Brooklyn Academy Of Music 1985
Randy Weston & African Rhythm Orchestra
Randy Weston & African Rhythm Orchestra’s Brooklyn Academy Of Music 1985 is a live album capturing a previously unreleased concert from a week‑long tribute to Weston at BAM in 1985, finally issued by IN+OUT Records in March 2026. The set runs about 46 minutes and features four extended pieces—“African Sunrise,” “The Last Day,” “Portrait of Vivian,” and “Blue Moses”—that showcase Weston’s synthesis of post‑bop harmony, big‑band swing, and deep African rhythmic roots. Recorded with a large ensemble including multiple trumpets, saxophones, French horn, tuba, full rhythm section, African percussion, and a vocal feature by Shirley Steward‑Farmer on “The Last Day,” the performance has the weight and color of a full jazz orchestra while still leaving room for long, exploratory solos.
Musically, the album moves between meditative, modal passages and surging, horn‑driven climaxes, embodying Weston’s lifelong project of connecting African diasporic rhythms to modern jazz composition. Opener “African Sunrise,” at over 16 minutes, sets the tone with a slowly unfolding piano introduction that blossoms into layered horn voicings over polyrhythmic percussion, while closer “Blue Moses” stretches past 17 minutes, transforming one of Weston’s signature tunes into a sprawling, groove‑rich finale. “Portrait of Vivian” offers a more lyrical, mid‑length centerpiece, and “The Last Day,” with Steward‑Farmer’s vocals, brings a spiritual, almost sermon‑like dimension to the set. As a document, Brooklyn Academy Of Music 1985 is valuable both historically—capturing Weston at a mature creative peak with a powerhouse band—and artistically, as a vivid example of how his African Rhythm concept translates in a live, large‑ensemble setting.
Randy Weston & African Rhythm Orchestra’s Brooklyn Academy Of Music 1985 is a live album capturing a previously unreleased concert from a week‑long tribute to Weston at BAM in 1985, finally issued by IN+OUT Records in March 2026. The set runs about 46 minutes and features four extended pieces—“African Sunrise,” “The Last Day,” “Portrait of Vivian,” and “Blue Moses”—that showcase Weston’s synthesis of post‑bop harmony, big‑band swing, and deep African rhythmic roots. Recorded with a large ensemble including multiple trumpets, saxophones, French horn, tuba, full rhythm section, African percussion, and a vocal feature by Shirley Steward‑Farmer on “The Last Day,” the performance has the weight and color of a full jazz orchestra while still leaving room for long, exploratory solos.
Musically, the album moves between meditative, modal passages and surging, horn‑driven climaxes, embodying Weston’s lifelong project of connecting African diasporic rhythms to modern jazz composition. Opener “African Sunrise,” at over 16 minutes, sets the tone with a slowly unfolding piano introduction that blossoms into layered horn voicings over polyrhythmic percussion, while closer “Blue Moses” stretches past 17 minutes, transforming one of Weston’s signature tunes into a sprawling, groove‑rich finale. “Portrait of Vivian” offers a more lyrical, mid‑length centerpiece, and “The Last Day,” with Steward‑Farmer’s vocals, brings a spiritual, almost sermon‑like dimension to the set. As a document, Brooklyn Academy Of Music 1985 is valuable both historically—capturing Weston at a mature creative peak with a powerhouse band—and artistically, as a vivid example of how his African Rhythm concept translates in a live, large‑ensemble setting.
Brooklyn Academy Of Music 1985
Randy Weston & African Rhythm Orchestra
Randy Weston & African Rhythm Orchestra’s Brooklyn Academy Of Music 1985 is a live album capturing a previously unreleased concert from a week‑long tribute to Weston at BAM in 1985, finally issued by IN+OUT Records in March 2026. The set runs about 46 minutes and features four extended pieces—“African Sunrise,” “The Last Day,” “Portrait of Vivian,” and “Blue Moses”—that showcase Weston’s synthesis of post‑bop harmony, big‑band swing, and deep African rhythmic roots. Recorded with a large ensemble including multiple trumpets, saxophones, French horn, tuba, full rhythm section, African percussion, and a vocal feature by Shirley Steward‑Farmer on “The Last Day,” the performance has the weight and color of a full jazz orchestra while still leaving room for long, exploratory solos.
Musically, the album moves between meditative, modal passages and surging, horn‑driven climaxes, embodying Weston’s lifelong project of connecting African diasporic rhythms to modern jazz composition. Opener “African Sunrise,” at over 16 minutes, sets the tone with a slowly unfolding piano introduction that blossoms into layered horn voicings over polyrhythmic percussion, while closer “Blue Moses” stretches past 17 minutes, transforming one of Weston’s signature tunes into a sprawling, groove‑rich finale. “Portrait of Vivian” offers a more lyrical, mid‑length centerpiece, and “The Last Day,” with Steward‑Farmer’s vocals, brings a spiritual, almost sermon‑like dimension to the set. As a document, Brooklyn Academy Of Music 1985 is valuable both historically—capturing Weston at a mature creative peak with a powerhouse band—and artistically, as a vivid example of how his African Rhythm concept translates in a live, large‑ensemble setting.
Randy Weston & African Rhythm Orchestra’s Brooklyn Academy Of Music 1985 is a live album capturing a previously unreleased concert from a week‑long tribute to Weston at BAM in 1985, finally issued by IN+OUT Records in March 2026. The set runs about 46 minutes and features four extended pieces—“African Sunrise,” “The Last Day,” “Portrait of Vivian,” and “Blue Moses”—that showcase Weston’s synthesis of post‑bop harmony, big‑band swing, and deep African rhythmic roots. Recorded with a large ensemble including multiple trumpets, saxophones, French horn, tuba, full rhythm section, African percussion, and a vocal feature by Shirley Steward‑Farmer on “The Last Day,” the performance has the weight and color of a full jazz orchestra while still leaving room for long, exploratory solos.
Musically, the album moves between meditative, modal passages and surging, horn‑driven climaxes, embodying Weston’s lifelong project of connecting African diasporic rhythms to modern jazz composition. Opener “African Sunrise,” at over 16 minutes, sets the tone with a slowly unfolding piano introduction that blossoms into layered horn voicings over polyrhythmic percussion, while closer “Blue Moses” stretches past 17 minutes, transforming one of Weston’s signature tunes into a sprawling, groove‑rich finale. “Portrait of Vivian” offers a more lyrical, mid‑length centerpiece, and “The Last Day,” with Steward‑Farmer’s vocals, brings a spiritual, almost sermon‑like dimension to the set. As a document, Brooklyn Academy Of Music 1985 is valuable both historically—capturing Weston at a mature creative peak with a powerhouse band—and artistically, as a vivid example of how his African Rhythm concept translates in a live, large‑ensemble setting.