"I
have always enjoyed expression through composing, and creating emotions
through choosing, which notes proceed and follow any given chord," explains
Myron Walden. As a lesson taught by one of his mentors, Benny Golson, Myron
has also combined the legacy of the Alto Saxophone with the musical traditions
and styles from each era in jazz for his NYC Records releases "Hypnosis"
and "Like A Flower Seeking The Sun". When Myron was 12, his uncle first played a recording of Charlie Parker, and from that point he realized his destiny. Even though his local school had no music department, they had musical instruments and Myron was able to take home an Alto Saxophone. He was self taught until entering the Harlem School Of The Arts for high school. At that time, Myron was able to study with many jazz legends, including Benny Golson, Charles Davis and Donald Byrd. "Benny Golson always encouraged me to follow the sound in my head and expressed the importance of creating you own voice, whether playing or composing." Myron had written 300 compositions by the time he won the 1993 Lincoln Center Charlie Parker Competition.
"What ever I do in life revolves around a more personal approach - in music, you only have 12 notes - and in performance I take a different approach, mostly because my had size limits my ability to move in the same fluid sense of traditional alto players - so I look for additional ways to convey a message." The 6'4" musician sometimes described as equal parts Michael Jordan and Eric Dolphy, has definitely observed Charlie Parker's style. Myron, however has taken his horn to the level of incorporating all musicians, including the voices of Tenor Legends. He uniquely combines the 'singing' of Bird, with the 'crying' of Coltrane and the 'haunting melodies' of Wayne Shorter. "And the tones I admire the most are from Miles, Freddie and Booker Little."
Myron first began to gain attention while playing with the Harper Brothers. His exposure with Winard and Phillip's quintet let to sharing the stage with Nat Adderly, Roy Hargrove and Mulgrew Miller. The Bandstand brought his compositions to the forefront, some of which have been recorded by Ravi Coltrane, Vincent Herring and Carl Allen.
For his debut recording, Myron chose a core quartet of Kevin Hayes, Dwayne Burno and Eric Harland, which he had been showcasing at New York City's local club Small's. As the owner of Small's will attest, Myron is one of a handful of artists who virtually opened the night spot, which has gone on to become an incubator for up and coming jazz talent. Myron's second NYC Records release, "Like A Flower Seeking The Sun" has Myron back with Dwayne Burno and they are joined by Kurt Rosenwinkel and Eric McPherson.
"Now this is what I call A young lion." - Ron Carter