1. Berkshire Blues
2. Portait Of Vivian
3. Willie's Tune
4. Niger Mambo (Bobby Benson)
5. African Cookbook
6. Congolese Children
7. Blues For Five Reasons

Randy Weston - piano
Booker Ervin - tenor sax
Ray Copeland - trumpet & flugelhorn
Vishnu Wood - bass
Lenny McBrowne - drums
Big Black - conga drums
Sir Harold Murray - percussion

Randy Weston plays celeste on Congolese Children.
The vocal on Comgolese Children is by Big Black.

When African Cookbook was recorded in 1964, pianist Randy Weston had no luck interesting any label to release the music, so he came out with it independently on his tiny Bakton company. In 1972, Atlantic released the performances. It is surprising that no company in the mid-'60s signed Weston, because "Willie's Tune," from this set, had the potential to catch on, and "Berkshire Blues" is somewhat well-known and the mixture of accessible bop with African rhythms overall is appealing. Trumpeter Ray Copeland was responsible for the arrangements while Weston contributed all but one of the songs. Copeland and the great tenor Booker Ervin have their share of solo space, bassist Vishnu Wood and drummer Lenny McBrowne are fine in support, and on three numbers the percussion of Big Black and Sir Harold Murray are added; Big Black also sings on "Congolese Children." An excellent outing. ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

Here’s an album that was recorded in NOLA Studios, New York City on October of the year 1964 by Randy Weston. It should be in any Jazz fan’s collection. It was originally released as an LP album under another name, “Randy.” Randy Weston had to produce it on his own independent label named Bakton basically because there was no interest. It was released later in 1972 and with the title “African Cookbook.” Why, I have no idea! It doesn’t matter either because the songs are the same, great and cannot be avoided, enjoy! I will be featuring the whole album, check the schedule link for play times. --- Jose Reyes, jazzconclass.com

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01. Earth Birth
02. Pam's Waltz
03. Little Niles
04. Babe's Blues
05. Where
06. Hi-Fly
07. Portrait of Billie Holiday
08. Berkshire Blues
09. Portrait of Vivian

Randy Weston - piano,
Christian McBride - bass,
Billy Higgins - drums,
Orchestre du Festival de Jazz de Montreal.

Recorded in Montreal with 24 strings from the Montreal Symphony and two can't-miss jazz cohorts, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Billy Higgins, here we have another reunion between Weston and arranger Melba Liston in a collection of mostly early Weston tunes, some dating back to the early 1950s. The strings sound unearthly, as if they were recorded in a dead studio (the locale is the Ludget-Duvernay Hall of Montreal's Monument National), and even though Liston blends them with the piano in an integral manner, they respond stiffly; it's an uneasy, not terribly imaginative fusion. The most famous Weston tune, "Hi-Fly," is completely retooled into a cocktail-hour ballad -- it also features quite an intricate string chart -- and composer Weston enjoys poking around the tune's angles and corners. Coming after his exciting African experiments in the '90s, this CD, despite Weston's sharply etched solos, is a relatively minor nostalgic effort. --- Richard S. Ginell, Rovi

During his 40-something years as a musician, pianist Weston has incorporated various influences in his playing-primarily elements of African music he studied and later acquired during his lengthy stay in Tangier, where he ran the Africans Rhythm Club for five years about 30 years ago. He also came under the sway of Thelonious Monk or, as he told Len Lyons (in his 1983 book, The Great Pianists), "Monk entered my soul."

Much of that is ever present in his playing; however, the African sources are less evident on this collection of his compositions recorded with bassist Christian McBride, drummer Billy Higgins and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at the 1995 Montreal Jazz Festival. In the liner notes Weston says, "The overall concept of the CD is love, romance and the beauty of life. It's something to slow you down, make you appreciate the finer things of life."

With the Symphony's 24 strings providing shading, intriguing undercurrents of sound and splashes of tonal color and with marvelous arrangements by Melba Liston, Weston gives us classic interpretations of such tunes as the title track ("My First Song"), written to honor the birth of his daughter, Pam, and son, Niles, who were also memorialized by "Pam's Waltz" and "Little Niles," both of which are on the disc. "Little Niles," one of four waltzes here, receives a particularly nice reading with the strings digging into the tune in stately style.

"Babe's Blues," another of the waltzes here that was written for children, gets an enjoyably Monkish treatment. "Where" is a spiritual played by the trio. "Berkshire Blues," the only uptempo piece, is a cheery item written to celebrate that area of Massachusetts that's home to the Music Inn, where, in the early '50s, Weston was the breakfast cook (!) and the after-dinner pianist. Two portraits-of his mother, Vivian, and Billie Holiday-are tender pieces with Holiday's getting an especially lush, wistful string accompaniment. "Hi-Fly," perhaps Weston's best-known tune, is played as a very relaxed ballad. On a collection of standout performances, it stands out above all the others; at 10:29 (it's the longest piece) Weston and Liston obviously thought so, too. This is an excellently recorded disc and Weston's rich piano sound is heard to great advantage. ---Miles Jordan, jazztimes.com

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1.In The Cool Of The Evening (3:42)
2.Portrait of Billie Holiday (4:37)
3.Two Different Ways to Play the Blues (5:36)
4.Portrait of Dizzy: A Night in Tunisia... (7:32)
5.Lisa Lovely (3:22)
6.Uli Shrine (4:25)
7.Blues for Elma Lewis (3:51)
8.Ballad for T (4:51)
9.Valse Triste Valse (4:04)
10.Where? (6:28)
11.Let's Climb a Hill (3:37)
12.The Jitterbug Waltz (5:12)
13.Blues for Five Reasons (6:06)
14.Lotus Blossom (6:14)

Randy Weston – piano

Over the course of his career, Randy Weston has occasionally revisited the solo piano context. Here, opening with Nat "King" Cole's "In the Cool of the Evening," Weston thoughtfully mixes his own compositions with telling covers (Billy Strayhorn, Dizzy Gillespie, and Fats Waller).

Alone at a piano, it's evident how expansive and orchestrally-oriented Weston's musical thinking is; he utilizes beautiful density and open atmospherics with equal aplomb, and all with gorgeous melodicism. The album was digitally recorded live to 2-track in the ballroom of the La Mamounia Hotel in Marrakech, Morocco, a perfect setting for Weston, preserving both the cool and broad sound of the large room and the warmth of his piano playing. ---Rovi

This is a nice solo album from Weston's renaissance in the 1990s. I am a huge fan of his, especially the group projects (usually under the title African Rhythms). Weston is an utterly distinctive pianist, although I have to admit that a long solo ablum (from anyone) is a litte tough to get through. But there is certainly plenty of outstanding stuff here, with most of the compositions (as expected) by Weston, including some rarities. The blues numbers--one his great strengths--are memorable. --- Michael D. Bohnert, amazon.com

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