Cedar Walton leads his strong quartet through a rich, enjoyable set of originals and covers, recorded in 1977 live at Copenhagen's Club Montmartre. The powerful quartet is conceptually middle of the road but nonetheless hard-driving. FIRST SET is a fine recording--the piano sounds excellent, the audience is felt but not heard, and the mix is full and warm.
The set opens with a tougher update of Thelonious Monk's "Off Minor." Here and elsewhere, Billy Higgins' crisp, clearly articulated drumming is the star. He propels the band, supporting Bob Berg's emotive pentatonic sax solo over a one-chord modal vamp. Walton plays against the current, approaching the tune from different stylistic angles. On the ballad "For All We Know," 25-year-old Berg produces a fearless and soulful solo, going slightly sharp for effect. If Cedar's ornate and impressive solo lacks structural coherence, Sam Jones' rich, growling bass melds with Higgins' brushes in some wonderful rhythm section playing. "I'm Not So Sure," a Walton original, is the most exuberantly funky tune of the set, with an open, triadic solo that owes a debt to Keith Jarrett.