With his exceptional expressive touch and vigorous melodic sense, Cedar Walton makes sparks fly across the keys as one of today's most influential hard-bop pianists. A brilliant interpreter of the classics, he has also penned many originals that have become permanent fixtures in the jazz repertoire. After a recent performance at the Kennedy Center, the Washington Post praised him as a master with a "flair for subtle embellishments...who doesn't come to town nearly often enough." He comes to Palo Alto even less frequently. Don't miss Cedar Walton's first return to the Stanford Jazz Festival in nine years, as his trio presents its trademark blistering bop.