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Walt Dickerson R.I.P.


ghost of miles

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Just posted to the Jazz Programmer Listserv:

To all concerned:

I was asked to inform you of the regrettable death of vibraphonist Walt Dickerson, by his beloved wife, Elizabeth. Walt passed away on May 15 from cardiac arrest. He was 80 years of age and lived in Willow Grove, PA.

In sympathy,

Andrew Cyrille

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By all accounts, a highly principled man who made music that was every bit as highly principled.

Always a loss when somebody like that leaves this plane, but always a blessing to have them here while they are.

RIP, and deepest, sincerest thanks.

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Guest Bill Barton

Oh, no! Sad news indeed. R.I.P.

Just last week I played music from the remarkable duo album he did with Sun Ra on Bright Moments. Time to haul that disc out again in memoriam.

He was a beautiful player and by all accounts I've heard a beautiful person as well. He will be missed.

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Oh no. I still had hope that he would play out again. I've been listening to To My Queen on vinyl over and over again this week. I'm constantly impressed by the fullness of his tone, regardless of how quickly he is playing. This is even more evident on vinyl than the CD that I've been listening to all this time.

It is possible to miss a man you've never met.

Life Rays Walt. Life Rays.

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i've been a fan of walt's for several years. i was drawn to his rather distinctive sound, owing in part to his self-modified mallets. i also enjoyed sharing his music with people who only knew bobby, milt, and a few other vibists. goodbye walt, and thank you.

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Working on a brief writeup for the Night Lights site and listening to some of the recordings as I do so--after Andrew Hill and Cyrille, I'd forgotten how good George Tucker is on the original QUEEN. IMPRESSIONS OF A PATCH OF BLUE holds up really well (Sun Ra on celeste!), too; one of Jerry Goldsmith's slighter scores, but Dickerson makes good, brooding use of the material. I also didn't realize how little he'd recorded (at all?) in the past 25 years. Certainly grateful for what he did leave us.

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Oh no, more sad news to start the day :( - and I was really hoping one day to catch one of his performances but sadly it was not to be. A most dignified musician and, yes - very unique artist with a very fine recording legacy. A few of the Lps will be coming out today - 'Impressions of a Patch of Blue', 'Jazz Impressions of Lawrence of Arabia' and the Steeplechase album done with Sun Ra ('Visions') plus the direct cut Steeplechase 'Divine Revelations'. One of my all-time favourites on the vibes - may he RIP.

Edited by sidewinder
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I've got a trio album (Serendipity - Steeplechase) he did w/one Rudy McDaniels on electric bass & Edgar Bateman on drums, recorded live in Philly, 8/11/76. Rudy McDaniels became far better known as Jamaladeen Tacuma and for playing far different music(s) than this. And yet he sounds perfectly in sync w/Dickerson here. I've got to think that that's because Walt Dickerson's own voice was so strong and secure that playing with him was actually "easy" if you had the requisite body of skills and openness of mind and spirit. There's no sense that he's "trying" to do anything, he's doing it. It's the voice of a leader, a person who knows exactly what they are doing and exactly where they are going with it, and it is a joyous privilege to be able to play with such a voice.

This holds true of every performance of his I've ever heard, this clarity of vision & voice. It is a rare quality and one of the hallmarks of a truly mature artist, the ability to make "complex" thoughts "speak" clearly and unambiguously. Many people might have slept on Walt Dickerson in his lifetime (and some of that was due to his self-imposed semi-isolation), and many more might well do so in the future (as they will so many others), but anybody who does get to the work of Walt Dickerson will find it all of a piece - strong, principled music that speaks its truths with a combination of "complexity" & clarity rarely found in any music.

Edited by JSngry
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By all accounts, a highly principled man who made music that was every bit as highly principled.

Always a loss when somebody like that leaves this plane, but always a blessing to have them here while they are.

RIP, and deepest, sincerest thanks.

Wonderful post. My sentiments exactly. I've only been aware of his music for about nine months, but I love everything I've heard by him.

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Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches eulogy (some very good links here to a Dickerson interview and article that the blogger/author wrote)

Night Lights post

WBGO blog writeup

Jsngry, I hear that PEACE is another very good Dickerson trio Steeplechase album. The only later album I have is TO MY QUEEN REVISITED (with Albert Dailey on piano).

Edited by ghost of miles
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Sad. RIP, Walt.

I discover WALT with "TO MY SON" on Steeple Chase in the late 70's.

I own now all of his available disco and like it almost all.

But "TO MY SON" stays as my favorite.

It's the records who made me like the vibes.

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