Cedar's Blues

Personnel includes: Cedar Walton (piano); Bob Berg (tenor saxophone); Curtis Fuller (trombone): David Williams (bass); Billy Higgins (drums).
Personnel: Cedar Walton (piano); Bob Berg (tenor saxophone); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Billy Higgins (drums).
Recording information: Osteria Delle Dame, Bologna, Italy.
Photographer: Mirko R. Boscolo.
Cedar Walton has always been an ambitious pianist. On this live 1985 recording, he unveils some pretty thorny compositions, rife with unusual harmonic movement, yet still sounds like the traditional, post-bop pianist/composer that he is.
"Insight," a Walton original, sets the tone. Eschewing a bebop-derived harmonic language, the melody is carried by tenor saxophonist Bob Berg and trombonist Curtis Fuller, while Walton's much-recorded rhythm section, Billy Higgins and David Williams, supply vamps, an occasional Miles-like spaciousness, and keep the flow going. "Over the Rainbow" is given an ornate piano introduction, and settles into a lovely trio groove. As always, Billy Higgins drumming swings and illuminates. His odd breaks into double-time provide a needed narrative touch. Walton's "Fiesta Espanola" is a lively Latin number into which Bob Berg's saxophone pyrotechnics inject a jazz-fusion energy, eliciting a roar from the crowd. Higgins' drum solo, using mostly tom-toms and rims, is well-recorded, musical and interesting. "Cedar's Blues" is a direct and appealing composition. Curtis Fuller turns in a melodic, but slightly stiff solo, Bob Berg burns it up, and while Walton spins long and logical lines. In this tune and the album-closer, Walton's uptempo "Ugetsu," Higgins shines.