New York Times Novela
By Ben Ratliff
"...Later that night, Tony Malaby presented his new group, Novela, with improvised or notated music as conducted by the pianist Kris Davis. In its collapsing of structure and intuition it had roots in some older experimental jazz — Roscoe Mitchell, Butch Morris — but it was still strong and strange, properly bewildering."
NYTimes.com
New York Times Paloma Recio review
By Nate Chinen
The tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby introduced his band Paloma Recio several years ago, strictly as a New York club concern. Since then he has toured and made albums with other projects, but kept this one working. The result is that he and his band mates — the guitarist Ben Monder, the bassist Eivind Opsvik and the drummer Nasheet Waits — share an uncontrived intuition. “Paloma Recio” (New World), their debut as a band, presents that accomplishment plainly: it’s a fact. Some of the album’s 10 tracks are finely plotted, others are freely played, and one is an interpretation (of “Música Callada,” by the Catalan composer Federico Mompou). Because the musicians apply the same concentration to any task, however calm or frenzied, the hourlong program resembles a suite. Mr. Malaby plays with terse control, exploring the full and extended range of his horn, and his colleagues, Mr. Monder most strikingly, exhibit grace along with strength.
NYTimes.com
Paloma Revio Review from AllAboutJazz.com
By Troy Collins
One of New York City's most in-demand tenor saxophonists, Tony Malaby has become one of the most distinctive artists of his time. A first generation Mexican-American born in Tucson, Arizona, Paloma Recio finds Malaby delving deeper into his own personal history, abstracting Spanish-tinged melodies with the support of some of the best improvisers working today.
Focusing on Malaby's penchant for unbound lyricism, Paloma Recio (Loud Dove) is the self-titled debut of Malaby's quartet of the same name. Inspired by the same unfettered passion that spurned John Coltrane and Albert Ayler to lofty heights, Malaby's ensemble embarks on a journey that veers from euphonious ethereality ("Lucedes") to roiling turmoil ("Loud Dove").
A singular stylist, Malaby brings a wide range of expression to the tenor saxophone tradition. A vociferous soloist with a keen ear for structural dynamics, he tempers his explosive angularity with virtuosic embouchure control, pushing beyond conventional tonality with a subtly expansive harmonic palette. His ghostly cries and scorching glisses on "Alechinsky" offer a focused meditation on post-Ayler technique, while his lyrical refrains on "Sonoita" showcase his abilities in a mellifluous light.
Guitarist Ben Monder is the perfect foil for Malaby; his understated phrasing and gauzy distorted tone knits seamlessly with the tenor's breathy exhortations. The rapturously episodic "Loud Dove" reveals a multiplicity of techniques, from delicate kaleidoscopic arpeggios and shimmering atmospheric washes, to searing long tones and string bends that lift the bandstand. Often dovetailing with Malaby, their ornate cadences soar into oblivion with dramatic results; their intertwining discourse on "Boludos" is one of the most eloquent free meditations in recent memory.
Despite the emphasis on thematic development, the quartet does not lack rhythmic acuity; quite the opposite. Malaby's elastic compositions are woven from an impressionistic mosaic of melodic kernels, unfixed tempos and modulating rhythms. Left in the capable hands of bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer Nasheet Waits, "Obambo" demonstrates their congenial rapport from the start, opening the album with a fluidly deconstructed variation on a lilting Afro-pop groove. Blending harmonious invention with colorful rhythmic accents, Opsvik and Waits bring Malaby's melodious sketches to life with empathetic interplay and dynamic versatility.
Paloma Recio is another stellar recording in the growing discography of one of today's preeminent tenor saxophonists. A vibrant exploration of the open-ended nature of melody, harmony and rhythm, Malaby's Paloma Recio quartet has delivered one of the most luxuriant and bracing albums of 2009.
AllAboutJazz.com
Warblepeck Review from thecelebritycafe.com
Tony Malaby has devised an avant-garde hybrid of jazz that circulates in a haunting manner filtering out from his latest album, Warblepeck. It’s hypnotic with its tones and array of musical sounds that are blended together to make for diverse tracks. Warblepeck possesses a hypnotic stronghold over us with its full bodied galore of sounds that are captivating. Malaby’s clunky yet strangely arousing music becomes a stunning visual and displays impeccable textures.
