I would say “Oh my God,” to myself.Īnd that’s how life was for a person who was aspiring to move up in the jazz world. When the Monk and the Baroness wanted to they could sit right in front of me. I used to play in a place named Boomer’s on a upright. And they would go around in the Baroness’s Bentley. Nelly Monk, his wife, was glad to get this man out of the house. You probably know the legend of Thelonious and the Baroness – they were great, platonic friends. (“Trinkle Tinkle” is an example.) But Mr. Some of the Monk compositions, as you know, are simple, but some of them aren’t. I was amazed how well he rose to the task. He’d had Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, but by the time I got back he had Johnny Griffin. When I came out of the army in ’58, he was still in residence at the Five Spot. I’m not a psychologist, but you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize the power of suggestion is strong sometimes.ĮI: Especially if it’s Thelonious Monk doing the suggesting! What was it like to see Monk live?ĬW: A remarkable love of music was exhibited by him. I mean, I think it’s unconscious from his suggestion. He’d say, “Play your own shit.”Īnd that’s what I’m doing. The strongest in my memory is Thelonious Monk, who talked through his teeth a lot. They would hand out little bits of wisdom. Even Miles Davis came around to hear us when we were with the Messengers. I’m in awe of that! Because I’m extremely fortunate to have been here early enough to meet the likes of Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, and Erroll Garner. I don’t know if you realize the awe and terror that you strike into the hearts of so many of us younger jazz musicians.ĬW: I keep hearing that. How old were you?ĬW: If the bug’s gonna bite you, it’d be then.ĮI: I’ve always kept up with your playing since. The first tune was “Cedar’s Blues,” and I thought it was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.Ĭedar Walton: No kidding. Kenny Horst was on drums and Billy Peterson was on bass. Thanks to Jacob Wunsch for transcribing the interview.Įthan Iverson: You were the first great jazz pianist I saw live, at the Artists’ Quarter in Minneapolis in ’86 or ’87. (Reprinted from old DTM, originally posted March 2010.)įor those looking for more of Cedar’s wisdom, he is quoted at length in Gary Giddins’s liners to Naima (the record with “I’ll Remember April” above) and Ted Panken’s liners to Underground Memoirs. The four pages (including this one) are now collected as For Cedar Walton. UPDATE, fall 2013: In the wake of Cedar’s passing, I have interviewed Cedar’s long-time bassist, interviewed a significant pianist who loves Cedar, and written an essay with more transcriptions.
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