Performances + Events
NEC Jazz Orchestra | African Cookbook: Music of Randy Weston and Melba Liston
Jordan Hall
The NEC Jazz Orchestra, Ken Schaphorst director, presents a program of the music of Randy Weston and Melba Liston, Randy Weston’s arranger and collaborator for decades. Together they created legendary recordings such as Little Niles and Uhuru Afrika. The concert will include Liston‘s work with Weston as well as her work with other artists, including Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Clark Terry.
The live stream of this event is available to NEC Community members only. To watch the stream, please click the “Streaming Access” button at the top of the page and enter the NEC Community streaming password on the video window labeled “NEC-Produced Stream” when prompted.
Melba Liston (1926-1999) was an American trombonist, composer, and arranger whose work helped shape the sound of modern jazz. One of the few prominent female instrumentalists of her era, she performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, and Quincy Jones, but was best known for her long creative partnership with Randy Weston, crafting lush, innovative arrangements that blended jazz and African influences. Equally skilled as a performer and behind the scenes, Liston broke barriers in a male-dominated field and left an enduring mark as a pioneering arranger and trailblazing woman in jazz.
Artist(s)
Melba Liston (1926-1999) was an American trombonist, composer, and arranger whose work helped shape the sound of modern jazz. One of the few prominent female instrumentalists of her era, she performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, and Quincy Jones but was best known for her long creative partnership with Randy Weston, crafting lush, innovative arrangements that blended jazz and African influences. Equally skilled as a performer and behind the scenes, Liston broke barriers in a male-dominated field and left an enduring mark as a pioneering arranger and trailblazing woman in jazz.
Randy Weston (1926-2018) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader whose music fused African rhythms and traditions with the jazz idiom. Deeply influenced by his Brooklyn upbringing and travels in Africa, Weston created a distinctive, percussive piano style and composed works that celebrated African heritage. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he collaborated with legends like Melba Liston and built cultural bridges between continents through music. A tireless ambassador for African-inspired jazz, Weston left a legacy as both an innovator and a cultural historian.
