In the early 1970s, a period when fusion was getting most of the headlines in jazz, there was also a great deal of timeless acoustic jazz being performed.
Cedar Walton, a superior hard bop pianist who had gained fame playing with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, had emerged as an important bandleader.
Tenor-saxophonist Clifford Jordan, a swinger who was flexible enough to fare well playing next to Eric Dolphy with Charles Mingus’ band in 1964, always had his own sound.
Bassist Sam Jones, who had a long stint with Cannonball Adderley, was still appearing on a countless number of sessions.
Drummer Billy Higgins uplifted every bandstand that he was on, whether as a member of the Ornette Coleman Quartet, or playing with Lee Morgan, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock, Art Pepper, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny and hundreds of other greats.
The quartet is featured at a July 18, 1975 concert at the Munich Museum in Oslo, Norway, performing Walton’s “Bleecker Street Theme,” Higgins’ adventurous “Alias Buster Henry,” Walton’s “The Maestro,” and Jones’ “One For Amos”; in addition there are brief interviews between the songs.
Personnel:
Cedar Walton, piano
Clifford Jordan, tenor
Sam Jones, bass
Billy Higgins, drums
-Scott Yanow
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