egroj world: Cedar Walton • One Flight Down

Saturday, April 13, 2024

Cedar Walton • One Flight Down

Cedar Walton has been a first-call hard bop pianist for almost as long as there's been hard-bop. In a splendid, though often underappreciated, career spanning six decades, he's had notable stints in the bands of giants like JJ Johnson, Lee Morgan, Art Farmer and Art Blakey, while also leading well-respected groups of his own. Now, at seventy-two, he's one of the elder statesmen of the hard-bop genre and one of the true living legends of jazz piano.

His latest release is a typically excellent effort from the Dallas, Texas-born artist. Joined by drummer Joe Farnsworth and bassist David Williams, plus saxophonist Vincent Herring (performing on tenor instead of his usual alto) on two tracks, Walton offers a nicely varied set featuring updated versions of some of his early compositions ("One Flight Down and "The Rubber Man ), tunes by modern jazz masters (and fellow Jazz Messengers alumni) Wayne Shorter and Freddie Hubbard and a supremely relaxed take on the classic "Time After Time.

The album's highlight, however, is a three-song medley of Billy Strayhorn tunes on which Walton displays the full depth of his artistry and subtle command at the keyboard, even adding a touch of lightness to the melancholy "Lush Life. Straight-ahead jazz piano doesn't get much better than this.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/one-flight-down-cedar-walton-highnote-records-review-by-joel-roberts

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Cedar Walton ha sido un pianista de primera fila del hard-bop casi desde que existe el hard-bop. A lo largo de una espléndida, aunque a menudo infravalorada, carrera de seis décadas, ha formado parte de las bandas de gigantes como JJ Johnson, Lee Morgan, Art Farmer y Art Blakey, al tiempo que dirigía sus propios y respetados grupos. Ahora, a los setenta y dos años, es uno de los mayores exponentes del género hard-bop y una de las verdaderas leyendas vivas del piano de jazz.

Su último disco es un excelente trabajo del artista de Dallas, Texas. Acompañado por el batería Joe Farnsworth y el bajista David Williams, además del saxofonista Vincent Herring (que toca el tenor en lugar de su habitual alto) en dos temas, Walton ofrece un conjunto muy variado que incluye versiones actualizadas de algunas de sus primeras composiciones ("One Flight Down" y "The Rubber Man"), temas de los maestros del jazz moderno (y compañeros de Jazz Messengers) Wayne Shorter y Freddie Hubbard y una versión sumamente relajada del clásico "Time After Time".

El punto culminante del álbum, sin embargo, es un popurrí de tres canciones de Billy Strayhorn en el que Walton muestra toda la profundidad de su arte y su sutil dominio del teclado, incluso añadiendo un toque de ligereza a la melancólica "Lush Life". No hay nada mejor que este piano de jazz directo.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/one-flight-down-cedar-walton-highnote-records-review-by-joel-roberts

Tracks:
1 - One Flight Down
Written-By – C. Walton - 5:35
2 - The Rubber Man
Written-By – C. Walton - 4:37
- Billy Strayhorn Medley -
3 - Lush Life
Written-By – B. Strayhorn - 5:29
4 - Daydream
Written-By – E. Ellington*, J. Larouche*, B. Strayhorn - 4:39
5 - Raincheck
Written-By – B. Strayhorn - 4:09
6 - Seven Minds
Written-By – Sam Jones - 6:59
7 - Time After Time
Written-By – S. Cahn / J. Styne - 7:49
8 - Hammer Head
Written-By – W. Shorter - 6:32
9 - Little Sunflower
Written-By – F. Hubbard - 9:45

Credits:
    Bass – David Williams (2)
    Design – Brad Wrolstad
    Drums – Joe Farnsworth
    Engineer [Assistant] – Maureen Sickler
    Engineer, Mixed By, Mastered By – Rudy Van Gelder
    Executive-Producer – Joe Fields
    Liner Notes – Thomas Conrad (2)
    Photography By, Artwork [Concept] – Gene Martin (3)
    Piano – Cedar Walton
    Producer – Cedar Walton, Don Sickler
    Tenor Saxophone – Vincent Herring (tracks: 1, 2)

Recorded at Van Gelder Recording Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ on April 7, 2006.

Label:    HighNote Records, Inc. – HCD 7157
Country:    US
Released:    2006
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Post Bop
https://www.discogs.com/release/1782016-Cedar-Walton-One-Flight-Down