Cedar Walton

Perhaps one of the most valued of most hard bop accompanists, Cedar Walton was a versatile pianist whose funky contact and cogent melodic feeling graced the recordings of several of jazz’s greatest players. He was also among the music’s even more underrated composers; although he was generally a first-rate interpreter of criteria, Walton wrote several excellent music (“Mosaic,” “Ugetsu,” and “Bolivia,” to mention several) that discovered their method into Artwork Blakey’s book through the pianist’s early-’60s stint using the Jazz Messengers. Furthermore to his many quantifiable achievements, Walton is much less well known because the initial pianist to record, in Apr 1959 with John Coltrane, the tenorist’s challenging “Giant Guidelines” — unlike the unlucky Tommy Flanagan per month afterwards, Walton wasn’t necessary to single, though he will comp magnificently. Walton was initially trained piano by his mom. After participating in the School of Denver, he transferred to NY in 1955, ostensibly to try out music. Rather, he was drafted in to the Military. Stationed in Germany, Walton used American music artists Leo Wright, Don Ellis, and Eddie Harris. After his release, Walton moved back again to NY, where he started his profession in earnest. From 1958-1961, Walton used Kenny Dorham, J.J. Johnson, and Artwork Farmer’s Jazztet, amongst others. Walton became a member of Blakey in 1961, with whom he continued to be until 1964. This is maybe Blakey’s most important group, with Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter. Walton offered period as Abbey Lincoln’s accompanist from 1965-1966 and produced information with Lee Morgan from 1966-1968; from 1967-1969, Walton offered like a sideman on many Prestige albums aswell. Walton played inside a music group with Hank Mobley in the first ’70s and came back to Blakey for any 1973 tour of Japan. Walton’s personal music group of the time was known as Eastern Rebellion, and was made up of a revolving solid that included saxophonists Clifford Jordan, George Coleman, and Bob Berg; bassist Sam Jones; and drummer Billy Higgins. From your ’80s onward, Walton continuing to business lead his own good bands, releasing several albums like the Maestro in 1980, Cedar Walton Takes on in 1986, and Composer in 1996, adopted a year later on by Roots, offering trumpeter Terence Blanchard and saxophonist Joshua Redman. In 2001 Walton released The Guarantee Property, his debut for Highnote, that was accompanied by Latin Tinge in 2002, Underground Memoirs in 2005, and Seasoned Real wood with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt in 2008. Walton was became a member of by saxophonist Vincent Herring on Voices Deep Within in ’09 2009. Herring was also presented alongside trombonist Steve Turre within the Bouncer in 2011. Cedar Walton passed away at his real estate in Brooklyn about August 19, 2013; he was 79 yrs . old.