Soul Cycle

This late 1969 recording reflects the uncertainty of the time in which it was recorded. Jazz players were having a difficult time making it in that electrified, rock-drenched era, and many attempted to capture a share of the rock/pop/soul market by going electric themselves and availing themselves of Top 40 tunes in their search for material. On "Soul Cycle" Cedar Walton, a fine jazz pianist, produces a tepid effort that is uninspiring and depressing in that its attempt to capture commercial success resulted only in consigning the recording to obscurity.The really shocking thing about "Soul Cycle" is that it brings together musicians of such high quality and impeccable credentials in such a dispiriting effort. Three of Walton's mates, James Moody (reeds and flute), Reggie Workman (bass), and Tootie Heath (drums) contributed to some of the best jazz performances around. But on this recording they are all trapped in a numbing pop/soul bag that manages to drain all the vitality out of the music.Walton's sound on piano is normally bright and his solos brim with ideas and quotes. On "Soul Cycle," he takes his turn on the electric piano, and the results are awful. The electric keyboard nearly always washes away much of the individuality in a player's sound. Here the material is of the lounge-lizard, Holiday Inn-on-a-Wednesday-night variety, and it's painful to listen to the cliches spill forth from all concerned.Moody and Workman manage to escape relatively unscathed, although Moody could play the flat funk of this album in his sleep. Walton manages to redeem a few moments of the record with some acoustic playing that is not his best but not unpleasant. Heath, however, takes a beating. In the lowest point of the CD, the band goes through an embarrassing rendition of Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour." Heath bangs away on the drums in a performance that sounds like your brother-in-law letting it all hang out in his basement after a few beers.If this is your first exposure to Cedar Walton, by all means do not let "Soul Cycle" discourage you. It didn't discourage him. Three years later (1972) he formed a quintet with saxophonist Hank Mobley and produced a session now available on 32 Records ("Breakthrough") that is a true gem. That release, far more than "Soul Cycle" is representative of his talent and of his career.

I don't know if the other reviewer here was listening to the same "Soul Cycle" I'm listening to, but it's hard for me to believe he was. Because I find this album to be an excellent serving of jazz in a variety of styles.The other reviewer trashes Walton's use of electric keyboards and the inclusion of pop tunes, and I guess if you're a hard-core jazz purist then those facts might instantly relegate "Soul Cycle" to the trash-bin.I'm not a purist. I actually really dig Walton's funky electric keys on the first song, the soul jazz "Sundown Express". It's got a killer groove and instantly gets my toes tapping and my body swaying. If you like soul-jazz and acid-jazz, you will dig this tune.The rest of the album offers up various styles, such as the bossa jazz of "Quiet Dawn" and "Pensativa", the cool jazz of "I Should Care, and the more classic jazz of "Easy Walker".For me, the changing of styles is a nice touch, as I sometimes get a bit bored with jazz albums that stay in the same vein from start to finish. I'm not crazy about the "My Cherie Amour" cover, but that one so-so tune is not enough to trash this entire album.And unlike the other reviewer, I think "Soul Cycle" features a lot of tasty and inspired playing from all the musicians. And make no mistake, these ARE top-notch, legendary jazz musicians. When you have an album with the likes of Cedar Walton, James Moody and Reggie Workman, you are most definitely going to hear some fine playing."Soul Cycle" is not one of your revolutionary jazz albums. It wasn't any sort of milestone in jazz, but I don't see how any music fan couldn't find a lot here to enjoy.