2008 · Album
Seasoned Wood
Recorded 2008 · Highnote · Produced by Not specified in available sources
Cedar Walton at 74: Still Burning Hot
At 74, Walton commands hard bop and post-bop languages with remarkable authority and freshness.
Seasoned Wood finds Cedar Walton leading a quintet through material that proves age has sharpened rather than dulled his bandleading instincts. Recorded in 2008, this album arrives late in Walton's career but feels urgent and uncompromising—a no-prisoners approach to standards and originals that showcases a musician still hungry. The quintet format gives Walton room to stretch without the weight of a larger ensemble, and his ability to reinterpret familiar standards with complete authority is on full display throughout.
What makes this record stand out in Walton's catalog is precisely what its title suggests: maturity and depth earned through decades of playing. He's not trying to prove anything or chase trends. Instead, he digs into the hard bop and post-bop languages he's spent a lifetime mastering, bringing both intelligence and swing to every moment. The group locks together with the kind of rapport that only comes from serious musicians taking each other seriously. AllMusic's review nailed it: Walton is as promising and dizzying a bandleader as ever, and there's real heat in these performances—the kind you get from seasoned wood that burns hotter and cleaner than green timber.
If you've followed Walton's work over the years, this is essential listening: a late-career peak that stands among his strongest recordings. If you're new to him, this is not the softest entry point—the take-no-prisoners energy here assumes you can keep up. Start instead with earlier recordings to get your footing, then come back to Seasoned Wood when you're ready for Walton at full intensity.
Who's playing
Peter Washingtonbass
Cedar Waltonpiano
Jimmy Herringsaxophone
Jeremy Peltflugelhorn, trumpet
Al Fosterdrums
Where next?
More by Cedar Walton
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