Cedar Walton obit

Jazz Pianist Cedar Walton Dies

He was not on the list. 

Cedar Walton, a National Endowment for the Arts "jazz master" known as "one of the great hard bop pianists," died early Monday at his home in Brooklyn, N.Y., according to WBGO's The Checkout. He was 79.

His NEA bio page says that:

"Walton was first taught piano by his mother, and, after high school, moved to Colorado to commence studies at the University of Denver. There, during afterhours jazz club gigs, he met musicians, such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and John Coltrane, who would sit in with Walton's group when traveling through town. ...

"In 1959, he recorded with Coltrane on his seminal album Giant Steps, but the recordings weren't included on the initial issue of the album; the alternate tracks were later issued on the CD version. From 1960-61, Walton worked with Art Farmer and Benny Golson's band Jazztet.

"Walton's next significant musical association was with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. During his years with Blakey (1961-64), Walton stepped forward as composer, contributing originals such as "Mosaic," "Ugetsu," and "The Promised Land" to the group's repertoire. ...

"In 1974, Walton joined with bassist Sam Jones, drummer Billy Higgins, and saxophonist Clifford Jordan to form the group Eastern Rebellion, which would perform and record sporadically over the subsequent two decades. Other musicians rotated in and out of the band, including George Coleman, Bob Berg, Ralph Moore, David Williams, Curtis Fuller, and Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros. ...

"In addition, he continued to perform in rhythm sections for Milt Jackson, Frank Morgan, and Dexter Gordon and accompanied vocalists Ernestine Anderson and Freddy Cole. He also led the backup trio for the Trumpet Summit Band, which started as a project for the 1995 Jazz in Marciac festival in France."

In February 2010, Walton performed on NPR's Piano Jazz.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Year recorded            Title            Label            Year released            Notes

1967    Cedar!            Prestige            1967   

1968            Spectrum         Prestige            1968   

1969    The Electric Boogaloo Song            Prestige            1969   

1969    Soul Cycle   Prestige            1970   

1972            Breakthrough! with Hank Mobley            Cobblestone    1972   

1973    A Night at Boomers, Vol. 1   Muse            1973            live

1973    A Night at Boomers, Vol. 2   Muse            1973            live

1974    Firm Roots   Muse            1976            live

1974    Pit Inn            East Wind    1975            live

1975    Mobius            RCA            1975   

1976    The Pentagon            East Wind    1976   

1976    Beyond Mobius RCA            1976   

1977    First Set            SteepleChase   1978            live

1977    Second Set            SteepleChase   1979            live

1977    Third Set            SteepleChase   1983            live

1977–78            Animation            Columbia          1978   

1980            Soundscapes            Columbia          1980   

1980    The Maestro with Abbey Lincoln            Muse            1981   

1981    Piano Solos    Clean Cuts     1981   

1981    Heart & Soul with Ron Carter            Timeless           1982   

1982    Among Friends Theresa            1989            live

1983    The All American Trio with Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette            Baystate          1984   

1985    Cedar's Blues    Red            1985            live

1985    The Trio 1   Red            1986            live

1985    The Trio 2   Red            1986            live

1985    Cedar Walton            Timeless           1986   

1985            Bluesville Time Criss Cross   1986   

1986    The Trio 3   Red            1986            live

1986    Blues for Myself            Red            1986   

1986    Cedar Walton Plays            Delos            1987   

1988            Standards with the VIP Trio            California Breeze            1988   

1988            Standards Vol 2 with the VIP Trio            California Breeze            1988   

1990    Duo with David Williams            Red            1991            also released as Off Minor

1990    As Long as There's Music   Muse            1993   

1992    Cedar Walton at Maybeck            Concord Jazz   1993            live

1992            Manhattan Afternoon            Criss Cross   1994   

1996            Composer        Astor Place    1996   

1997    Roots            Astor Place    1997   

2001    The Promise Land            HighNote         2001   

2002    Latin Tinge            HighNote         2002   

2005            Underground Memoirs            HighNote         2005   

2005            Midnight Waltz            Venus            2005   

2006    One Flight Down            HighNote         2006   

2008            Seasoned Wood            HighNote         2008   

2009    Voices Deep Within            HighNote         2009   

2010?  Cedar Chest            HighNote         2010   

2010    Song of Delilah  Venus            2011   

2011    The Bouncer            HighNote         2011   

Posthumous releases

 

