Jazz Reviews : Cedar Walton Trio Closes Out 1989 at Catalina’s

Closing out the old year with appropriate brio, Catalina’s presented over the weekend the inspiring trio of pianist Cedar Walton, augmented by the tenor saxophone of Harold Land.

Never one to pull punches, Walton opened his first set Friday with his vivid perennial “Cedar’s Blues,” spinning myriad variations at uptempo on the age-old 12-bar pattern. Drummer Billy Higgins, a Walton regular, showed his customary wit and alacrity in a series of nimble breaks.

The more tempered but no less compelling aspect of the pianist’s personality came to the fore with J. J. Johnson’s “Lament,” to which he brought lush harmonic embellishments. “Holy Land,” an infectious Walton theme, ended the trio’s segment, after which Land took to the stand.

Land, who continues to grow in creative scope, proved an ideal foil for Walton and a composer whose “Dark Mood” (in 3/4) and “Short Subject” were dynamic vehicles for them both. Tony Dumas, the bassist, shone in both solo and sectional capacities; his sound is firm, his intonation flawless.

“Born to Be Blue” was Land’s ballad specialty, done with a little too much ornamentation. The highlight of the set was “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.” This 1948 song by an obscure writer from a forgotten movie of the same name, has a strange fascination for improvising jazz men. Land and Walton dealt brilliantly with its provocative chordal lines.

Finally there was Walton’s own “Bolivia,” with its intoxicating vamp and imminently playable theme. Throughout the quartet portion of the performance, the four artists presented a commandingly united front.

Walton will be on hand again Wednesday through Sunday at the Indigo Jazz Room in Compton, with the same trio backing another saxophonist, Clifford Jordan.