Vibe Master Walt Dickerson: "This Is Walt Dickerson!"

Walt Dickerson (1928-2008) was one of the most individual voices of the vibraphone, He is one of the very few who was NOT influenced by Milt Jackson. He developed his own sound and approach to the vibes by listening to horn players. He was also a fine composer of original works. Dickerson never achieved the recognition he richly deserved as he emerged in the 1960s...it was Gary Burton and Bobby Hutcherson who got the accolades and Dickerson operated in obscurity. After finishing university and doing his time in the US Army, Dickerson worked on the West Coast but never recorded. He returned to his hometown of Philadelphia and made frequent forays to New York and worked with his quartet. It was in 1961 that he made this amazingly mature debut recording called "This Is Walt Dickerson" Eric Dolphy introduced him to the Prestige/New Jazz label and he made this and three other fine recordings for New Jazz. "This Is Walt Dickerson" offers his working quartet with the obscure Austin Crowe on piano and Bob Lewis on bass and the soon to be prominent Andrew Cyrille on drums. The album has six of Walt's original compositions and is a very strong musical statement. More should have happened to Walt as he was an important voice. He was called "the Coltrane of the vibes" by more than a few people. Enjoy his debut recording tonight.