Reliving The Moment – Live At The Keystone Korner (HighNote, 2014) – live rec. 1977–78

Charmed Circle (HighNote, 2017) – rec. 1979

As leader of Eastern Rebellion

 

1975: Eastern Rebellion with George Coleman, Sam Jones & Billy Higgins (Timeless, 1976; Impulse, 1988)

1977: Eastern Rebellion 2 with Bob Berg, Sam Jones & Billy Higgins (Timeless, 1977)

1979: Eastern Rebellion 3 with Curtis Fuller, Bob Berg, Sam Jones & Billy Higgins (Timeless, 1980)

1983: Eastern Rebellion 4 with Curtis Fuller, Bob Berg, Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, David Williams & Billy Higgins (Timeless, 1984)

1990: Mosaic with Ralph Moore, David Williams & Billy Higgins (MusicMasters, 1992)

1992: Simple Pleasure with Ralph Moore, David Williams & Billy Higgins (MusicMasters, 1993)

1994: Just One of Those... Nights at the Village Vanguard with Ralph Moore, David Williams & Billy Higgins (MusicMasters, Jazz Heritage, 1994)

As a member

The Timeless All Stars

 

It's Timeless (Timeless, 1982)

Timeless Heart (Timeless, 1983)

Essence (Delos, 1986)

Time for the Timeless All Stars (Early Bird, 1991)

As sideman

With Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt

 

1973: God Bless Jug and Sonny (Prestige, 2001)

1973: Left Bank Encores (Prestige, 2001)

With Art Blakey

 

Mosaic (Blue Note, 1961)

Three Blind Mice (Blue Note, 1962)

Caravan (Riverside, 1963)

Ugetsu (Riverside, 1963)

Buhaina's Delight (Blue Note, 1963)

Free for All (Blue Note, 1964)

Kyoto (Riverside, 1964)

Indestructible (Blue Note, 1964)

Golden Boy (Colpix, 1964)

Buhaina (Prestige, 1973)

Anthenagin (Prestige, 1973)

With Donald Byrd

 

Slow Drag (Blue Note, 1967)

Blackjack (Blue Note, 1968)

With Sonny Criss

 

Up, Up and Away (Prestige, 1967)

The Beat Goes On! (Prestige, 1968)

With Kenny Dorham

 

This Is the Moment! (Riverside, 1958)

Blue Spring with Cannonball Adderley (Riverside, 1959)

With Art Farmer

 

The Time and the Place (Columbia, 1967)

The Art Farmer Quintet Plays the Great Jazz Hits (Columbia, 1967)

Homecoming (Mainstream, 1971)

Yesterday's Thoughts (East Wind, 1975)

To Duke with Love (East Wind, 1975)

The Summer Knows (East Wind, 1976)

Art Farmer Quintet at Boomers (East Wind, 1976)

With Curtis Fuller

 

Soul Trombone (Impulse!, 1961)

Smokin' (Mainstream, 1972)

With Benny Golson

 

Take a Number from 1 to 10 (Argo, 1961)

This Is for You, John (Timeless, 1987) – rec. 1983

With Dexter Gordon

 

1972: Generation (Prestige, 1972)

1972: Tangerine (Prestige, 1975)

1980: Gotham City (Columbia, 1981)

With Steve Grossman

 

Love Is the Thing (Red, 1985)

A Small Hotel (Dreyfus Jazz, 1993)

With Eddie Harris

 

Cool Sax from Hollywood to Broadway (Columbia, 1964)

The In Sound (Atlantic, 1965)

Mean Greens (Atlantic, 1966)

The Tender Storm (Atlantic, 1966)

Excursions (Atlantic, 1973) – rec. 1966–73

How Can You Live Like That? (Atlantic, 1976)

With Jimmy Heath

 

Jimmy Heath Orchestra, Really Big! (Riverside, 1960)

The Quota (Riverside, 1961)

Triple Threat (Riverside, 1962)

With Billy Higgins

 

Soweto (Red, 1979)

Once More (Red, 1980)

The Soldier (Timeless, 1981) – rec. 1979

Bridgework (Contemporary, 1987)

Billy Higgins Quintet (Sweet Basil, 1993)

With Freddie Hubbard

 

Hub Cap (Blue Note, 1961)

The Body & the Soul (Impulse!, 1963)

