Cedar Walton Ron Carter

Ron Carter & Cedar Walton Duo - Heart & Soul (1981) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series CDSOL-6361}
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© 1981, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6361
Jazz / Post Bop / Hard Bop / Piano / Bass

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. A spare session, but never a sleepy one – given the inherent complexity in the music of both bassist Ron Carter and pianist Cedar Walton – and the way they can swing even in the most mellow moments! There's only a few of those on the record, though – as most of the tunes have an upbeat groove, even without any drums – with those masterfully carved lines from Carter's acoustic bass that were developed fully on his 70s years as a leader – alongside the ever-growing palette of sound that Walton's always able to pull from the familiar keys of an acoustic piano! The album's a masterpiece in subtle swing and spacing – and titles include "Little Waltz", "Heart & Soul", "Back To Bologna", "Beautiful Friendship", "Telephone", and "Django".

Cedar Walton - Roots (1999) {Astor Place TCD 4010}
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© 1999 Astor Place Recordings | TCD 4010
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Piano

For the second straight time (and for his second Astor Place release), pianist Cedar Walton sticks to his own compositions for this recording. What is different from his debut on the label is that, in this case, many of the songs have been around awhile, including his classic, "Boliva," "When Love Is New" and "Mode for Joe." Walton and his trio (bassist Ron Carter and drummer Lewis Nash) are joined by a five-man horn section (which includes trumpeter Don Sickler), percussionist Ray Mantilla and, on three songs apiece, a featured guest: tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, trumpeter Terence Blanchard and/or guitarist Mark Whitfield. Everyone plays up to par (Redman, in particular, is in fine form), and overall, this is a solid, modern hard bop date that reaches its potential.

Let's not mince words. Everything you want from a great jazz trio recording -electricity, pacing, innovation, dynamic virtuosity and interplay, flights of fancy and passion -are found in great abundance on Emmet Cohen's newest Master Legacy Series Volume 2.

Hank Mobley - Far Away Lands (1967) {Blue Note CDP 7 84425 2 rel 1995, Ron McMaster}
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© 1967, 1995 Blue Note / Capitol | CDP 7 84425 2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Of all the Blue Note artists of the 1960s, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley may very well be the most underrated. A consistent player whose style evolved throughout the decade, Mobley wrote a series of inventive and challenging compositions that inspired the all-stars he used on his recordings while remaining in the genre of hard bop. For this lesser-known outing, Mobley teams up with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Billy Higgins for four of his songs (given such colorful titles as "A Dab of This and That," "No Argument," "The Hippity Hop," and "Bossa for Baby"), along with a song apiece from Byrd and Jimmy Heath. An excellent outing, fairly late in the productive career of Hank Mobley.

Milt Jackson - Milt Jackson At The Museum Of Modern Art (1965) {Verve Originals rel 2008 B0011221-02}
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© 1965, 2008 Verve / Universal | B0011221-02 | Verve Originals
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Soul Jazz / Vibes

One of the hippest Milt Jackson albums of the 60s – a set that definitely lives up to its Museum Of Modern Art setting! The performance is one of the most famous from that museum's well-remembered series of 60s jazz concerts – and it features Milt Jackson's quintet really stretching out nicely – hitting sharper tones and bolder notes than in some of their other sessions of the decade, and possibly picking up a freer feel overall in the live setting. Milt's vibes are wonderfully accompanied by the reeds of Jimmy Heath and piano of Cedar Walton – both players who mix soul and modern elements in the same sort of perfect blend that Jackson hits. And the rhythm section is tightly snapping and soulful – never too groove-oriented, but always conscious of a sense of a swing – thanks to bass from Ron Carter and drums from Candy Finch.

Recorded in 1973 as a foray away from the Modern Jazz Quartet, Milt Jackson's second entry on the CTI label is also one of its highlights. This is one of Creed Taylor's finest productions both in terms of material and sidemen. Drummer Steve Gadd, flutist Hubert Laws, bassist Ron Carter, and pianist Cedar Walton accompany Jackson on the majority of the album. Indeed, Jackson's ability to swing funky is evidenced to delightful extremes on "Old Devil Moon," with a rolling cymbal shakeout from Gadd, whose rim shots and tempo-pushing musculature are a sharp contrast to those of the MJQ's Connie Kay. Likewise, Laws, whose playing is usually over the top, stays inside melodic nuances here and provides Jackson with an essential harmonic foil. And Ron Carter is playing throughout with a popping edge he never had before or since.

Hank Mobley - The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970 (2019) {8CD Box Set, Mosaic MD8-268}
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© 1963-70, 2019 Blue Note / Mosaic Records / UMG | MD8-268
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

An amazing run of music – some of our favorite albums ever recorded for the Blue Note label, and the legendary second chapter of the career of tenor genius Hank Mobley! Hank was already a hell of a tenor player when he came on the scene in the 50s – graced with this deeply soulful style that helped usher in a whole new generation of talents on the instrument – but during his final years at Blue Note, he really took off with amazing new ideas, unusual rhythms, mindblowing arrangements, and the kind of compositional skill she never showed at the start!

Lee Morgan - Sonic Boom (1967) {2012 Blue Note Japan BNLT Series TOCJ-50271}
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© 1967, 2012 Blue Note / EMI Music Japan | TOCJ-50271 | 24bit remastering
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

Lost genius from trumpeter Lee Morgan – a session recorded for Blue Note in 1967, but not issued until the late 70s – and even then, only for a very short time! The session has Morgan moving into that wonderful last stage of his career – working in tight formation towards a sound that still had that groovier hardbop styles of earlier recordings, but which also unfolds towards a more ambitious spiritual jazz mode. The writing on the session is superb – original tunes that crackle with energy in a surge of dark notes and shadowy moods, inspiring the soloists to express themselves at levels that rank with their best work of the time!