From: cnwill42_at_netscape.net
Date: 2003-01-17 17:24:42
I have some really fond memories of seeing Randy Weston at the Chicago Jazz Fest a few years ago. He had the THE TIGHTEST BAND I HAVE EVER HEARD.
The Fest only gave him an hour to play (as they run a very tight schedule). Someone was attempting to make him cut his last number short, and he refused. Nice to hear that he has Regina Carter with him and that he's letting her stretch out (something her CD's don't do). Believe me (and Nat), this guy is incredible. I will be on the lookout for him playing Chicago again. If he comes anywhere near you, make an effort to see him. You won't be dissapointed. Thanks for the review.
Charles
Nathaniel Rahav <nat_at_rhythmlove.com> wrote:
>
>Dear List,
>
>I just came back from a phenomenal show: Randy Weston and his African
>Rhythms Sextet.
>
>Living in a world of recorded music, where often times the live music I
>hear is recorded music re-interpreted, going to a show like this really
>restores one's faith that there is NOTHING like a group of ridiculously
>talented musicians sharing the same wavelength at the same place in time and space.
>It truly makes one aware of the unifying element of all human endeavor...
>the yearning to be free.
>
>I dont want to ramble on about the dynamics of music and its relation to
>metaphysical concerns. What I wanted to say was that this group of
>musicians, under the umbrella of Mr. Weston, really really laid it down in
>a way that opened up many channels.
>
>Randy started the first set with a familiar sounding piano groove,
>something that maybe Jelly Roll mighta written, and mighta been filtered
>a la mingus. It was that kinda old style, big bandy, gospel sounding
>jazz, a real rootsy affair. The musicians joined in one by one - a
>trombonist (elderly man in an african suit), saxomophone (young hip cat),
>a bassist (kinda short, very skinny, somewhat nondescript, middle aged),
>percussion player (equipped with 3 congas, a djembe, and bangles baubles
>and beads), and finally, the one who would really steal the show, a violin
>player (young african american woman with dreads on the top of her head
>and shaved all around the sides)... I will list their names later on.
>
>Anyway, they moved from this old style jelly roll style rag/blues to some
>hard-bop / fast paced blazing jazz, all within the course of a couple of
>bars. it was almost as if they were giving a nod to everything that
>happened until now, and letting us know that re-creating that was not the
>primary concern. Rather, we were in for a treat... an exploration of sound
>that involved charting through deep waters and original thought.
>
>Weston's playing was bigger than I could imagine. I never had a chance to
>see Duke, but I could see his echoes in Randy Weston. It wasnt so much
>what he was playing, it was the tone - the chords he used to fill the
>room, and the mood and pace that he set with his playing. He is a big man,
>physically, musically, and as I soon understood, spiritually. This was
>made apparent to me during the break between sets. On his way to the bar,
>I passed him, and told him that I had really enjoyed the music. That I
>came to him from his recordings, that I had dug from the annals of jazz
>recording such masterworks as Blue Moses and African Cookbook, and that it
>was out of my appreciation of those recordings that I came to see him
>today. He was happy to hear that, and happy to see some "young people"
>coming out to hear the music. It wasnt so much what he said, it was how he
>said it. One could feel the depth of his intention, the openness of his
>soul. Then he said, it's so important to know and understand what those
>before us have done. Say word. Be it our ancestors or the generation
>above, everything we do now is the cumulative sum of everything before.
>And therefore, the more we understand about the past, the better we can
>assess, and progress, humanity, musicality, tonality, singularity.
>
>Several things about the performance made it outstanding, aside from the
>overtly "good" music. For one, there was no trap kit. Only african drums.
>But the drummer had not only an excellent grasp over african and afrocuban
>rhythms, he had them fully substituting the swing/jazz drumming pattern,
>illustrating the connection between jazz drumming and african rhythm.
>Another thing was their freedom to explore, and more particularly, the
>frequent emphasis they placed on modal/tonal scales and the polyrhythmic
>polyphonic microtonic structure of North African music.
>
>And then there was the violin player. She was Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. I
>mean, I was in tears after her first real solo. She not only had the
>sickest jazz chops, she had the gypsy style violin playing mastered. And
>she toyed with her instrument like it was a magicians prop. She played
>fast and furious, slow and emotional, she plucked the strings, she bounced
>the bow off the strings. She even snapped a bunch of the hairs on the bow
>she was playing so hard at one point. And it was all on point.
>
>Now, if I thought I was blown away by that, wait till the bassist got
>busy. He took that bass and made it as malleable as a crazy straw. His
>finger work was beyond imagination, so fast. But he went beyond that - he
>brought his solos to higher levels with augmented chords, and fast
>strumming of all the strings as if the standup bass was like a guitar!! It
>was truly a miracle, to see this guy play.
>
>So, in conclusion, if Randy Weston comes to your town, I recommend,
>highly, that you go and see him. And if you dont know his records, I
>definitely recommend the two that I have had the luck to hear: Blue Moses
>and African Cookbook.
>
>Here are the personell for the show I saw:
>
>
>Randy Weston African Rhythms Sextet featuring Regina Carter
>
>Randy Weston (piano,leader), Regina Carter (violin),TK Blue (sax, flute,
>musical director), Benny Powell (trombone) Alex Blake (bass) Neil Clarke
>(African Percussion)
>
>Peace,
>
>Nat
>
>
>
>
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