We are sent into a trance or an enchanting dreamlike state. Warblepeck has a mystical, cinematic appeal to it that may cast us into a wandering delirium in search for answers. Malaby has a brilliant sense of inventiveness as he brings us bundles of energy in little bubbles that expand from the fabric of traditional jazz. He’s got an auxiliary of instruments that complement each other, displaying a bolstering luster that seems to offset the norm. The clicks and clanks give jazz an updated and minor futuristic sound. Malaby provides a fascinating display with many facets and layers.
With everything incorporated, the originality and abstract take on the classic jazz form might not sit well with traditions. It’s not that it would scare people away, but in order to move forward and branch out from the existing to create the next great form of music, there needs to be a form of inventiveness. Malaby undertakes a major endeavor here and delivers a sound that is forcefully mighty, which may sound obscure or odd at first, but if you give it a chance you can fall for it.
Reviewer: John Berkowitz
thecelebritycage.com
Warblepeck Review from the Downtown Music Gallery
This is a Hybrid SACD (H-SACD) which means it is playable on ordinary CD players as well] Featuring Tony Malaby on tenor & soprano saxes, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello & electronics and John Hollenbeck on drums, marimba, xylophone and assorted percussion. What I find most interesting about this trio is that, although all members are diverse bandleaders and musicians in their own right, this trio does have a distinctive group sound. Tony Malaby can be found on more than sixty discs over the past decade, collaborating with a unique plethora of artists like Mario Pavone, Kris Davis, GeorgeSchuller, Basement Research, Mark Helias, Satoko Fujii, a fine trio with his partner, Angelica Sanchez and leading his own bands. Chicago-based cellist, Fred Lonberg-Holm, also rarely rests and works with the likes of the Vandermark 5, Peter Brotzmann, Axel Dorner, Joe McPhee, Paul Rutherford, John Butcher and the Flatlands Collective. John Hollenbeck is a wonderful composer and player and leads the Claudia Quintet, his own orchestra and he has worked with Theo Bleckman, Satoko Fuji, Scott Fields, Achim Kaufmann and Cuong Vu....
Warblepeck Review from the Chicago Reader
By Peter Margasak
For next week's paper I've written a Critic's Choice about upcoming gigs at the Hungry Brain (10/19) and the Chicago Cultural Center (10/20) by New York saxophonist Tony Malaby, bassist Ingebrigt Haaker Flaten, and drummer Nasheet Waits; in it I discuss two of Malaby's recent trio recordings. What I didn't get around to was his very different Cello Trio, which celebrates the release of a brand-new album called Warblepeck (Songlines) Wednesday night at the Hideout. It was recorded earlier this year with percussionist John Hollenbeck (Claudia Quintet) and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, who'll both join Malaby here.
The album alternates between tender, lyric pieces and open-ended exercises, and aside from tunes by Bill Frisell, Angelica Sanchez, and Eivind Opsvik, Malaby composed everything. Throughout it's marked by exquisite attention to textural intricacies, from the puckers and pops Malaby wrings from his saxophones to the delicate melodic counterpoint Hollenbeck lays down on xylophone, marimba, or glockenspiel (sometimes while drumming)....
Warblepeck Review from All About Jazz
By Troy Collins
A ubiquitous presence in New York's fertile jazz scene, saxophonist Tony Malaby has appeared on over fifty albums since Sabino (Arabesque, 2000), his debut as a leader. With unfaltering drive and boundless creativity, his impassioned playing has graced numerous Downtown collectives, with early stints spent in Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra and Paul Motian's Electric Be-Bop Band.
The unconventional instrumentation featured on Warblepeck is unique in Malaby's budding discography, especially for an artist usually found fronting traditional small acoustic combos. Joined by avant cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and melodic percussionist John Hollenbeck, the unorthodox yet versatile combination of Lonberg-Holm's electronic EFX and Hollenbeck's arsenal of exotic percussion reveals a session rich in kaleidoscopic textures and tones....
