Cedar Walton - Ironclad - Live At Yoshi's (1995)

28 Feb, 22:03
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Artist: Cedar Walton
Title: Ironclad - Live At Yoshi's
Year Of Release: 1995
Label: Monarch Records [MR-1005]
Genre: Jazz, Hard Bop
Quality: FLAC (tracks + .cue,log,scans)
Total Time: 62:03
Total Size: 305 MB(+3%)
WebSite: Album Preview

Tracklist

01. Band Intro (Walton) - 0:16
02. Bremond's Blues (Walton) - 4:49
03. My Old Flame (Johnston-Coslow) - 9:15
04. N.P.S. (Walton) - 8:33
05. Fiesta Espanol (Walton) - 8:21
06. Somewhere over the Rainbow (Arlen-Harburg) - 9:39
07. On the Trail (Grofe) - 6:56
08. Ironclad (Walton) - 14:14

personnel :

Cedar Walton - piano
David Williams - bass
Billy Higgins - drums

The working trio of pianist Walton, bassist David Williams, and drummer Billy Higgins is not only bulletproof but in lockstep with Walton's extraordinary musical talents. This set, done at Yoshi's Nitespot in Oakland, CA for radio broadcast over KJAZ-FM, is a perfect example of the Walton trio's brilliance. Of the seven pieces, four are Walton's and comprise his better writings. "Bremond's Blues," an underrated composition in the Walton repertoire, starts and ends by quoting "Giant Steps" and paraphrasing "Sweet & Lovely" in the middle, and spreads buttery melodicism throughout. "N.P.S." is a Walton classic, with Higgins' tango-to-light-swing rhythm accenting a bluesy melody. "Fiesta Espanol" is quicker, brighter, and quite familiar to fans, with Higgins digging in on his lengthy drum solo, while "Ironclad" features an elongated intro and coda, stating the chiming staccato melody in two spurts over 14 minutes. The rest is improvised. Of the standards, "On the Trail" is a feature for Williams, as he plays the lead melody and a good-sized solo; "My Old Flame" emphasizes Walton's ability to load up on reharmonizations and personal embellishments of a well-known melody; and the most standard treatment of "Over the Rainbow" in an easy, steady swing puts Dorothy and Toto on the back burner while Walton lays out some alternate changes and modified melodic traipses. On this night, Walton is particularly inspired, waxing poetically and using many arpeggiated figures he is not necessarily known for. Higgins and Williams have worked with Walton extensively and it shows; their telepathic regimen is uncanny, their brilliant musicianship unquestionable. This is one of the best jazz piano trio CDs of the late 1990s.~Michael G. Nastos

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