African Rhythms

Weston Randy Weston, Jenkins Willard Jenkins

Description

African Rhythms is the autobiography of the important jazz pianist, composer and band leader Randy Weston. He tells of his childhood in Brooklyn, his six decades long musical career, his time living in Morocco, and his lifelong quest to learn about the musical and cultural traditions of Africa.

Sujets

• Jazz

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 05 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780822393108
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

Extrait

P R A I S E F O R R A N DY W E S T O N

“The true heir to both Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington.” — Wàt r o u SP e t e r ,New York Times

“No musician has been more devoted to exploring the connection be- tween Afro-American classical music ( jazz) and the ancestral spirits and rhythms of the African continent than Randy Weston.” — r u S S M u S t o ,All About Jazz

“No matter who plays it—and anybody can—jazz is fundamentally an African American music, and no one has emphasized its African sources more than Randy Weston.”— H I M e SG e o f f r e y , Washington Post

“Weston has the biggest sound of any jazz pianist since Ellington and Monk, as well as the richest, most inventive beat. But his art is more than projection and time; it’s the result of a studious and inspired intelligence . . . an intelligence that is creating a fresh synthesis of Afri- can elements with jazz techniques.”— S tà N l e y C r o u C H ,Village Voice

“Jazz has never known a master builder quite like Weston.” — S à C H Sl l oy d ,Chicago Sun-Times

“A veteran soulful pianist who has broken new ground in blending jazz with African traditions. One of the true originals, still innovating after six decades and impressing audiences with his visionary genius.” — dàv I SC l I v e ,The Times(London)

“The key to pianist-composer Randy Weston’s consistently fresh sound is his burrowing toward the root of music. Weston’s nearly forty years of creative archaeology have led him through Manhattan’s 52nd Street bebop scene in the late ’40s, to the southern soundscapes of jazz’s blues ancestry, and all the way back to Africa.” — K à S t N e rJ à M I e ,Toronto Sun

“[Weston’s] dynamic, jagged, exuberant style, with echoes of Monk and a strong aInity with Abdullah ïbrahim, has won acclaim at jazz festivals from Japan to Montreux.”— G W e N à N S e l l ,Business Day (South Africa)

refIGurING àMerICàN MuSIC A series edited by Ronald Radano and Josh Kun Charles McGovern, contributing editor

African Rhythms

à JoHN HoPe fràNKlIN CeNter booK

A F R I C A N R H Y T H M S The Autobiography of Randy Weston

Composed by Randy Weston

Arranged by Willard Jenkins

Duke University Press

Durham and London 2010

© Randy Weston and Willard Jenkins All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper ♾ Designed by C. H. Westmoreland Typeset in Charis by Tseng ïnformation Systems, ïnc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data appear on the last printed page of this book.

ràNdy WeStoN dedIC àteS tHIS booK to

His beloved Mom, Pop, Sister Gladys, his son Azzedin (Niles), and the African Rhythms Family

WIll àrd JeNKINS dedIC àteS tHIS booK to

The great ladies of my life: Suzan, Iyesha, and Tiany; for their continued love, support, and encouragement throughout this project . . . and throughout my life

And to the memory of my two loving ancestors who are never far from my thoughts, Annalouise and Willard V. Jenkins Sr.

CONTENTS

Arranger’s Prefacexi Acknowledgmentsxix Introduction1

1 : Origins5 2 : Growing Up in Brooklyn18 3 : The Scene Shifts to the Paciîc28 4 : Postwar: Escaping the Panic37 5 : Post-Berkshires: Succumbing to the ïrresistible Lure55 6 : Enter Melba Liston70 7 : Uhuru Afrika: Freedom Africa82 8 : Making the Pilgrimage102 9 : Touring the Motherland114 10 : Making a Home in Africa135 11 : Connecting with the Gnawa171 12 : Building a Life in Tangier: The African Rhythms Club183 13 : Festival Blues, Then Divine ïntervention:Blue Moses194 14 : Post-Morocco and the Ellington Connection206 15 : Compositions and Sessions218 16 : The African Rhythms Quintet233 17 : The African Queen250 18 : The Adventures of Randy Weston260 19 : Ancient Future276 Conclusion: Randy Weston . . . Philosophically Yours297

Discography303 Awards and Citations 321 Index 323