Some Randy Weston Gems

Robin D.G. Kelley is right, Randy Weston's "Zulu" does indeed sound a little like "Manteca," and nothing at all like South African music. As for "Pam's Waltz," which Kelley states is based on the calypso-styled quadrilles of the West Indies, and is quite delightful. Weston's music is so darn heterogeneous, there's always something for someone to love. The product of Jamaican immigration, Garveyism, calypso, folk, African, Caribbean, Latin, North African, and African-American traditions, Weston's music is cosmpolitan and pan-Africanist to an incomparable degree. I highly recommend "Niger Mambo" for a look at how Weston has been influence by highlife as well as Latin music.