Us jazz-heads are thrilled and honored to announce legendary pianist Randy Weston as the latest artist to join Motéma Music!  With a career that spans over sixty years and shows no signs of slowing down, Weston will release an exceptional new album, The Storyteller, this fall.

Recorded live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, The Storyteller features new arrangements of Weston classics and includes accompaniments by Alex Blake on bass, Lewis Nash on drums, Benny Powell on trombone, TK Blue on flute & saxophones, Neil Clarke on percussion, and music by the Jazz Heritage Orchestra of Cleveland State University.

With a lifelong career collaborating with creative greats including Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and more, Weston has endless stories to share from his historic career.  Not only does Weston vocalize these stories, he transcribes them.  In addition to his album release, Weston is also releasing the autobiography African Rhythms in October, arranged by music journalist Willard Jenkins.

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Weston’s Motéma debut The Storyteller will be released in November, and coincides with the 50th Anniversary of Weston’s landmark 1960 recording, UHURU Afrika which helped introduce jazz to Africa, and African rhythms to jazz. Weston’s most recent accolades (of the scores) include a win in the Composer category in The annual Downbeat Critics’ Poll as well as being named to the Hall of Fame joining jazz legends and piers Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane. He was also inducted into ASCAP’s “Jazz Wall of Fame” this year.

We welcome Weston aboard and look forward to being a part of this exciting new chapter in his career!

Tracklisting for The Storyteller

1. African Sunrise
2. African Cookbook (Suite)
3. The Shrine
4.  Loose Wig (Suite)
5.  Hi Fly

Upcoming

Date: November 13
Venue: BMCC Performing Arts Center  Tribeca, NY

The anniversary performance of UHURU Afrika will feature Weston with a 22 piece orchestra. Heads of state of 17 African nations (also turning 50) are expected to attend.
Performance dates and events in honor of Weston’s 85th year and Autobiography are scheduled throughout the fall and into the new year.  Stay tuned for further details!

Meanwhile, take a look at our Randy Weston video playlist: