Montreux Jazz Festival 1985
Randy Weston Big Band
Randy Weston Big Band’s Montreux Jazz Festival 1985 documents an expansive live set recorded at the Swiss festival on July 8, 1985, newly released in 2026 as part of a series marking what would have been Weston’s 100th birthday. Drawn from previously unreleased tapes and issued on In & Out Records, the 70‑plus‑minute album captures Weston at the helm of a large ensemble rather than his more familiar small‑group African Rhythms bands, placing his piano and compositions inside a sweeping, Ellington‑scale sound. The concert is sequenced almost exactly as it unfolded: opening with the driving “African Cookbook” at the request of festival founder Claude Nobs, then moving through “Hi Fly,” a combined “Blues for Strayhorn/Portrait of Frank Edward Weston,” and the expansive “African Sunrise,” all of which showcase the band’s power, tightness, and dynamic range.
Musically, the album sits at the crossroads of African rhythmic concepts, big‑band jazz, and modal improvisation. Weston’s compositions give the horns richly layered voicings and long, vamp‑based forms, allowing grooves to build gradually while soloists stretch out over shifting polyrhythms supplied by the rhythm section and extra percussion. “Blues for Strayhorn” and “Portrait of Frank Edward Weston” underline his deep connection to the Ellington/Strayhorn tradition and to his father’s influence, while “African Sunrise”—in an arrangement by Melba Liston—brings in her hallmark blend of strong melodic hooks and intricate, interlocking brass and reed parts. The performance closes with pieces like “Congolese Children,” “C. Jam Blues,” and an open “Improvisation” (as reflected in setlists), further emphasizing Weston’s long‑standing project of integrating African themes and community‑minded call‑and‑response into a big‑band context.
Randy Weston Big Band’s Montreux Jazz Festival 1985 documents an expansive live set recorded at the Swiss festival on July 8, 1985, newly released in 2026 as part of a series marking what would have been Weston’s 100th birthday. Drawn from previously unreleased tapes and issued on In & Out Records, the 70‑plus‑minute album captures Weston at the helm of a large ensemble rather than his more familiar small‑group African Rhythms bands, placing his piano and compositions inside a sweeping, Ellington‑scale sound. The concert is sequenced almost exactly as it unfolded: opening with the driving “African Cookbook” at the request of festival founder Claude Nobs, then moving through “Hi Fly,” a combined “Blues for Strayhorn/Portrait of Frank Edward Weston,” and the expansive “African Sunrise,” all of which showcase the band’s power, tightness, and dynamic range.
Musically, the album sits at the crossroads of African rhythmic concepts, big‑band jazz, and modal improvisation. Weston’s compositions give the horns richly layered voicings and long, vamp‑based forms, allowing grooves to build gradually while soloists stretch out over shifting polyrhythms supplied by the rhythm section and extra percussion. “Blues for Strayhorn” and “Portrait of Frank Edward Weston” underline his deep connection to the Ellington/Strayhorn tradition and to his father’s influence, while “African Sunrise”—in an arrangement by Melba Liston—brings in her hallmark blend of strong melodic hooks and intricate, interlocking brass and reed parts. The performance closes with pieces like “Congolese Children,” “C. Jam Blues,” and an open “Improvisation” (as reflected in setlists), further emphasizing Weston’s long‑standing project of integrating African themes and community‑minded call‑and‑response into a big‑band context.
Montreux Jazz Festival 1985
Randy Weston Big Band
Randy Weston Big Band’s Montreux Jazz Festival 1985 documents an expansive live set recorded at the Swiss festival on July 8, 1985, newly released in 2026 as part of a series marking what would have been Weston’s 100th birthday. Drawn from previously unreleased tapes and issued on In & Out Records, the 70‑plus‑minute album captures Weston at the helm of a large ensemble rather than his more familiar small‑group African Rhythms bands, placing his piano and compositions inside a sweeping, Ellington‑scale sound. The concert is sequenced almost exactly as it unfolded: opening with the driving “African Cookbook” at the request of festival founder Claude Nobs, then moving through “Hi Fly,” a combined “Blues for Strayhorn/Portrait of Frank Edward Weston,” and the expansive “African Sunrise,” all of which showcase the band’s power, tightness, and dynamic range.
Musically, the album sits at the crossroads of African rhythmic concepts, big‑band jazz, and modal improvisation. Weston’s compositions give the horns richly layered voicings and long, vamp‑based forms, allowing grooves to build gradually while soloists stretch out over shifting polyrhythms supplied by the rhythm section and extra percussion. “Blues for Strayhorn” and “Portrait of Frank Edward Weston” underline his deep connection to the Ellington/Strayhorn tradition and to his father’s influence, while “African Sunrise”—in an arrangement by Melba Liston—brings in her hallmark blend of strong melodic hooks and intricate, interlocking brass and reed parts. The performance closes with pieces like “Congolese Children,” “C. Jam Blues,” and an open “Improvisation” (as reflected in setlists), further emphasizing Weston’s long‑standing project of integrating African themes and community‑minded call‑and‑response into a big‑band context.
Randy Weston Big Band’s Montreux Jazz Festival 1985 documents an expansive live set recorded at the Swiss festival on July 8, 1985, newly released in 2026 as part of a series marking what would have been Weston’s 100th birthday. Drawn from previously unreleased tapes and issued on In & Out Records, the 70‑plus‑minute album captures Weston at the helm of a large ensemble rather than his more familiar small‑group African Rhythms bands, placing his piano and compositions inside a sweeping, Ellington‑scale sound. The concert is sequenced almost exactly as it unfolded: opening with the driving “African Cookbook” at the request of festival founder Claude Nobs, then moving through “Hi Fly,” a combined “Blues for Strayhorn/Portrait of Frank Edward Weston,” and the expansive “African Sunrise,” all of which showcase the band’s power, tightness, and dynamic range.
Musically, the album sits at the crossroads of African rhythmic concepts, big‑band jazz, and modal improvisation. Weston’s compositions give the horns richly layered voicings and long, vamp‑based forms, allowing grooves to build gradually while soloists stretch out over shifting polyrhythms supplied by the rhythm section and extra percussion. “Blues for Strayhorn” and “Portrait of Frank Edward Weston” underline his deep connection to the Ellington/Strayhorn tradition and to his father’s influence, while “African Sunrise”—in an arrangement by Melba Liston—brings in her hallmark blend of strong melodic hooks and intricate, interlocking brass and reed parts. The performance closes with pieces like “Congolese Children,” “C. Jam Blues,” and an open “Improvisation” (as reflected in setlists), further emphasizing Weston’s long‑standing project of integrating African themes and community‑minded call‑and‑response into a big‑band context.