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African Rhythms: The Autobiography of Randy Weston (Refiguring American Music) Hardcover – October 5, 2010
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Weston’s narrative is replete with tales of the people he has met and befriended, and with whom he has worked. He describes his unique partnerships with Langston Hughes, the musician and arranger Melba Liston, and the jazz scholar Marshall Stearns, as well as his friendships and collaborations with Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Thelonious Monk, Billy Strayhorn, Max Roach, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, the novelist Paul Bowles, the Cuban percussionist Candido Camero, the Ghanaian jazz artist Kofi Ghanaba, the Gnawa musicians of Morocco, and many others. With African Rhythms, an international jazz virtuoso continues to create cultural history.
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDuke University Press Books
- Publication dateOctober 5, 2010
- Dimensions6.1 x 1.3 x 8.9 inches
- ISBN-100822347849
- ISBN-13978-0822347842
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a true cross-cultural ambassador.” - Jon Ross, Downbeat
“Randy Weston is a monumental figure in contemporary jazz, a man whose creativity remains undimmed at the age of 83. He is a living link with the golden era of the 1950s and 60s, a time during which trailblazing musicians and revolutionary thinkers wholly energised African-American arts and politics. As this absolutely fascinating biography reveals, Weston. . . has lived a very full life that has seen him not only excel as a musician but also make hugely important cultural and political statements that had the intent and effect of uplifting blacks in America during a time of second class citizenship. A recurrent theme in the text is thus Weston’s focus on concrete initiatives to improve civil rights. . . . Essential reading for anybody interested in learning something of a great man as well as a great musician.” - Kevin La Gendre, Jazzwise
“Randy Weston knows more about jazz and more about Africa than most of us. Hence this book—more musical, philosophical and spiritual, with a more personal voice than most jazz autobiographies—is loaded with knowledge and insights about both topics. . . . From Stearns to the Gnawa musician healers of Morocco, from poet Langston Hughes to Dizzy Gillespie, Weston’s
fascinating journey is well worth the read.” - George Kanzler, All About Jazz- New York
“No one has done more to explore and celebrate the African roots of jazz than pianist/composer Randy Weston. Weston demonstrates a pride in his ancestry and culture that is both the primary source of his artistic inspiration and the central theme that suffuses this fascinating autobiography. . . . Weston refers to himself as ‘a storyteller through music’ rather than a jazz musician. He's unsurpassed as a goodwill ambassador.” - Jay Trachtenberg, Austin Chronicle
“Now in his 80’s, Weston, in this book, sounds eternally optimistic and full of wonder about his life. He comes off as joyous and spiritual as his music. Reading this is enough to make you want to dig out whatever Weston CDs you might have and listen to them again with a greater understanding of what went into the music. This book is worthy of his expansive talents.”
- Jerome Wilson, Cadence
“African Rhythms is perhaps the next truly wonderful jazz autobiography. It succeeds so fully not because of hyperbole or personality but because Weston—a pianist and composer criminally underappreciated even among serious jazz fans—has a unique musical story to tell. This story is highly recommended to jazz listeners, in large part, because it makes you want to dive back into one of the most gripping discographies in the music. . . . If you haven’t heard Weston’s music, really listened to it, then African Rhythms is the strongest possible incentive to tune in. Is there any higher praise for a book about music than that it got you to start listening?” - Will Layman, PopMatters
“African Rhythms is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Randy Weston—pianist, composer, bandleader, activist, ambassador, visionary, griot—takes the reader on a most spectacular spiritual journey from Brooklyn to Africa, around the world and back again. He tells a story of this great music that has never been told in print: tracing its African roots and branches, acknowledging the ancestors who helped bring him to the music and draw the music from his soul, singing praise songs for those artistic and intellectual giants whose paths he crossed, from Langston Hughes to Melba Liston, Dizzy to Monk, Marshall Stearns to Cheikh Anta Diop. And in the process, Mr. Weston bares his soul, revealing a man overflowing with ancient wisdom, humility, respect for history, and a capacity for creating some of the most astoundingly beautiful music the modern world has ever experienced.”—Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original
“Randy Weston is a magical, spiritual, ebullient, and generous soul who just happens to be one of the most original composers and pianists of the last sixty years. African Rhythms is his fascinating story in his own voice—a story that starts in Brooklyn and moves through the Berkshires, Africa, and Europe before returning to Brooklyn. A wonderful read.”—Michael Cuscuna, jazz producer and writer
“. . . Part memoir, part travelogue, part philosophical treatise. Mr. Weston is especially informative about how he briefly fled New York in his early 20s to escape the drug scene that was becoming endemic among young jazzmen, as well as about the making of classic albums like Uhuru Africa and Blue Moses."―Will Friedwald, Wall Street Journal
“African Rhythms is perhaps the next truly wonderful jazz autobiography. It succeeds so fully not because of hyperbole or personality but because Weston—a pianist and composer criminally underappreciated even among serious jazz fans—has a unique musical story to tell. This story is highly recommended to jazz listeners, in large part, because it makes you want to dive back into one of the most gripping discographies in the music. . . . If you haven’t heard Weston’s music, really listened to it, then African Rhythms is the strongest possible incentive to tune in. Is there any higher praise for a book about music than that it got you to start listening?”―Will Layman, PopMatters
“No one has done more to explore and celebrate the African roots of jazz than pianist/composer Randy Weston. Weston demonstrates a pride in his ancestry and culture that is both the primary source of his artistic inspiration and the central theme that suffuses this fascinating autobiography. . . . Weston refers to himself as ‘a storyteller through music’ rather than a jazz musician. He's unsurpassed as a goodwill ambassador.”―Jay Trachtenberg, Austin Chronicle
“Now in his 80’s, Weston, in this book, sounds eternally optimistic and full of wonder about his life. He comes off as joyous and spiritual as his music. Reading this is enough to make you want to dig out whatever Weston CDs you might have and listen to them again with a greater understanding of what went into the music. This book is worthy of his expansive talents.”
