Walt Dickerson - This Is Walt Dickerson!

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:14
Size: 89,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:34)  1. Time
(5:09)  2. Elizabeth
(7:03)  3. The Cry
(6:09)  4. Death And Taxes
(6:17)  5. Evelyn
(7:01)  6. Infinite You

Walt Dickerson never got quite the credit he deserved for pioneering a modernist approach to the vibes during the early '60s, aligning himself with the emerging "new thing" scene and expanding the instrument's vocabulary beyond Milt Jackson's blues and bop influences. Dickerson's groundbreaking sessions for Prestige all predated the rise of Bobby Hutcherson as the hot new "out" vibes player at Blue Note, and while Hutcherson was a bit freer early on, Dickerson's work still sounded adventurous and forward-looking. This Is Walt Dickerson!, his opening salvo, is every bit the statement of purpose the exclamatory title suggests. Each of the six selections is a Dickerson original, and he proves to be a marvelously evocative composer. Witness the cool, film-noir ambience of the mildly dissonant opener, "Time"; the haunting atmospherics of "Elizabeth," a tribute to his wife; the way the repeated riff of "Death and Taxes" imparts the sense of drudgery and inevitability suggested by the title; or the way Dickerson and pianist Austin Crowe keep twisting the rhythmic emphasis and cadences over the repetitive beat of "The Cry." Dickerson's harmonically advanced playing is just as distinctive, too. He keeps the use of vibrato to a bare minimum, so much so that it's almost a shock when he lets some shimmering chords ring out on "Infinite You"; moreover, his use of rubber mallets instead of the customary felt-tipped augments his soft, controlled tone. In addition to Crowe, Dickerson is backed by bassist Bob Lewis and future Cecil Taylor drummer Andrew Cyrille. A striking debut, This Is Walt Dickerson! sets the stage for continued excellence, but also proves that Dickerson's talent was already fully formed.~ Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/album/this-is-walt-dickerson%21-mw0000105645

Personnel: Walt Dickerson (vibraphone); Austin Crowe (piano); Andrew Cyrille (drums).

This Is Walt Dickerson!

---

Walt Dickerson - How Deep Is The Ocean

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:28
Size: 161.3 MB
Styles: Vibraphone jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[ 7:00] 1. The Cry
[ 6:30] 2. Time
[ 5:07] 3. Elizabeth
[ 7:02] 4. Infinite You
[ 6:05] 5. Death And Taxes
[ 6:14] 6. Evelyn
[17:32] 7. To My Queen
[ 3:53] 8. God Bless The Child
[11:01] 9. How Deep Is The Ocean

Walt Dickerson made an impact when he first emerged in the early '60s -- he won the Down Beat Critic's Poll as New Star in 1962 -- but as the years passed he became much less visible. Dickerson graduated from Morgan State College in 1953. After serving in the Army from 1953-1955, he settled in California, where he led a band that included Andrew Cyrille and Andrew Hill. In his early-'60s heyday, Dickerson played the clubs on the New York scene. He worked with Sun Ra, recording Impressions of a Patch of Blue in 1965. Shortly thereafter, Dickerson retired from performing for nearly a decade and returning in 1975. In the years 1977-1978, he made the bulk of his recordings for the Steeplechase label, which included duos with Sun Ra, guitarist Pierre Dørge, and bassist Richard Davis. Also in 1978, Dickerson recorded in a quartet with pianist Albert Dailey. Dickerson was one of the few vibists to exhibit an awareness of free jazz techniques, though he was manifestly conversant in the language of post-bop. Although not heard as a leader on disc after 1982, Dickerson subsequently performed around his native Philadelphia; he died in Willow Grove, PA, of cardiac arrest in May 2008. ~ Chris Kelsey

How Deep Is The Ocean mc
How Deep Is The Ocean zippy

---

Walt Dickerson - To My Son

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:11
Size: 92,1 MB
Art: Front

(11:31)  1. You Can
( 9:17)  2. You Will
( 8:07)  3. It Is Done
(11:14)  4. Thank You Son

Walt Dickerson made an impact when he first emerged in the early '60s he won the Down Beat Critic's Poll as New Star in 1962 but as the years passed he became much less visible. Dickerson graduated from Morgan State College in 1953. After serving in the Army from 1953-1955, he settled in California, where he led a band that included Andrew Cyrille and Andrew Hill. In his early-'60s heyday, Dickerson played the clubs on the New York scene. He worked with Sun Ra, recording Impressions of a Patch of Blue in 1965. Shortly thereafter, Dickerson retired from performing for nearly a decade and returning in 1975. In the years 1977-1978, he made the bulk of his recordings for the Steeplechase label, which included duos with Sun Ra, guitarist Pierre Dørge, and bassist Richard Davis. Also in 1978, Dickerson recorded in a quartet with pianist Albert Dailey. Dickerson was one of the few vibists to exhibit an awareness of free jazz techniques, though he was manifestly conversant in the language of post-bop. Although not heard as a leader on disc after 1982, Dickerson subsequently performed around his native Philadelphia; he died in Willow Grove, PA, of cardiac arrest in May 2008. ~ Chris Kelsey https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/to-my-son/id159333563

Personnel:  Walt Dickerson – vibraphone;  Andy McKee – bass;  Jimmi Johnsun – drums

To My Son

---

Walt Dickerson - Vibes In Motion

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:16
Size: 147,2 MB
Art: Front

(16:26)  1. Unity
(17:23)  2. High Moon
( 2:47)  3. Theme From Lawrence Of Arabia
( 5:09)  4. That Is The Desert
( 3:55)  5. Motif From Overture Part I
( 3:47)  6. Motif From Overture Part II
( 2:21)  7. Arrival At Auda's Camp
( 4:36)  8. Nefud Mirage Part I
( 4:20)  9. Nefud Mirage Part II
( 3:27) 10. The Voice Of The Guns

In the early 1960s, when Dickerson first emerged on the scene, a number of musicians had already arrived at the conclusion that bebop, which had dominated jazz for two decades, was an increasingly inadequate system out of which to make a music that could embody the tensions, dangers, revelations and liberated energies of the times. His music, while not nearly as radical in its departures and explorations as, say, the music of Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman, certainly places him among the significant contributors to the jazz revolution of his era. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Vibes-Motion-Walt-Dickerson/dp/B000ENWIBM

?Personnel:  Walt Dickerson (vib), Walter Davis Jr., Austin Crowe (p), George Tucker, Henry Grimes (b), Edgar Bateman, Andrew Cyrille (d).               

Vibes In Motion

---

Walt Dickerson - To My Queen

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:26
Size: 74.3 MB
Styles: Post bop, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 1962/1996
Art: Front

[17:30] 1. To My Queen
[11:01] 2. How Deep Is The Ocean
[ 3:54] 3. God Bless The Child

To My Queen is Walt Dickerson's crowning achievement, a perfect balance between his intellectually advanced concepts and deeply felt passion. Dickerson had always displayed a fertile imagination, but there hadn't been much indication that his vision could be as expansive as it was on To My Queen. Never before had he attempted such extended, freely structured performances, which makes the album's consistency and focus all the more impressive. Like the foreground of a canvas, the listener's attention naturally falls on the title cut, a side-long, 17-and-a-half-minute opus (written in tribute to his wife, Elizabeth) that became Dickerson's signature piece. It's deliberate, spare, and tender, with the soloists accompanied by either a gentle swing or the barest hints of support. Dickerson's shimmering opening statements are followed by thoughtful explorations from pianist Andrew Hill and bassist George Tucker, while drummer Andrew Cyrille offers subtle, whisper-quiet shadings, save for occasional drum rolls that come off like momentarily swelling passions amidst all the introspection. The second half of the album maintains the mood set by the first, featuring an 11-minute version of "How Deep Is the Ocean" and a vibes/bass duet on "God Bless the Child" that trumps Dickerson's earlier effort in the same vein. This is arguably the finest quartet Dickerson ever led, not just because of the advanced musicianship and sympathetic interplay, but also because each member serves the material with taste and care. The whole album is swathed in a gauzy glow that speaks even more eloquently than its creator's conceptual ambition; this is music from the heart as well as the mind. ~Steve Huey

To My Queen

---