Myron Walden


Myron Walden is an American musician, composer, and arranger who is known for his work as a saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. He has previously recorded and toured with Freddie Hubbard, Ray Barretto, Esperanza Spalding, and Somi.
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Early life and education

Myron Walden was born in Miami, Florida, and he moved to The Bronx at the age of twelve. His interest in the alto saxophone developed when he witnessed the close attention his uncle paid to the Charlie Parker record One Night in Washington. Walden was able to procure an alto sax from his middle school music appreciation teacher, and a saxophone player who lived in his building gave him an instruction book. Walden was self-taught until he enrolled in the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, where he met frequent collaborators Dwayne Burno and Eric McPherson.
Walden went on to attend the Manhattan School of Music, and in 1993 won first place in a Charlie Parker competition, which earned him a guest spot with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Career

Walden began his professional career playing with Roy Hargrove's big band at the Jazz Gallery in 1995, then performed at Smalls with artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Eddie Henderson, Kevin Hays, Stephen Scott, Greg Hutchinson and Eric Harland. Eventually he earned a regular gig on Wednesday nights with his Apex Trio, featuring McPherson and Burno, who primarily played Walden's own original compositions. Walden recorded and releases six albums as a leader between 1995 and 2005, two each on NYC Records, his own Demi Sound Records, and Fresh Sound New Talent. During this period, he became a member of Brian Blade's Fellowship Band and The [New Jazz Composers Octet], which made three recordings as a unit and two with Freddie Hubbard.
Walden then took a nearly five-year break from recording as a leader in order to develop his skills on the tenor and soprano saxophones while composing specifically for those instruments. He released five albums on his record label, Demi Sound, over the course of 2009 and 2010. A four-CD live set followed in 2013.
Walden returned in 2025 after a nearly 13 year hiatus from recording as a leader with Flute and Strings on JMI Recordings, which featured Walden on various flutes accompanied by a string quintet.

Style and critical reception

According to JazzTimes, Walden "plays with a Phoenix-like virtuosity and an attention to rhythmic detail rarely heard among saxophone players". All About Jazz cites him as "one of the true bright stars of his generation" who "has a very distinctive sharp tone with a rounded nasaly-inflection" and "has shown the ability to develop solos with both an incisive logic and an organic level of invention." Describing his performance on tenor sax, writer John Kelman said that Walden was "as thoughtful yet fiery a player on the bigger horn as he is on alto" and called his 2009 release Momentum "a document of one of the modern mainstream's most provocative saxophonists, composers, and bandleaders," favorably comparing Walden's composition "Like a Flower Seeking the Sun" to Wayne Shorter's title track from Miles Davis's album Nefertiti. Writing in Down Beat magazine, Ted Panken describes Walden as "a widely respected musician's musician with a keening, instantly recognizable voice."
Walden frequently plays in a pianoless trio or quartet format, though his flurry of release from 2009 through 2013 all included keyboards. His 2010 album Countyfied featured an organ trio, the sound of which Walden described as "Southern-fried soul meets a little blues and rock 'n' roll," while his dual In This World releases took a "harmonically fortified quiet storm" approach with a quintet featuring guitarist Mike Moreno and keyboardist Jon Cowherd, among others.

Discography

As leader

  • Hypnosis
  • Like a Flower Seeking the Sun
  • Apex - Volume One
  • Apex - Volume Two
  • Higher Ground
  • This Way
  • Momentum
  • Momentum Live
  • In This World: What We Share
  • In This World: To Feel
  • Countryfied
  • Momentum Live: Our Sound
  • ''Flutes and Strings''

As sideman

with Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band

Brian Blade Fellowship Perceptual Season of Changes Landmarks Body and Shadow Live from the archives Bootleg June 15, 2000 Blues Alley Washington D.C.
  • ''Kings Highway''

with others