One of the great champions of Afro-jazz, or as he himself states more explicitly, African rhythms in jazz, Weston drank willfully of the creative fountain of Ellington and Monk in his formative years, and these excellent compilations of some of his first recordings make that clear. Among the eight albums covered include Cole Porter In A Modern Mood, Jazz A La Bohemia, Little Niles and Live At The Five Spot, all of which reveal the already solid creative foundation that Weston laid as a young man. His touch is authoritative, and although his improvising lacks the flourish it would subsequently acquire, it still has the necessary rhythmic drive to engage the listener. While the music provides an important document of Weston's development as a thoroughly modernistic pianist who excels in a solo and trio context. One also hears how well suited he is to orchestral settings, none more so than the weighty four-trombone barrage of Destry Rides Again. The arrangements are by one of his key collaborators, Melba Liston.