Jazz Articles about Cedar Walton

About Cedar Walton

Album Review

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: Blue Moon Over Paris: ORTF Recordings 1963 and 1968

Read "Blue Moon Over Paris: ORTF Recordings 1963 and 1968" reviewed by Keith Flint

by Keith Flint
November 2, 2026

By the spring of 1963, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers had established themselves as something of a dynasty within the jazz community, irrespective of their lineup. As both a band leader and prodigious drummer, Blakey was a driving force who reigned from the throne behind his drum kit, around which he surrounded himself with players of outstanding competence and unique personality. The Jazz Messengers consistently delivered startling live performances and a burgeoning collection of studio successes. Blue ...

Album Review

Clifford Jordan Quartet: Night of the Mark VII

Read "Night of the Mark VII" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
October 24, 2026

Clifford Jordan's Night of the Mark VII, recorded live in Paris in 1975, is a remarkable document, a reminder of the simple pleasure of listening. It captures four musicians who know precisely who they are, yet remain open to whatever the moment brings. There is no unnecessary display or performative grandstanding. The players enjoy being together, and the audience is fortunate and discerning enough to be there. Jordan was playing his new Selmer Mark 7 tenor saxophone for ...

Album Review

Kenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco

Read "Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
April 24, 2025

The vagaries of the jazz life are all over this release. Why Kenny Dorham should be underappreciated is a mystery. For the gig at the Blue Morocco he had assembled a great super group with a deep well of experience. Drummer Denis Charles had worked with Cecil Taylor. Kenny Dorham had accompanied Charlie Parker, at Parker's peak. Bassist Paul Chambers had supported both Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins. Pianist Cedar Walton had been in the Jazz Messengers. alto sax man ...

Album Review

Kenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco

Read "Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco" reviewed by Thierry De Clemensat

by Thierry De Clemensat
April 21, 2025

Another remarkable chapter in contemporary music comes to life once again, thanks to Resonance Records. It was from 1967 that Blue Bossa In The Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco emerged, an unreleased performance by the legendary jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham, recorded live at the Blue Morocco jazz club in the Bronx, NY. The session features Sonny Red, Cedar Walton, Paul Chambers and Denis Charles. Transferred from the original tape reels captured by the renowned engineer Bernard Drayton, ...

Album Review

Kenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco

Read "Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
April 18, 2025

Trumpeter Kenny Dorham's stature in jazz history is undeniable, yet he remains one of music's most under-appreciated masters. Despite being a vital presence among the great innovators of his era, Dorham never achieved the star power his talent deserved. In conjunction with Record Store Day, Resonance Records is releasing Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco as a deluxe CD edition that captures Dorham in fiery form during a never-before-heard live performance. The package includes Bob Blumenthal's ...

Album Review

Kenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco

Read "Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
April 17, 2025

On their 1955 live recording At the Cafe Bohemia (Blue Note), the Jazz Messengers' Art Blakey introduced his trumpet player, Kenny Dorham, as the “Uncrowned King," a title that was perhaps fitting at the time given Dorham's still-rising trajectory. But even in his prime, Dorham arguably never received his proper accolades, and he would typically be regarded as more of a “musician's musician" than some of the more celebrated trumpeters like Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard. Hence, the ...

Liner Notes

Cedar Walton One Flight Down

by Thomas Conrad
September 1, 2024

They are thinning out: the ranks of pianists who can trace their lineage directly back to primary sources like J.J. Johnson, the early Jazz Messengers of Art Blakey, and the Jazztet of Art Farmer and Benny Golson. In the last few years, we have lost Tommy Flanagan, Mal Waldron, Roland Hanna, Dodo Marmarosa, Russ Freeman, Frank Hewitt, and, most recently, John Hicks. Producer Bob Porter once said of Cedar Walton, “By the time he came to make his ...