Tony Malaby Cello Trio - Warblepeck (Songlines, 2008)
by Roberto CurtisSaxophonist Tony Malaby--known for his ominously playful composition style--has teamed up with New York contemporary drummer John Hollenbeck and avant garde cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm to create Warblepeck, an album that is as experimental as it is fun.
Billed as the Tony Malaby Cello Trio, the group’s virtuosity creeps up behind the obvious ingenuity and body slams you with sonic indulgence. With Lonberg-Holm’s berimbau-hammering techniques on the cello strings and Hollenbeck’s eerie children’s polyrhythmic marimba, title track “Warblepeck” sounds like a twisted, acid-induced stumble through a house of mirrors.
Malaby’s flawless technique pierces through Lonberg-Holm’s electronic arsenal of chirps and buzzes and a meandering marimba on “Jackhat 1.” Though impossible to say who’s in the driver’s seat, Malaby’s command of the tenor saxophone’s altissimo register is remarkably tight as he dances through the three-way improvisation. It may just sound like noise to the undiscerning ear, but rest assured there is method and beauty in the mayhem....
RVAJazz
Warblepeck Review from the Downtown Music Gallery
This is a Hybrid SACD (H-SACD) which means it is playable on ordinary CD players as well] Featuring Tony Malaby on tenor & soprano saxes, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello & electronics and John Hollenbeck on drums, marimba, xylophone and assorted percussion. What I find most interesting about this trio is that, although all members are diverse bandleaders and musicians in their own right, this trio does have a distinctive group sound. Tony Malaby can be found on more than sixty discs over the past decade, collaborating with a unique plethora of artists like Mario Pavone, Kris Davis, GeorgeSchuller, Basement Research, Mark Helias, Satoko Fujii, a fine trio with his partner, Angelica Sanchez and leading his own bands. Chicago-based cellist, Fred Lonberg-Holm, also rarely rests and works with the likes of the Vandermark 5, Peter Brotzmann, Axel Dorner, Joe McPhee, Paul Rutherford, John Butcher and the Flatlands Collective. John Hollenbeck is a wonderful composer and player and leads the Claudia Quintet, his own orchestra and he has worked with Theo Bleckman, Satoko Fuji, Scott Fields, Achim Kaufmann and Cuong Vu....
Tamarindo Review from the New York Times
Tony Malaby
| Within the last decade the tenor and soprano saxophonist Tony Malaby has earned a reputation as one of New York’s stalwart improvisers, through an array of sideman appointments and some rigorously rewarding albums. As a leader he favors trios, working often with bass and drums. On “Tamarindo” (Clean Feed) the bassist is William Parker, and the drummer is Nasheet Waits, and both musicians bring a driving purpose to the task. |
 Photo by Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times |
| Meanwhile Mr. Malaby, simmering as often as he squalls, coherently pushes the music forward. Clearly this band, which has occasionally billed itself as Tony Malaby’s Exploding Heart, should continue working, even though Mr. Malaby has other immediate plans: His next album will feature the drummer John Hollenbeck and the cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, who also join him in performance at Barbès on Wednesday and at the Cornelia Street Café on Friday. | |
Review of Tamarindo from AllAboutJazz.com
Saxophonist Tony Malaby is rapidly becoming one of the most impressive artists of his generation. With a resume including memberships in Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra and Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, he has gone from ubiquitous to acclaimed, seemingly overnight. Tamarindo features Malaby fronting a powerhouse trio of his peers, including bassist William Parker and drummer Nasheet Waits.... AllAboutJazz.com
Review of Tamarindo From Time-Out New York
"More than just an outstanding example of trio chemistry, Tamarindo represents a bold statement of unity for New York jazz. Saxist Tony Malaby and his supporting cast, bassist William Parker and drummer Nasheet Waits, are three of the busiest, most sought-after players in town. But since the musicians run in different circles—Malaby with avant-boppers like Mark Helias and Angelica Sanchez, Parker with a host of free-jazz luminaries, and Waits with progressive mainstreamers such as Jason Moran—it’s surprising to see them teaming up..." Time Out New York
