This CD contains Randy Westons complete original LP Little Niles (1958), presenting his own compositions arranged by Melba Liston. As a bonus, it's dded the complete album Piano a-la-Mode (1957), plus a 1960 quartet version of Saucer Eyes taken from a rare anthology.
Tracklisting:
01. Earth Birth (2:52)
02. Little Susan (3:24)
03. Nice Ice (2:55)
04. Little Niles (6:00)
05. Pam´s Waltz (3:15)
06. Babe´s Blues (6:58)
07. Let´s Climb A Hill (5:53)
08. Eath Birth (5:12)
09. Nobody Knows The Trouble I´ve Seen (3:16)
10. Saucer Eyes (4:21)
11. I Got Rhythm (5:24)
12. Gingerbread (2:57)
13. Cocktails For Two (3:37)
14. Honeysuckle Rose (6:30)
15. Fe-Double-U Blues (5:38)
16. Saucer Eyes (4:25) (*) Bonus Track
Total time: 72:45 min.
Sources:
Tracks #1-7 originally issued as "Little Niles"
(United Artists UAL 4011 / UAS 5011).
Ray Copeland (tp on #1-6), Idrees Sulieman (tp on #7), Melba Liston (tb, arr), Johnny Griffin (ts), Randy Weston (p), Jamil Nasser (b), Charles Persip (d).
Recorded at RCA Studios, New York City, October, 1958
Tracks #8-15 originally issued as "Piano a-la-mode" (Jubilee JP 1060).
Randy Weston (p), Peck Morrison (b) and Connie Kay (d).
Recorded in New York City, Spring, 1957
The bonus track features: Randy Weston (p), Cecil Payne (bs), Ron Carter (b), Roy Haynes (d). Recorded in June, 1960
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Down Beat notes:
-Little Niles
"I'm convinced that Randy Weston is one of the few key figures in modern jazz. 'Little Niles' provides a glimpse into Weston's waltz-filled world and its a rewarding experience."
-Piano a-la-mode
"Rarely, in the mass of LPs, pleasant and otherwise, you encounter a genuinelysignificant one. This is such an LP."
Both by Don Gold (1959)
