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Michael Waldrop: Native Son
ByIn some ways a return to his first album as a leader, 2002's Triangularity, a sterling piano trio outing which he reissued in 2019, Native Son finds Waldrop in an interactive piano trio setting, augmented by veteran percussionists
Brad Dutz
percussionJose Rossy
percussion"I love piano trios but timbrally-speaking it can get monotonous," he confessed. "So Brad really added a lot of timbral color, whether he was playing berimbau, bougarabous, pandeiro or doumbek. I wouldn't say that's completely unique, though. I like a lot of

Eliane Elias
piano and vocalsb.1960

Nana Vasconcelos
percussion1944 - 2016
A deeply affecting project that runs the gamut from the churning percussion-fueled title track to tender ballads, a slamming funk-laden number in seven and spirited tributes to masters Nana Vasconcelos and

Elvin Jones
drums1927 - 2004

Vasil Hadzimanov
pianob.1973

Joe Zawinul
keyboards1932 - 2007

Bud Powell
piano1924 - 1966

Bill Evans
piano1929 - 1980

Keith Jarrett
pianob.1945
Setting the table alongside in-demand Macedonian bassist
Martin Gjakonovski
bass, acousticWaldrop then proposed that he and Vasil do a remote collaboration on this song. "This was about 2022 and we were still kind of in the pandemic mode a little bit, so I thought a remote recording made sense. Initially, I thought I'd just post it on Facebook or something. I didn't have a plan for an album. So I sequenced myself playing piano and bass and then overdubbed drums on it, then sent the stems to Vasil. He played amazingly well on it and I was like, 'Wow!' Then I sent it to a bassist in Seattle,

Chris Symer
bassThe collection opens on a meditative note with the churning title track, a 3/4 number with an underlying 4 against 3 feel to create a kind of M.C. Escher-sque polyrhythmic puzzle. Had?imanov carries the enchanting melody on top while the percussive tandem of Rossy on djembe and Dutz on pandeiro and Senegalese bougarabous, in combination with Waldrop's insistent backbeat, creates a pulsating undercurrent for the pianist to ride on. Gjakonovski adds an outstanding upright bass solo on this multi-layered jam, and the leader unleashes a salvo on the kit near the end.
"Vasconcelos," a tribute to the aforementioned Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos of

Pat Metheny
guitarb.1954
"Pythia: The Speaking Water" is a dramatic minor key ballad with some loosely interactive drumming by the leader. An air of mystery hovers over this pensive track intended to convey an ancient vibe. Gjakonovski delivers another resounding bass solo and Dutz adds touches of bowed waterphone near the end to enhance the Delphic vibe. "I didn't know that instrument before Brad introduced me to it," said Waldrop. "He has played that instrument on a plethora of soundtracks for movie and TV including many episodes of Star Trek Next Generation. Film and TV composers seem to want that instrument because it's so ethereal sounding."
The relaxed, mid-tempo swinger "El Vino," which previously appeared on Time Within Itself, is Waldrop's ode to his drum hero,

Elvin Jones
drums1927 - 2004
There's a tinge of melancholy to the mellow "Belgrade," the Waldrop original that he had previously recorded on Triangularity and Origin Suite. Had?imanov takes his time and delivers a thoughtful reading, beautifully capturing the heartfelt essence of the tune, while Dutz's use of doumbek and riq add a Middle Eastern flavor to the proceedings. "I requested that because Belgrade has a lot of Middle Eastern influences since it's the Balkans," said Waldrop. "Serbia was occupied by the Ottoman Empire for a period of time, so that's inherent in a lot of the music there. And I was trying to capture a little bit of the spirit of Belgrade by adding that middle Eastern percussion."
The hard-hitting, funk-laden "Bitter End" opens in 7/4 before morphing to 6/4 near the end, showcasing some spirited keyboard flurries by Had?imanov along the way. The pianist then dials it back on the delicate and spacious "Still Life," a ballad that Waldrop had originally written in Munich in 1996 and later recorded in Origin Suite. Had?imanov treads lightly into Bill Evans territory here while also summoning up the hauntingly beautiful vibe of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage." As Waldrop noted, "He's playing the melody, embellishing it slightly, but then he plays these left handed fills within it and I was like...'Wow!' I thought it was brilliant." Gjakonovski also turns in a lovely bass solo on this lyrical number.
The lone cover here, and one of two tunes (with "El Vino") featuring the piano trio sans percussion, is Alec Wilder's 1959 tune, "The Wrong Blues," which was also famously recorded by Keith Jarrett on his 1986 Standards Live album with

Gary Peacock
bass, acoustic1935 - 2020

Jack DeJohnette
drumsb.1942
Their easy-going, loosely swinging interpretation of this Wilder classic brings Native Son to a close with a genteel exclamation point.
Liner Notes copyright ? 2025 Bill Milkowski.
Native Son can be purchased here.
Contact Bill Milkowski at All About Jazz.
Bill Milkowski is the author of "Jaco: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Jaco Pastorius"
Track Listing
Native Son; Vasconcelos; Pythia: The Speaking Water; El Vino; Belgrade (Београд); Bitter End; Still Life; The Wrong Blues.
Personnel
Michael Waldrop
percussionVasil Hadzimanov
pianoMartin Gjakonovski
bass, acousticBrad Dutz
percussionJose Rossy
percussionChris Symer
bassAlbum information
Title: Native Son | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Origin Records
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