Off Minor

Personnel: Cedar Walton (piano); David Williams (bass).
Personnel: Cedar Walton (piano).
Recording information: Studio A, Pordenone, Italy (05/18/1990).
One of Cedar Walton's best recordings, OFF MINOR pairs him with his long-time colleague, bassist David Williams. The communication between Walton and Williams is superb.
"Pannonica" is a beautiful Thelonious Monk ballad, on which both players sound confident. Walton is a modest player, playing only what makes sense. On trombonist J. J. Johnson's "Lament," a lovely orchestral sweep on the piano is followed by some sumptuous chords leading into some upper-register tinkling, before a brilliantly quick run brings us back to lushly textured playing. David Williams' bass solo features spare use of vibrato, perfect intonation, and deep feeling. "Hagy" is an interesting, sad original with a deep rock groove. Walton's playing is modal and atmospheric over Williams's pedal points, and the pianist plays the strings inside the piano to excellent effect. Also unusual is Williams bass solo (which sounds like a bagpipe!), played over a ruminative pedaled piano passage.