''Berkshire Blues'' is an album by American jazz pianist

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...

, recorded in 1965 and released on the

Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...

label in 1977. The title track, in the waltz tempo characteristic of many Weston compositions, was written in 1962 and recorded in 1964 by the Randy Weston Sextet (on the album ''

Randy Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolf, Randolph, as well as Bertrand and Andrew, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of the ...

''), with

Betty Carter Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...

later putting lyrics to the tune and performing it under the tile "Ego").''Berkshire Blues'' liner notes
by Bob Blumenthal, Discography, Randy Weston African Rhythms.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

awarded the album 3 stars, with its review by

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

stating: "Throughout the set, Weston's solos hold on to one's interest, although the overall results are really not all that essential."Yanow, Scott
AllMusic Review
accessed August 16, 2012.

Track listing

''All compositions by Randy Weston except as indicated'' # "

Three Blind Mice "Three Blind Mice" is an English-language nursery rhyme and musical round.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 306. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number o ...

" (Traditional) - 5:33 # " Perdido" (

Juan Tizol Juan Tizol Martínez (22 January 1900 – 23 April 1984) was a Puerto Rican jazz trombonist and composer. He is best known as a member of Duke Ellington's big band, and as the writer of the jazz standards " Caravan", "Pyramid", and " Perdid ...

) - 6:24 # "Purple Gazelle" (

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

) - 5:53 # "Berkshire Blues" - 4:14 # "Lagos" - 5:36 # "Sweet Meat" - 3:39 # "Ifran" - 5:37 *Recorded on 18 August 1965 (tracks 4–7) and 14 October, 1965 (tracks 1–3) in New York City

Personnel

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

* Vishnu Bill Wood - bass (tracks 1–3) * Lennie McBrowne -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(tracks 1–3)

References

{{Authority control Randy Weston albums 1977 albums Albums produced by Michael Cuscuna Freedom Records albums