Colter Walt

Vibraphonist, Walt Dickerson crashed onto the jazz scene in the early 1960’s and by 1962 had won the Down Beat Critic’s Poll for Best Newcomer. By then he had recorded the four albums featured on our double CD. He would go on to make more classic albums in the mid-sixties before apparently leaving the jazz scene for a decade, returning again in 1975. Although considered a musician of the post-bop era, Walt Dickerson was one of the few vibraphonists playing in the emerging early free jazz scene. In fact if he hadn’t taken the time off he would probably be up there with the likes of the great Bobby Hutcherson who was considered the finest vibes player of his generation. Musicians joining Walt on our four selections include the great Andrew Hill on piano, Andrew Cyrille, Austin Crowe, George Tucker and Ahmed Abdul Malik.

Divine Gemini (1978) & Tenderness (1985).
Recorded at the same session that resulted in Divine Gemini, this set (Tenderness) of duets by vibraphonist Walt Dickerson and bassist Richard Davis features five Dickerson originals. Although the music is often complex and a touch esoteric, the attractive sound of the intimate duo makes the performances much more accessible than they would normally be. Both Walt Dickerson (who had recently come back from a long absence from the jazz scene) and Richard Davis have long been underrated greats and their interplay throughout the program is of a consistently high quality.

Largely continuing the blueprint of A Sense of Direction, Relativity finds Walt Dickerson mixing standards with adventurous yet upbeat originals. This time around, though, there's a subtext to Dickerson's standards selection: all three - "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Can't Get Started," and "Autumn in New York" - had been previously recorded by Milt Jackson, which invited explicit comparisons and gave Dickerson a chance to show off how distinctive and pioneering his Coltrane-influenced approach to vibes really was. As for his originals, Dickerson is once again in a good mood, offering bursts of up-tempo energy in "Steppin' Out" and the title track, as well as a playfully swinging tribute to his eight-year-old sister titled "Sugar Lump"…

One of the most innovative exponents of the art of playing the vibraphone, Philadelphian Walt Dickerson made his recording debut in 1961 and made a dozen or so LP's for various labels in the 60's, culminating in a date for MGM in 1965 (A Patch of Blue) featuring Sun Ra on piano. After that he did not venture into the studio again until some ten years later when Masahiko Yuh recorded Tell Us The Beautiful Things - the first of two for his Why Not label. This, the elusive second recording of Walt Dickerson has never been available before outside Japan. It features Wilbur Ware on bass and Edgar Bateman's drums along with Jamaaladeen Tacuma on electric bass on one track and shows Dickerson at his very best.

To My Queen is Walt Dickerson's crowning achievement, a perfect balance between his intellectually advanced concepts and deeply felt passion. Dickerson had always displayed a fertile imagination, but there hadn't been much indication that his vision could be as expansive as it was on To My Queen. Never before had he attempted such extended, freely structured performances, which makes the album's consistency and focus all the more impressive. Like the foreground of a canvas, the listener's attention naturally falls on the title cut, a side-long, 17-and-a-half-minute opus (written in tribute to his wife, Elizabeth) that became Dickerson's signature piece. It's deliberate, spare, and tender, with the soloists accompanied by either a gentle swing or the barest hints of support…