Here to Stay (Blue Note, 1979) – rec. 1962

Bolivia (Musicmasters, 1991)

With Bobby Hutcherson

 

Highway One (Columbia, 1978)

Farewell Keystone (Evidence, 1992) – rec. 1982

With Milt Jackson

 

Milt Jackson at the Museum of Modern Art (Limelight, 1965)

Born Free (Limelight, 1966)

Milt Jackson and the Hip String Quartet (Verve, 1968)

Goodbye (CTI, 1973)

Olinga (CTI, 1974)

Milt Jackson at the Kosei Nenkin (Pablo, 1976)

Bags' Bag (Pablo, 1979)

It Don't Mean a Thing If You Can't Tap Your Foot to It (Pablo, 1984)

The Harem (Musicmasters, 1991)

Reverence and Compassion (Warner Bros., 1993)

With Etta James

 

Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday (RCA Victor, 1994)

Time After Time (RCA Victor, 1995)

12 Songs of Christmas (Private Music, 1998)

Blue Gardenia (Private Music, 2001)

With The Jazztet (Art Farmer and Benny Golson)

 

Big City Sounds (Argo, 1960)

The Jazztet and John Lewis (Argo, 1961)

The Jazztet at Birdhouse (Argo, 1961)

Voices All (Eastworld, 1982)

With J. J. Johnson

 

Really Livin' (Columbia, 1959)

J.J. Inc. (Columbia, 1961)

With Philly Joe Jones

 

Advance! (Galaxy, 1978)

Drum Song (Galaxy, 1985) – rec. 1978

With Sam Jones

 

Seven Minds (East Wind, 1974)

Something in Common (Muse, 1977)

With Clifford Jordan

 

Spellbound (Riverside, 1960)

Starting Time (Jazzland, 1961)

Bearcat (Jazzland, 1962)

These are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly (Atlantic, 1965)

Glass Bead Games (Strata-East, 1974)

Night of the Mark VII (Muse, 1975)

Firm Roots (Steeplechase, 1975)

The Highest Mountain (Steeplechase, 1975)

On Stage Vol. 1 (SteepleChase, 1977) – rec. 1975

On Stage Vol. 2 (SteepleChase, 1978) – rec. 1975

On Stage Vol. 3 (SteepleChase, 1979) – rec. 1975

Half Note (SteepleChase, 1985) – rec. 1974

With Kimiko Kasai

 

Kimiko Is Here (CBS/Sony, 1974)

Kimiko Kasai (Kittye, 1990)

With Charles McPherson

 

From This Moment On! (Prestige, 1968)

Horizons (Prestige, 1968)

With Blue Mitchell

 

The Cup Bearers (Riverside, 1962)

Boss Horn (Blue Note, 1966)

Stratosonic Nuances (RCA, 1975)

Summer Soft (Impulse!, 1977)

With Frank Morgan

 

Easy Living (Contemporary, 1985)

Lament (Contemporary, 1986)

Bebop Lives! (Contemporary, 1987)

Love, Lost & Found (Telarc, 1995)

With Lee Morgan

 

Charisma (Blue Note, 1966)

The Rajah (Blue Note, 1966)

Sonic Boom (Blue Note, 1967)

The Sixth Sense (Blue Note, 1968)

Caramba! (Blue Note, 1968)

With David "Fathead" Newman

 

Resurgence! (Muse, 1981)

Diamondhead (HighNote, 1988)

Davey Blue (HighNote, 2002)

With Houston Person

 

Chocomotive (Prestige, 1967)

Trust in Me (Prestige, 1967)

Blue Odyssey (Prestige, 1968)

Broken Windows, Empty Hallways (Prestige, 1972)

The Big Horn (Muse, 1979) – rec. 1976

Very PERSONal (Muse, 1980)

Naturally (HighNote, 2012)

With Sonny Red

 

The Mode (Jazzland, 1961)

Sonny Red (Mainstream, 1971)

With Archie Shepp

 

For Losers (Impulse!, 1969)

Kwanza (Impulse!, 1969)

With Lucky Thompson

 

Goodbye Yesterday (Groove Merchant, 1973)

Concert: Friday the 13th – Cook County Jail (Groove Merchant, 1973)

I Offer You (Groove Merchant, 1973)

With Stanley Turrentine

 

Another Story (Blue Note, 1969)

More Than a Mood (MusicMasters, 1992)