WORTH A LISTEN

Rating:


Randy Weston has said that arranger Melba Liston is his musical soul mate, and he has a point. Her bottom-heavy arrangements lumber along like an inebriated bear, which fits with Randy Weston’s Monk in Africa style. The only problem for me is that Randy Weston, if he is playing with a small group, or most of all, on his own, is lighter on his feet. He feels weighed down by the overpowering arrangements on African Sunrise.

That said, Melba Liston’s arrangements can be fun. They have a shaggy, shambling quality about them which can be amusing. She utilizes call and response sections, close voicings in the upper ranges of the reeds, and lots of percussion, among many other tricks.

Another factor in how much you’ll enjoy African Sunrise is the ample solo space provided for the many members of the large band. For example, on African Cookbook, Pharoah Sanders (tenor sax), Dewey Redman (tenor sax), Benny Powell (bass trombone), and Idris Muhammed (drums) all have solos. As you might have noticed, these horn players tend more towards gospel shouts than bebop lines. Lots of slurring, playing outside the range of the horn, that sort of thing. Again, that kind of fits with Randy Weston’s style as a pianist. After all, he uses odd rhythmic accents and plays “wrong” notes ala Thelonious Monk.

The problem for me is that I’m not a huge fan of the Gospel shout gutbucket blues style. I prefer the approach Coltrane took to playing with Monk.

Now, this is a bit of problem for me as a reviewer. On the one hand, there isn’t a whole lot to criticize about the implementation of Melba Liston’s arrangements or how the various players on African Sunrise execute their roles. On the other hand, the overall style of the date just isn’t to my taste. I’d much rather listen to Randy Weston’s solo piano recordings from the late 70s (which are notoriously hard to find).

That’s why African Sunrise gets three stars but isn’t recommended. Instead, it gets a Worth A Listen rating. Check out the samples here. You’ll be able to tell pretty quickly if this music is for you.

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