―Jerome Wilson, Cadence
“Randy Weston is a monumental figure in contemporary jazz, a man whose creativity remains undimmed at the age of 83. He is a living link with the golden era of the 1950s and 60s, a time during which trailblazing musicians and revolutionary thinkers wholly energised African-American arts and politics. As this absolutely fascinating biography reveals, Weston. . . has lived a very full life that has seen him not only excel as a musician but also make hugely important cultural and political statements that had the intent and effect of uplifting blacks in America during a time of second class citizenship. A recurrent theme in the text is thus Weston’s focus on concrete initiatives to improve civil rights. . . . Essential reading for anybody interested in learning something of a great man as well as a great musician.”―Kevin La Gendre, Jazzwise
“Randy Weston knows more about jazz and more about Africa than most of us. Hence this book—more musical, philosophical and spiritual, with a more personal voice than most jazz autobiographies—is loaded with knowledge and insights about both topics. . . . From Stearns to the Gnawa musician healers of Morocco, from poet Langston Hughes to Dizzy Gillespie, Weston’s fascinating journey is well worth the read.”―George Kanzler, All About Jazz
“Weston has dedicated his life to spreading African music throughout the world and forging a bond with his identity as an African American musician. African Rhythms ably recounts his sometimes arduous journey to becoming a true cross-cultural ambassador.”―Jon Ross, DownBeat
From the Back Cover
About the Author
Randy Weston is an internationally renowned pianist, composer, and bandleader living in Brooklyn, New York. He has made more than forty albums and performed throughout the world. Weston has been inducted into the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame, designated a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, and named Jazz Composer of the Year three times by DownBeat magazine. He is the recipient of many other honors and awards, including France’s Order of Arts and Letters, the Black Star Award from the Arts Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana, and a five-night tribute at the Montreal Jazz Festival.
Willard Jenkins is an independent arts consultant, producer, educator, and print and broadcast journalist. His writing has been featured in JazzTimes, DownBeat, Jazz Report, Jazz Forum, All About Jazz, Jazzwise, and many other publications. He contributed two chapters to Ain’t Nothing like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment.
Product details
- Publisher : Duke University Press Books; First Edition (October 5, 2010)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0822347849
- ISBN-13 : 978-0822347842
- Item Weight : 1.27 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.1 x 1.3 x 8.9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,254,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #501 in Jazz Musician Biographies
- #2,442 in Jazz Music (Books)
- #6,545 in Black & African American Biographies
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Every page in this remarkable book has Weston's significant memories of the people and places he met. His story is replete with such names as Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Melba Liston, Leonard Bernstein, Ava Gardner, Yusef Lateef, Nina Simone, and so many others. There is not any gossip or dirt about these people, because everything is about the purity and integrity of the music that Weston loves so much.
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The book has a real spiritual feel to it and that has been Randy's mission since he first became interested in jazz music. He was always on a spiritual quest to understand and connect what we call jazz to its' African beginnings. And that is really the direction of this very good read. He takes the reader around the world to all the places he has played in, some of them very unusual. As he shares these scenes, he is consistently revealing his thoughts about the motivation behind his compositions and what he was trying to accomplish musically, both through his writing and his performances. "As I've always stressed in interviews and whenever I've spoken in public, my whole life I have been reading about and immersing myself in Africa. I have been forever fascinated by and deeply interested in the history of Africa, the current problems of Africa, the triumphs of the African people, the political situation in Africa...and that interest came long before I made my first trip there." p. 82
Randy is probably one of the most underrated jazz artists around. And it is sad, because his commitment to Africa and the search for the roots of jazz, indeed all music may be the cause of this. He is sure this is the reason he is not often invited to the mainstream jazz clubs. "My music is based in African culture.....The point is that this is our culture, it's not just music....and it's our way of life. I think because of that direction I've had to try and open up other areas in which to perform our music."
p. 260. His interest in Africa and ancestral rhythms is unmatched amongst his jazz peers. His allegiance to his mission led him to move from Brooklyn,NY and live in Morocco for 6 years. This, at a time when most jazz players were looking to Europe for their musical inspirations.
I was listening to some of the compositions as I was reading about them, and the ability to do that really gives you a greater appreciation of the music. The use of different instruments on his recordings and how he was using those sounds to tell a story comes alive for the active listener. If you love jazz and are unfamiliar with Randy Weston, this book is a great place to start and thank goodness he includes an extensive discography, something other music biographies fail to do. This book will be a rewarding journey for any reader.