Walt Socha

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.

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"…

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…

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.

New York's first-call bass-drum pair Peter Washington and Billy Drummond find the right tempo and dynamic pulse for every tune. Check the simmering medium groove Drummond hits on "Outsider", how he propells the band through the shifting meters of the unflaggingly burning "Barebones"; hear Washington's sublime time and intonation throughout, his interplay with Bostrom's flute on "End Of The Year So Soon", how he effortlessly navigates the rhythmic permutations of "Three Armed Man".
"No nonsense" is a good way to describe the uncommon blend of pragmatism, craft and creative inspiration with which Walt Weiskopf has approached each stage of his musical career. Song For My Mother shows that he's transcended his influences; chances are he'll influence a few future jazz musicians himself.