PREP ROUNDUP

In his 40-plus years as a jazz artist, the superlative pianist-composer Cedar Walton has contributed numerous classics to the jazz canon. Such tunes by Walton as “Bolivia,” “Fantasy in D,” “Mosaic” and “Midnight Waltz” are now part of the standard repertoire and are played and recorded by jazz musicians around the world.

To hear Walton tell it, there’s hardly been a time when he hasn’t composed.

“From age 6 or 7, I started to make up songs,” said the Dallas native who has homes in Los Angeles and New York City. “And from then on, it was always part of my output.”

Walton has been a core member of the international jazz community since he moved to New York in 1958 and worked with, among others, trombonist J.J. Johnson and drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. The latter was his watershed affiliation, and his performances with bandmates Blakey, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and saxophonist Wayne Shorter--jazz legends all--thrust him into the limelight.

Catchy, driving compositions such as “Mosaic” and “Fantasy in D,” numbers that swing hard and change mood and feeling, helped establish his reputation.

The pianist appears Thursday through Jan. 22 at Rocco Ristorante in Beverly Glen. On Thursday, he performs with his trio featuring drum great Billy Higgins and bass ace Tony Dumas. The next two days, the trio will be augmented by fine trumpeter Sal Marquez.

Asked if he’d be performing the Cedar Walton songbook, the pianist replied, “I don’t know what we’ll play. It’s no fun knowing that in advance.” Then he conceded he would offer his own songs, as well as some by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk.

“All the biggies,” he chuckled.

Appearing with Higgins, the drum master with whom Walton has worked consistently since the early ‘70s and who is being feted in a celebratory concert tonight at UCLA’s Royce Hall, is one of Walton’s joys.

“His intensity is immediate,” Walton said. “He doesn’t need to warm up. He’s a pianist’s dream.”

SING OUT: Two vibrant female vocalists who deserve your attention are Sandra Booker and Yvette Stewart. Both work with a sultry bluesy-ness in delivering standards and jazz songs. Hear Booker tonight and Stewart on Saturday from 8 p.m. to midnight at Ca’ del Sole, 4100 N. Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood. (818) 985-4669).

BE THERE

Cedar Walton plays Thursday, 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., and Jan. 21-22, 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., at Rocco Ristorante, 2930 Beverly Glen Circle, Bel-Air. $15 cover, no minimum. Call (310) 475-9807.

Zan Stewart writes about jazz for the Valley Edition. He can be reached at Zansky@aol.com.