Highlife (full title Music from the New African Nations featuring the Highlife) is an album by American jazz pianist Randy Weston recorded in 1963 and originally released on the Colpix label.[2] Weston had traveled to Africa for the first time in 1961 for a series of concerts in Lagos, Nigeria, sponsored by the American Society of African Culture, and the album is inspired by the music of the African continent, in particular the highlife genre of West Africa.[3]
| Highlife | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | Early August 1963[1] | |||
| Recorded | April 1963 Webster Hall, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 36:55 | |||
| Label | Colpix CP 456 | |||
| Producer | Jack Lewis | |||
| Randy Weston chronology | ||||
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Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [4] |
Allmusic awarded the album 5 stars, with its reviewer Scott Yanow stating: "Highly recommended, these sessions are among the recorded highpoints of Randy Weston's productive career."[4]
Track listing
editAll compositions by Randy Weston except as indicated
- "Caban Bamboo Highlife" - 2:46
- "Niger Mambo" (Bobby Benson) - 5:03
- "Zulu" - 4:42
- "In Memory Of" - 7:46
- "Congolese Children" - 2:34
- "Blues to Africa" - 6:23
- "Mystery of Love" (Guy Warren) - 7:41
Personnel
edit- Randy Weston - piano
- Ray Copeland - trumpet, flugelhorn
- Jimmy Cleveland, Quentin Jackson - trombone
- Julius Watkins - French horn
- Aaron Bell - tuba
- Budd Johnson - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
- Booker Ervin - tenor saxophone
- Peck Morrison - bass
- Charlie Persip - drums
- Frankie Dunlop - drums, percussion
- Archie Lee - congas, percussion
- George Young - percussion
- Melba Liston - arranger
References
edit- ^ Billboard, August 31, 1963.
- ^ Randy Weston catalog, accessed August 15, 2012.
- ^ Highlife liner notes, Randy Weston discography, accessed June 20, 2016.
- ^ a b Yanow, S. Allmusic Review, accessed August 15, 2012.