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Cedar Walton
For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an uptempo career, which never seems to slow down. Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of Jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Walton set his sights on a career in music at an early age. An after- hours gig at the Denver Club introduced him to notable musicians like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane, who would sit in with Walton's group when they passed through town.
From there, Walton ventured to New York and began to work locally with Lou Donaldson, Gigi Gryce, Sonny Rollins and Kenny Dorham before landing his first touring job with J.J. Johnson. Soon after, the pianist made his recording debut backing Kenny Dorham on the Riverside album Kenny Dorham Sings. He also made two records with J.J. Johnson' s group on Columbia Records before joining the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet, a group he toured and recorded with for two years. Walton's next major musical association was with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. During his three years tenure with Blakey, Walton stepped forward a composer, contributing originals like Mosaic and The Promised Land to the group's recordings for the Blue Note and Riverside labels.
Walton left the Jazz Messengers to lead rhythm sections and trios throughout the New York club and recording studio circuits. His debut recording as a leader came in 1966 with the release of Cedar on Prestige Records. From the late '60s to early '70s, Walton kept steady company with bassist Sam Jones and drummers Louis Hayes and Billy Higgins in multi-purpose trios that occasionally annexed saxophonists Clifford Jordan, George Coleman or Bob Berg for specific tours and albums.
During the '80s, Walton embarked on a variety of interesting projects, which have grown into lasting affiliations. In 1981, he formed a trio with Ron Carter and Billy Higgins, which clicked right from the start. Around the same time, Walton became part of the Timeless All-stars, a sextet also featuring Harold Land, Bobby Hutcherson, Curtis Fuller, Buster Williams and Billy Higgins. Walton also ignited rhythm sections behind the likes of Milt Jackson, Frank Morgan, Dexter Gordon and vocalists Ernestine Anderson and Freddy Cole, and held the piano chair of The Trumpet Summit Band.
Walton's efforts have been well documented on record. In addition to a host of dates as a sideman, the pianist has been recording with his own groups at a prolific rate, as evidenced by an assortment of albums on the Timeless, Discovery, Red Baron and Steeple Chase record labels.
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Kenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco
by Jack Kenny
The vagaries of the jazz life are all over this release. Why Kenny Dorham should be underappreciated is a mystery. For the gig at the Blue Morocco he had assembled a great super group with a deep well of experience. Drummer Denis Charles had worked with Cecil Taylor. Kenny Dorham had accompanied Charlie Parker, at Parker's peak. Bassist Paul Chambers had supported both Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins. Pianist Cedar Walton had been in the Jazz Messengers. alto sax man ...
Continue ReadingKenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco
by Thierry De Clemensat
Another remarkable chapter in contemporary music comes to life once again, thanks to Resonance Records. It was from 1967 that Blue Bossa In The Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco emerged, an unreleased performance by the legendary jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham, recorded live at the Blue Morocco jazz club in the jny: Bronx, NY. The session features Sonny Red, Cedar Walton, Paul Chambers and Denis Charles. Transferred from the original tape reels captured by the renowned engineer Bernard ...
Continue ReadingKenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco
by Pierre Giroux
Trumpeter Kenny Dorham's stature in jazz history is undeniable, yet he remains one of music's most under-appreciated masters. Despite being a vital presence among the great innovators of his era, Dorham never achieved the star power his talent deserved. In conjunction with Record Store Day, Resonance Records is releasing Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco as a deluxe CD edition that captures Dorham in fiery form during a never-before-heard live performance. The package includes Bob Blumenthal's ...
Continue ReadingKenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco
by Troy Dostert
On their 1955 live recording At the Cafe Bohemia (Blue Note), the Jazz Messengers' Art Blakey introduced his trumpet player, Kenny Dorham, as the “Uncrowned King," a title that was perhaps fitting at the time given Dorham's still-rising trajectory. But even in his prime, Dorham arguably never received his proper accolades, and he would typically be regarded as more of a “musician's musician" than some of the more celebrated trumpeters like Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard. Hence, the ...
Continue ReadingCedar Walton One Flight Down
by Thomas Conrad
They are thinning out: the ranks of pianists who can trace their lineage directly back to primary sources like J.J. Johnson, the early Jazz Messengers of Art Blakey, and the Jazztet of Art Farmer and Benny Golson. In the last few years, we have lost Tommy Flanagan, Mal Waldron, Roland Hanna, Dodo Marmarosa, Russ Freeman, Frank Hewitt, and, most recently, John Hicks. Producer Bob Porter once said of Cedar Walton, “By the time he came to make his ...
Continue ReadingRon Carter & Art Farmer: Live at Sweet Basil
by Scott Gudell
If one wanted to capture a 'who's who' snapshot of the jazz icons of the mid-'70s, into the '80s and beyond, one of the best ways to start was to see if they had added their name to the list of artists who recorded and/or released a 'Live at Sweet Basil' collection. The New York City club debuted as a restaurant in 1974 and, within a few years, artists including Art Blakey, Gil Evans, Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, Mal Waldron ...
Continue ReadingThe Jazz Masters: Setting the Record Straight
by Richard J Salvucci
The Jazz Masters. Setting the Record Straight. Peter C. Zimmerman 324 Pages ISBN: # 978-1-4697-3743-1 University Press of Mississippi 2020 There is nothing quite like an interview for immediacy and intimacy. While some people are willing to talk endlessly about themselves, you sometimes find they have nothing to say. Then there are those who say little but turn out to be intriguing. Those, you want to interview. Of course, they may be ...
Continue ReadingJazz Musician of the Day: Cedar Walton
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Cedar Walton's birthday today!
For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an up-tempo career, which never seems to slow down. Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of Jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Walton set his sights on a career in music at an early age. An after- hours gig at the Denver Club introduced him to notable musicians like ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Cedar Walton
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Cedar Walton's birthday today!
For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an up-tempo career, which never seems to slow down. Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of Jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Walton set his sights on a career in music at an early age. An after- hours gig at the Denver Club introduced him to notable musicians like ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Cedar Walton
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Cedar Walton's birthday today!
For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an up-tempo career, which never seems to slow down. Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of Jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Walton set his sights on a career in music at an early age. An after- hours gig at the Denver Club introduced him to notable musicians like ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Cedar Walton
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Cedar Walton's birthday today!
For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an up-tempo career, which never seems to slow down. Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of Jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Walton set his sights on a career in music at an early age. An after- hours gig at the Denver Club introduced him to notable musicians like ...
read more
Cedar Walton: V.I.P. Trio
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
It's fair to say that in the 1980s, Japan cared more about high-quality jazz recordings and live performances than the American market. Anyone who frequented record stores in the States then and into the 1990s surely recalls coming across impeccable Japanese reissues of American jazz albums on vinyl and CD. Back then, Japan was riding high, economically, and Japanese companies and individuals who loved jazz had the money to record high- end albums exclusively for the Japanese market. In 1988, ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Cedar Walton
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Cedar Walton's birthday today!
For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an up-tempo career, which never seems to slow down. Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of Jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Walton set his sights on a career in music at an early age. An after- hours gig at the Denver Club introduced him to notable musicians like ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Cedar Walton
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Cedar Walton's birthday today!
For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an up-tempo career, which never seems to slow down. Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of Jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Walton set his sights on a career in music at an early age. An after- hours gig at the Denver Club introduced him to notable musicians like ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Cedar Walton
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Cedar Walton's birthday today! For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an up-tempo career, which never seems to slow down. Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of Jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Walton set his sights on a career in music at an early age. An after- hours gig at the Denver Club introduced him to notable musicians like ...
read more
Enter the "Cedar Walton - Reliving the Moment" Giveaway!
Source:
All About Jazz
All About Jazz members are invited to enter the HighNote Records “Cedar Walton - Reliving the Moment“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on September 9th. Click here to enter the contest (Tracking Cedar Walton at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.) Good luck! Your Friends at HighNote Records About Reliving the Moment The Cedar Walton of 1977-78 was the Cedar Walton of Beyond Mobius, The Pentagon, Firm Roots ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Cedar Walton
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Cedar Walton's birthday today!
For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an uptempo career, which never seems to slow down. Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of Jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Walton set his sights on a career in music at an early age. An after- hours gig at the Denver Club introduced him to notable musicians like ...
read more
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