Cedar Walton

• Genre: Hard Bop
• Cedar Walton Website

About

Pianist Cedar Walton has been a powerful influence on the development of Post Bop since the 1960s. He's built up a strong songbook of original material which explores both modal writing and unorthodox chord progressions. He's also been one of jazz's leading soloists and bandleaders. Like many of the Post Bop innovators, Walton was a key member of the Jazz Messengers from 1961-64, later putting out albums under his own name. Walton, however, made his strongest impact on jazz with his brilliant quartet, Eastern Rebellion, featuring George Coleman on tenor saxophone, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The band's first album featured Walton's tune “Bolivia,” later to become a Post Bop standard. Walton's labyrinthine, Bop-influenced runs stretch the chord changes without becoming either chromatic or atonal, and his rapport with Jones and Higgins is beautiful in its sensitivity. Walton now leads various groups, often featuring up-and-coming players.

- Noah Enelow