Today I am unveiling a new project at the Jazz Baltica Festival in Salzau, Germany.

Blue Niles: The Music of Randy Weston

with Nasheet Waits, drums, Jan Bang, sampling, Geoff Keezer, keys, Martin Taxt (Banff alum!), tuba, Nils Wogram, trombone, and Donny McCaslin, alto flute, soprano and tenor saxophones.

I have been in residence here for the past few days, rehearsing, as well as last night performing with the Quintet. Tomorrow I will also play with SF JAZZ Collective.

Randy Weston is a pianist and composer whose continuing career spans the past six decades. He has written dozens of classic jazz compositions, perhaps the best known being Hi Fly and Little Niles.

If you’re interested in hearing Weston’s music, I suggest the Mosaic Select three CD box (especially Live at the Five Spot, which you can only get there), as well as the very unique Khepera, from 1998. Also there’s Randy Weston Sextet Monterey ’66. But there are dozens of other great records available in various formats.

It’s a thrill working with this music and playing it. It also can’t be overstated the importance of Weston’s relationship with the arranger and trombonist Melba Liston, who made so much music come alive on those sessions.

So scurry up to Salzau if you can make it… However, I also hope to get a chance to play this music in other locations in the future.