Vocalist, pianist and songwriter Mala Waldron has been performing professionally since she was 15 yrs. old, when she joined a local R&B band. Within a year, the band was signed to RCA Records with the release of a single "Take Little Love." After high school, she went on to expand her knowledge of music studying jazz piano, voice and composition at SUNY College of Old Westbury with Makanda Ken McIntyre. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Mala's recordings as a featured artist include "He's My Father," a duo with her father, jazz pianist and composer, Mal Waldron, and "Lullabye," her solo debut (both on Tokuma Communications/Japan; re-issues on 3361Black). She has had the pleasure of working with many notable artists including Andy Bey, Makanda Ken McIntyre, Don Braden, Jeanne Lee, Cecil McBee, George Cables, James Williams, Billy Drummond, Victor Lewis, John Betsch, James "Jabbo" Ware ME WE & THEM Orchestra, Hilton Ruiz, Andrei Strobert, Warren Smith and violinist, Naoko Terai.
In March 2006 the songstress celebrated her first domestic release, Always There (Soulful Sound Music) with a sold-out launch event at New York's JAZZ STANDARD. Mala has performed in Japan, France, Belgium and more recently to China and Malaysia for Hennessy xoxo Jazz Tour. In the U.S., she was featured at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola (Jazz at Lincoln Center) for the 2006 Diet Coke Women in Jazz Festival and the Port Jefferson Jazz Festival where she opened for Kenny Rankin. She has been featured in JAZZIZ, Jazz Improv, Swing Journal, Jazz Life and GQ (Japan). In November 2006, Always There was licensed by Columbia Music Entertainment and released in Japan.
Steve Salerno - Guitarist
Steve is an active performer of both jazz and classical music. He has played with numerous artists including Jaco Pastorius, John Abercrombie, Ray Anderson, Kenny Wheeler, Bennie Wallace, Lee Konitz, Mark Helias, Regina Carter, Randy Brecker and Nat Adderly, Jr. Steve is the Founding Director of the Jazz Program at Stony Brook University where he is completing his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in 20th Century Performance. He is featured on the soundtrack recording for John Feldman’s film, “Dead Funny” starring Andrew McCarthy and Elizabeth Pena.
Miriam Sullivan - Bassist
Miriam is a graduate of Music and Performing Arts High School and Manhattan School of Music Conservatory. She has toured all over the world including South America with the Jazz Ambassador program. Her impressive resume includes work with Wynton Marsalis, Stefon Harris, Philip Harper, Joshua Redman and Lionel Hampton. She's studied with Billy Taylor and Ron Carter and played in groups such as the Rachel Z Trio and Hip Hop band “3 Bean Stew” led by Quame. Miriam has also appeared in the Kennedy Center's Women in Jazz Festival in 1997 & 1999.
Michael "T.A." Thompson - Percussionist - "Soundrhythium"
Drummer/Percussionist Michael Thompson is an anomaly. You will find him in the company of such a wide variety of musical artists including Joe McPhee, John Stubblefield, Henry Grimes, Daniel Carter, Alex Foster, Roy Campbell Jr., Matthew Shipp, Uri Caine, John Patitucci, William Parker, Harvie Swartz, Barbara Sfraga, legendary Calypsonians The Mighty Sparrow, The Shadow, Becket; reggae artist Owen Gray; as well as artists from classical to rap and beyond. He is the producer of "Always There" as well as the new release by vocalist Barbara Sfraga & CSQ entitled Timeslessness Frozen in Time.
THE STORY
Mala first met guitarist Steve Salerno in 1998, while doing a weekly solo piano/vocal gig at a now defunct jazz club on Long Island. She views their meeting as "one of the better things to come of that gig." She laughs when recalling that the first job Steve called her for was a funeral!
A few years later Mala met drummer/percussionist, Michael "T.A." Thompson, through a mutual friend, saxophonist Milt Harris. After working together on material for Mr. Harris' recording project, they recognized a great synergy and intuitive ease of relating between them. They decided to expand their collaboration by writing for other artists, the first of whom was vocalist Barbara Sfraga. This is also when they first discussed the idea of playing together and recording Mala's music.
Mala met bassist, Miriam Sullivan around 2002, when they began working together in an all-female band called "Sage." At this point, Mala had all the players except the 'right' bassist to fit in with her project. In retrospect, she finds it funny that she overlooked Miriam assuming she'd be too busy with other projects. Mala recalls one day, venting about it, when Miriam suddenly said she'd love to play with the band!
From the first rehearsal, the group knew right away that Miriam was the missing piece to their puzzle, she fit in beautifully. They did their first performance at 17 Main a jazz club in Mt. Kisco, New York, to an enthusiastic crowd. Unfortunately, 17 Main has since closed, but this unit goes on working together, as well as supporting and developing their own individual projects.
