Yesterday I went back to my tape and extracted our exchanges about those aborted takes...
Cedar Walton: Yes. When I came to New York in the late '50s, we lived about 10 blocks apart on the Upper West Side. He probably first heard me play at Birdland, at the jam sessions the club had on Monday nights.
CW: When John stopped by my apartment one day in 1959 to show me things related to a new song he had writtenGiant Steps. John was very friendly and seemed impressed with my playing.
CW: I was watching, listening and absorbing what he was doing. I also tried to write down what he was doing. I can't recall if he was standing at the piano or sitting but he said, Here's how this tune goes." His playing style was so orchestral. It sounded like Blue Trainwith trumpet, trombone and tenor sax. John would play a lot of things with three notes. It was amazing because the notes he chose would fit the voicings of three horns. Just being around him, period, was extremely instructive.
JW: What did you do when he finished?
CW: I sat down and played it.
CW: No, in the days ahead, I worked on the song and went over to John's apartment with drummer Lex Humphries, who would be the drummer on the first Giant Steps session. Lex and I would go over there unannounced, and each time we could hear him practicing before we rang the bell.
CW: It was bizzarehis piano was in better shape than mine. He really understood the instrument. When I sat down to play Giant Steps, he was sitting on his couch behind me with his saxophone. Hearing that sound emanate from right behind me was so moving and awe-inspiring. I felt like I was in the presence of God. That's without exaggeration. It was so perfect, and his sound went right to my heart.
JW: What was Coltrane's reaction to your playing?
CW: I don't remember. It was mostly him playing.
CW: I got called out of town with J.J. [Johnson], and Lex went with Dizzy [Gillespie]. When I got back from the tour after a month or so, I called John. He said, Sorry Cedar, we couldn't wait for you. I had to do it with [Tommy] Flanagan." [The album was recorded on May 4, 1959, with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums.]
JW: What did you think?
CW: It broke my heart. When someone played me the alternate takes in the late 1990s, I couldn't believe it. I had no idea they were still around.
CW: John told me on the telephone that that kind of thing was fairly normal. He was probably under pressure by Atlantic to record. But I never should have declined to solo.
JW: What do you mean?
CW: When it was time for me to solo during the session, I declined.
CW: The song was too hard for me. Bu you just didn't do that. I was young. I should have done what Flanagan didtake a solo on the break.
JW: Did you tell Coltrane it was too hard?
CW: No but they knew what I meant when I waved off the opportunity. I know now you just don't do that.
CW: Naima was a piece of cake compared to Giant Steps.
CW: The way John conceived of the harmonies. They were totally original. Those harmonies aren't easy to manipulate on any instrument, let alone the piano. I should have taken a solo. I was just too young.
JW: Did you ever record Giant Steps. CW: No.
JazzWax tracks: Here are my favorite Cedar Walton albums...
- Freddie HubbardHub Cap (1961)
- Art BlakeyMosaic (1961)
- Curtis FullerSoul Trombone (1961)
- Art BlakeyThree Blind Mice (1962)
- Freddie HubbardThe Body and the Soul (1963)
- Art BlakeyFree for All (1964)
- Joe HendersonMode for Joe (1966)
- Lee MorganCharisma (1966)
- Blue MitchellBoss Horn (1966)
- Lee MorganThe Rajah (1966)
- Sonny ChrisUp, Up and Away (1967)
- Cedar WaltonCedar! (1967)
- Cedar WaltonSpectrum (1968)
- Cedar WaltonSoul Cycle (1969)
- Cedar WaltoBreakthrough (1972)
- Art FarmerThe Summer Knows (1976)
- Illinois JacquetBattle of the Horns (1980)
- Junior CookSomething's Cooking (1981)
- Woody ShawSetting Standards (1983)
- Cedar WaltonPlays the Music of Billy Strayhorn (1988)
- Cedar WaltonUnderground Memories (2005)
- Cedar WaltonThe Bouncer (2011)
- Houston PersonNaturally! (2012)
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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