Cedar Walton • Seasoned Wood

 

Review
by Thom Jurek  
Well known for his work as the pianist in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and his seminal labors as pianist for Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, and Sonny Criss in the 1960s, and with Clifford Jordan on his seminal Glass Bead Games and Night of the Mark VII sessions in the 1970s, Cedar Walton is nonetheless often overlooked as a bandleader. As evidenced by 2008's Seasoned Wood, this should not be the case. At 74, Walton is as promising and as dizzying a bandleader as ever. His command of the hard bop and post-bop languages and his abilities to reinterpret well-known standards authoritatively are all remarkable. Here he is accompanied by longtime drummer Al Foster, saxophonist Vincent Herring, young trumpeter/flügelhorn upstart Jeremy Pelt, and bassist Peter Washington. Herring has been part of Walton's band for over 15 years; the pianist and Foster have played together literally dozens of times since the 1960s. The program consists of five originals, the Gershwin standard "The Man I Love," Jimmy Heath's "Longravity," and the standard "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square." The main element here is a deep-rooted swing no matter the tune. From the first notes of the Gershwin number, opened by Walton's comping over the two-horn front line, it's everywhere. Walton extrapolates his reading of the tune from Thelonious Monk, and changes up by letting Washington solo first. Herring's solo follows and it's springlike and exuberant, as Walton's big chord comping is percussive and just ahead of the beat. The real rewards of the set, however, are the pianist's own compositions. The flamenco-tinged opening theme in "Clockwise" gives way to a breezy, airy waltz that is elegant and knotty -- especially as the theme interacts with the midtempo balladic melody. Walton has written many ballads in his day, but "When Love Is New" is among his most lyrical and warm. The shimmering melody is whispered as Pelt solos on flügelhorn, offering a textured silkiness that adds layers of implied meaning. Contrast this with "Plexus," a seemingly angular twist-and-turn post-bop number that is full of surprises in its stops and starts, staggered solo moments, Latin tinges, and time changes. Walton's solo is startling for its ease in the difficult pocket of steps, lending elements of grace and elegance to the sprightly tempo and advanced harmonic shapes. In sum, Seasoned Wood is a true and exceptional highlight in Walton's career. High Note as a label is on a tear in 2008 with killer dates by Larry Willis, David "Fathead" Newman, and Don Braden. Seasoned Wood is another very notable notch in the imprint's belt as well as Walton's.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/seasoned-wood-mw0000791274

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Reseña
por Thom Jurek  
Bien conocido por su trabajo como pianista en los Jazz Messengers de Art Blakey y sus labores seminales como pianista de Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley y Sonny Criss en la década de 1960, y con Clifford Jordan en sus seminales sesiones de Glass Bead Games y Night of the Mark VII en la década de 1970, Cedar Walton es, sin embargo, a menudo pasado por alto como director de banda. Como demuestra Seasoned Wood, de 2008, esto no debería ser así. A sus 74 años, Walton es un director de banda tan prometedor y vertiginoso como siempre. Su dominio de los lenguajes hard bop y post-bop y su capacidad para reinterpretar con autoridad estándares conocidos son notables. Aquí le acompañan el baterista de toda la vida Al Foster, el saxofonista Vincent Herring, el joven trompetista/flügelhorn emergente Jeremy Pelt y el bajista Peter Washington. Herring ha formado parte de la banda de Walton durante más de 15 años; el pianista y Foster han tocado juntos literalmente docenas de veces desde los años 60. El programa consta de cinco originales, el estándar de Gershwin "The Man I Love", "Longravity" de Jimmy Heath y el estándar "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square". El elemento principal aquí es un swing muy arraigado sin importar la melodía. Desde las primeras notas del número de Gershwin, abierto por la composición de Walton sobre la primera línea de dos cuernos, está en todas partes. Walton extrapola su lectura de la melodía de Thelonious Monk, y cambia dejando que Washington haga el primer solo. El solo de Herring sigue y es elástico y exuberante, ya que la composición de grandes acordes de Walton es percusiva y se adelanta al ritmo. Sin embargo, la verdadera recompensa del conjunto son las composiciones propias del pianista. El tema de apertura con tintes flamencos de "Clockwise" da paso a un vals ligero y aireado que es elegante y nudoso, especialmente cuando el tema interactúa con la melodía de la balada de medio tiempo. Walton escribió muchas baladas en su día, pero "When Love Is New" se encuentra entre las más líricas y cálidas. La brillante melodía se susurra mientras Pelt hace un solo con el flügelhorn, ofreciendo una textura sedosa que añade capas de significado implícito. Contrasta con "Plexus", un número post-bop aparentemente angular que está lleno de sorpresas en sus paradas y arranques, momentos solistas escalonados, tintes latinos y cambios de tiempo. El solo de Walton es sorprendente por su facilidad en la difícil bolsa de pasos, aportando elementos de gracia y elegancia al veloz tempo y a las avanzadas formas armónicas. En resumen, Seasoned Wood es un verdadero y excepcional punto culminante en la carrera de Walton. High Note, como sello discográfico, se encuentra en un momento álgido en 2008, con fechas de éxito de Larry Willis, David "Fathead" Newman y Don Braden. Seasoned Wood es otra muesca muy notable en el cinturón del sello, así como en el de Walton.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/seasoned-wood-mw0000791274


Tracks:
1 - The Man I Love - 6:20
2 - Clockwise - 7:14
3 - Longravity - 5:55
4 - When Love Is New - 5:58
5 - Hindsight - 7:10
6 - A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square - 5:37
7 - Plexus - 6:01
8 - John's Blues - 7:12


Credits:
    Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Vincent Herring
    Bass – Peter Washington
    Design – Keiji Obata
    Drums – Al Foster
    Engineer [Assisted By] – Maureen Sickler
    Engineer, Mixed By, Mastered By – Rudy Van Gelder
    Executive-Producer – Joe Fields
    Flugelhorn – Jeremy Pelt (tracks: 4, 8)
    Photography By – Chance Agrella, Roscoe Crenshaw
    Piano – Cedar Walton
    Producer – Don Sickler
    Trumpet – Jeremy Pelt (tracks: 1, 3, 7)

Recorded February 1, 2008.

Label:    HighNote Records, Inc. – HCD 7185
Released:    2008
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Post Bop
https://www.discogs.com/release/10306901-Cedar-Walton-Seasoned-Wood

 

 

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