1987 · Album
This Is for You John
Recorded 1983 · Timeless Records · Produced by Wim Wigt
Cedar Plays It Straight, No Apologies
Walton at his most open-hearted, playing tribute without turning it into a museum piece.
By the mid-1980s, Cedar Walton had long established himself as one of the most dependable pianists in hard bop — a composer whose tunes like 'Mosaic' and 'Bolivia' had been picked up and played by everyone. This Is for You, John is a tribute album dedicated to John Coltrane, and that context matters because it shapes everything about how Walton approaches the material. He doesn't try to out-Coltrane Coltrane. He plays it from the piano side, rooted in his own blues-drenched, swinging style, and the result is something that feels honest rather than reverential to the point of paralysis.
The rhythm section here is tight and responsive, and Walton benefits from having musicians around him who understand that a tribute record doesn't require constant genuflection toward the subject. The ballads breathe, the up-tempo numbers swing with real momentum, and Walton's touch — always a bit heavier on the keys than the more delicate school of pianists — gives the session a physical presence that suits the material. It doesn't sound like a jazz museum. It sounds like a working band doing what they do, pointing in a particular direction.
Is this an essential Cedar Walton record? Probably not — if you're starting out, his work with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers or his own Eastern Rebellion recordings are better entry points. But This Is for You, John is a solid, unpretentious record that holds up well. Walton clearly loved Coltrane's music and had the chops to engage with it on his own terms. That's enough. Not every tribute needs to reinvent the wheel — sometimes showing up and playing well is the whole point.
Who's playing
Ron Carterdouble bass
Cedar Waltonpiano
Pharoah Sanderstenor saxophone
Benny Golsontenor saxophone
Jack DeJohnettedrums
Where next?
More by Cedar Walton
All 42 albums →
The musicians on this record
Promises 2020
Pharoah Sanders
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
Where? 1961
Ron Carter
plays double bass here
plays double bass here
Parallel Realities 1978
Jack DeJohnette
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
