Cedar Walton's Piano and Eddie Harris's Vision
Harris found his voice as a composer here, and Walton's piano was the perfect mirror for it.
Cedar Walton's piano is the backbone of The In Sound (1965), and that matters because Harris was still finding his footing as a bandleader and composer. Walton doesn't just accompany — he shapes the album's sound, providing harmonic sophistication and a melodic sensibility that grounds Harris's tenor saxophone. The rhythm section, anchored by Ron Carter on bass and Billy Higgins on drums, swings hard, but it's Walton who gives these sessions their forward momentum and architectural sense.
The album's centerpiece is "Freedom Jazz Dance," Harris's composition that would later appear on Miles Smiles (1966) and become a jazz standard. On Harris's version, the tune is cleaner, more direct, less abstract than Davis's take — you hear the melody clearly, and Walton's voicings support that clarity without clutter. Ray Codrington on trumpet rounds out the front line, but this is really a conversation between Harris and Walton, two musicians comfortable with space and structure.
This sits early in Harris's recorded career, before he became known for his funk-fusion experiments and electronic gadgetry. AllMusic reviewer called it "one of Eddie Harris' great records," and the reason is simple: the writing is strong, the band is tight, and Walton's playing elevates every track. It's not Harris's masterpiece, but it's solid, purposeful work from a saxophonist learning how to lead.
Who's playing
Where next?
More by Eddie Harris
All 36 albums →
The musicians on this record
Dear Miles, 1962
Ron Carter
plays bass here
plays bass here
♫
Spectrum 1968
Cedar Walton
plays piano here
plays piano here
♫
The Oracle 1989
Billy Higgins
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
