Randy Weston big-band

[WestCoast Ghost]

I've been doing some programming on Melba Liston this month, which has given me reason to re-visit Randy Weston's HIGHLIFE, and to discover his TANJAH for the first time. Anybody else a fan of these albums? I know a number of people over on the Blue Note board were/are anticipating the imminent Mosaic Select release of Weston's UA/Roulette material. Weston is an artist I'm coming to admire more and more.

[mikeweil]

Well, the Highlife album is not a real big band, with only six horns and rhythms, but it is very very nice and groovy, the first two tracks always make me dance around the room ...:D The Uhuru Afrika LP reissued on the same Roulette CD was a real big band, the grandest stuff Weston ever did, I personally think it is his greatest single achievement, musically, and perfectly arranged by Melba Liston.
Tanjah is a little too rocky for my taste.
His only other big band album was the CTI album Blue Moses, never reissued on CD as far as I know, but worth searching out, arranged by Don Sebesky, Feddie Hubbard, Grover Washington and Hubert Laws contibuting fine solos, and Weston (his only other appearance on Fender Rhodes piano!), Ron Carter and Billy Cobham heat up the rhythm.

[AfricaBrass]

I'm also a big fan of his. I've tried to pick up as much of his stuff that I can. I really enjoy Tanjah. That was the first album of his that I heard. I also enjoy the one that Verve put out a few years ago from the 1966 Monterey Jazz Festival with Booker Ervin (who is another favorite of mine) I haven't dug too deeply into his newer albums, but I have them and I will eventually. I was pretty crazy a few years ago and bought way too many cds. I'm still playing catch-up on getting to really know my collection.

[WestCoast Ghost]

Originally posted by mikeweil
Well, the Highlife album is not a real big band, with only six horns and rhythms, but it is very very nice and groovy, the first two tracks always make me dance around the room ...:D The Uhuru Afrika LP reissued on the same Roulette CD was a real big band, the grandest stuff Weston ever did, I personally think it is his greatest single achievement, musically, and perfectly arranged by Melba Liston.


You're right, Mike; I erroneously referred to that CD re-issue as HIGHLIFE because I was too lazy to spell out the whole title.
Speaking of Melba Liston, I'd really like to find her one record as a leader: MELBA AND HER BONES. I'd also like to hear her other work with Weston, too.

[PDEE]

Blue Moses did make it to CD, but as expected a Japanese one CDKICJ 8338.. don't know where I got it as I shy away from the expense of Japanese CDs, but the music is so good, as is just about all Weston, that I guess I gave in to by baser instincts on this one.

[king ubu]

i love "tanjah" for the great playing of some underrated or largely forgotten musicians like Ray Copeland, Budd Johnson, Ernie Royal, and also BILLY HARPER!
If you start to like Weston, you might be interested in small group records like "carnival" (with Harper), "monterey 66" (with Booker Ervin, Ray Copeland), "volcano blues" (Teddy Edwards among others) or "spirits of our ancestors" (with Pharoah Sanders a.o.).
and check out some of his solo piano playing: "blues to africa" is great, "african nite" (nice recent reissue), "marrakech in the cool of the evening" or the recent 2 disc "ancient future" (which has new recordings coupled with "blue")
and then there is a story about "earth birth", a piano trio and strings session which is not bad, where melba liston did (as i recall, don't have the disc at hand, though) the arrangements and was in a wheel-chair attending the concert after having had a stroke.

ubu

[Noj]

Originally posted by mikeweil
His only other big band album was the CTI album Blue Moses, never reissued on CD as far as I know, but worth searching out, arranged by Don Sebesky, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington and Hubert Laws contibuting fine solos, and Weston (his only other appearance on Fender Rhodes piano!), Ron Carter and Billy Cobham heat up the rhythm.

:cool: I want this. That's all.