Review of Tamarindo from cleanfeed.wordpress.com
"Portugal’s Clean Feed label is fast proving itself as one of the flagship supporters of modern jazz and improvised music around the world, with an international roster that includes some of the finest working musicians across America, Europe and beyond. Among its latest batch of impressive releases is Tamarindo, which captures the hardcore New York City virtuosity of saxophonist Tony Malaby leading a trio with bassist William Parker and drummer Nasheet Waits...." cleanfeed.wordpress.com
Review of Tamarindo from Blogspot.com
"The end of the year still held a serious contender for the best albums of 2007. Tony Malaby is an absolutely exquisite saxophonist, whose first records "Sabino", "Apparitions" and "Adobe", offered a modern creative kind of jazz, but then he moved into free-er territory with Angelica Sanchez (his wife) and Tom Rainey (two albums which are easy to recommend), but what he brings here exceeds all expectations. This is free music of the highest levels, with three musicians at the top of their skills, with William Parker on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. It seems after several listenings that for each of the tracks the only anchor point is a wonderful melody that Malaby keeps up his sleeve for a long time into the piece, while the trio builds up to its release..." freejazz-stef.blogspot.com
Review of Tamarindo from jazzreview.com
"This is a high-impact free-form progressive jazz extravaganza brought to us by three hard-hitting heavyweights of the genre. No doubt, this trio comes at you from all angles, to include avant world-music tinged passages to asymmetrical swing vamps, often accelerated by drummer Nasheet Wait’s pulsating ride cymbal strokes. Tenor/soprano saxophonist Tony Malaby pronounces moments of angst and terror while bass great William Parker punches out the sinewy discourses via fluid lines and gruff, arco passages.
It’s a mighty force of three that lays it all out within various rhythmic matrixes. With jangling drums, pounding accents and a great deal of counterpoint, the band also delves into nip and tuck style motifs..." www.jazzreviews.com
Read the review of Tony's live gig w/ Marc Ducret & Daniel Humair
Tony Malaby Trio Live at the Sunset in Paris, Sept. 2006"
"Si l’enfer est baigné de cette atmosphère chauffée à blanc, et peuplé de diablotins du même acabit que Tony, Marc et Daniel, il y a fort à parier pour que le paradis ne soit pas là où l’on croit...
" - Citizen Jazz.
All About Jazz: New York's Best of 2004
Tony named Musician of the Year
"Winding down a memorable 2004, we at AAJ:NY would like to share some of what sticks out in our ears and minds from this past year in jazz..." Read the article!
TONY MALABY'S Paloma Recio
Mr. Malaby, a powerful and increasingly prominent tenor saxophonist, brings a Spanish tinge to this progressive ensemble,
The New York Times
The Chicago Tribune Feature
Adventurous trio not for all taste, March 19, 2004
The Chicago Tribune reviews a live concert. The exceptional ensemble that played Wednesday night at the Chicago Cultural Center is not exactly a household name, but if its reputation were commensurate with its achievements, the Malaby/Sanchez/Rainey Trio might be the talk of the jazz world.
All About Jazz Feature
All About Jazz, October 28, 2003
All About Jazz features Tony: "Tony Malaby is wearing running pants and sandals. His window is wide open to the street out front and the chilly air that the sunset is bringing in. He has just gotten off the phone with the Knitting Factory, working out the particulars for the June 30th CD release party for his upcoming album, Apparitions..."
'Apparations' and 'Adobe' Reviewed in Time Out NY
Time Out New York, November 2003
Time Out New York reviews Tony's, Apparition and Adobe: "Best known as a reliable inside-outside utility player for leaders as disparate as Tim Berne, Fred Hersch and Guillermo Klein, saxophonist Tony Malaby has a predilection for patient woodshedding, which has resulted in a dearth of recordings under his own name..."
The Japan Times Reviews 'Adobe'
Japan Times, January 2004
"Saxophonist Tony Malaby leaps over these hurdles on his trio's latest release, "Adobe," by simply leaving no slack." Read more...
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