Cedar Walton

At 79 years old, Cedar Walton physical status not available right now. We will update Cedar Walton's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Cedar Anthony Walton, Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist.

He came to fame as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band before settling as a bandleader and composer for a long time.

Several of his compositions have made jazz debuts, including "Mosaic," "Bolivia," "Holy Land," "Mode for Joe," and "Fantasy in D."

Early life

Walton was born in Dallas, Texas, and he grew up. Ruth, an upcoming concert pianist, was his first tutor, and he took him to jazz recitals around Dallas. Walton cited Nat King Cole, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, and Art Tatum as his primary influences on piano. From a young age, he began emulating these artists' works.

After briefly attending Dillard University in New Orleans as a composition major, he was encouraged to change to a music-education program with the intention of a career in the local public school system. This was later in life, as he learned to play and arrange for many instruments, a gift he honed with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.

Walton was tempted by the prospect of New York City through his friendships with John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and Richie Powell, who attended after-hours sessions around Denver, Colorado. He left school and brought a friend to New York City in 1955. Johnny Garry, who was running Birdland at the time, was able to recognize him right away.

Source

Later life and career

Walton was recruited into the US Army and stationed in Germany, bringing his declining fame in the after-hours jazz scene to a halt. Leo Wright, Don Ellis, and Eddie Harris all played in the Army. On his release after two years, he went back to where he had left off, playing as a sideman with Kenny Dorham on his 1958 album This Is the Time. He made his debut on record. He was a member of the Jazztet led by Benny Golson and Art Farmer and performed with them from 1958 to 1961. He and John Coltrane performed an alternate version of "Giant Steps" in April 1959, but he did not fly solo.

Walton joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers as a pianist-arranger (on the same day Freddie Hubbard joined the company), where he wrote and arranged such originals as "Utsu" and "Mosaic" during the next three years.

He joined the Messengers in 1964 and by the late 1960s, he was a member of Prestige Records' house rhythm section. He performed with Sonny Criss, Pat Martino, Eric Kloss, and Charles McPherson in addition to releasing his own music there. He was Abbey Lincoln's accompanist for a year, and he appeared with Lee Morgan from 1966 to 1968. In the mid-1970s, he commanded the Mobius group. He arranged and recorded for Etta James from the mid-1990s to assist her in winning a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday (RCA Victor) in 1994.

"Firm Roots," "Bolivia" ("perhaps his best known), "Mega City," "Mode for Joe," and "Cedar's Blues" are among Walton's compositions that have become jazz standards, including "Firm Roots," "Bolivia" ("Bolivia," "Western" ("Guide to Joe" (perhaps his best known), "Cedar's Blues" and "Cedar's Blues" (M) "Fantasy in D," Art Blakey's 1961 recording as "Ugetsu" and "Polar AC" by Freddie Hubbard, first in 1971, is one of his oldest compositions.

Walton was named as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in January 2010.

He died in Brooklyn, New York, on August 19, 2013 at the age of 79, after a brief illness.

Source