effect on me. She knew I was watching her and she'd entertain me and make me laugh. She also talked a lot about life and spiritual things. One of her favorite sayings was "to thine own self be true." Of course, I didn't understand what she meant at the time. She said I'd understand when I got older. I often wonder how she knew that. I think about that now, when I'm talking to young children -- how there's an adult inside there somewhere who's going to be affected by the things I'm saying right now. That's powerful.
I wrote Ellie for my mother because I've always wanted to dedicate one of my songs to her. I wanted it to be a piece that she could be excited about as a musician, and that also reflected her positive spirit. When the melody came to me, I knew I was on the right track. I later decided to give it a Caribbean/Samba feel because of our West Indian heritage and also because Mom has always loved sambas. My mother's given name is "Elaine" but I named the song Ellie because that was her stage name and this song reflects the woman I know who "burns" on the piano, and who also happens to be my mom.
Finally, I wrote Proud Lion for my father shortly after his death in December 2002. His death was especially hard for me because I didn't know he was sick. I wrote this song in an effort to come to terms with losing him. In channeling my feelings through the music, it somehow helped with the grief process. It's still very emotional for me to perform this song but I'm glad I wrote it because many people have told me how much of an impact it has had on them.

Q: The songs on Always There have been written in a time frame of over ten years. Why did you record the older songs as well?

Mala Waldron: I recorded the older songs because they are, after all, still a part of me. I went through some very major life transitions during those years, when the songs were written. I didn't record all of my songs from this time period, just the ones that seemed to clamor for expression. In some way, I felt I couldn't move on without documenting them. They reflect who I was at that time -- sort of like musical snapshots of certain points in my life.

Q: You also did a cover version of Light My Fire. Why did you choose this particular song?

Mala Waldron: Light My Fire is a song I've loved for a very long time. I think I first heard it around 1968 and it's probably been in my consciousness ever since. It came to mind immediately when it was suggested to me that I should probably include at least one cover on the CD. I thought to myself I'd only record it if I could come up with an interesting arrangement, some way to make it my own and still retain its essence.

Q: Always There is released on the Soulful Sound imprint. Your own label, I guess. How much fun or tediousness is it for you to take care of the business things too?

Mala Waldron: There's no doubt about it, putting out a CD on your own label is a LOT of work! But, it's a labor of love that I'm enjoying very much. I've experienced having record deals where everything is taken care of for you. And while it's undeniably easier, I'm motivated now to understand so much more of the business than I ever cared to know about before -- so, all in all, it's a GOOD thing.

Q: Would it be an option for you to sign with a major label or do you prefer to have total control of your music?

Mala Waldron: I'm open to the possibility of working with a major label as long as it doesn't get in the way of remaining true to my essence as an artist. One thing I've always said is that I'll continue to create music as long as it remains fun. I love what I'm doing and that feeling of love is what I believe makes the end result -- my recordings and/or performances -- compelling.

Q: What can we expect from you in the future? In which way would you like your music to develop?

Mala Waldron: I'm very interested in writing music for films and television. I've always been very inspired by movies. Lately I've been coming up with song ideas that seem to evoke different moods and pictures. My father wrote for several films including "A Cool World" and it's something I've envisioned myself doing, too. I'm also starting to write music for other artists. I love the freedom of being able to write any style of music that comes to mind and finding an artist who resonates with my musical ideas. An upcoming CD release entitled "Timelessness Frozen in Time" by vocalist Barbara Sfraga will feature material I've collaborated on with Michael "T.A." Thompson, Sfraga and Christopher Dean Sullivan. I'm on keys and back-up vocals on this recording. If all goes smoothly, it will be out by mid-summer 2006.

For more infos visit malawaldron.com, alwaysthere-cd.com, cdbaby.com and read my review of Always There.