Re: [acid-jazz] Randy Weston

From: ** myrna ** (medea_13_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 2003-01-17 15:47:09

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    wow. that was a wonderful! thank you for your words.
    i'm sure a lot of people on this list can agree that passion about music
    (and life) is one of the greatest things a person can share with others.
    thank you for your words. certainly made my morning.
    myrna

    >From: Nathaniel Rahav <nat_at_rhythmlove.com>
    >To: <acid-jazz_at_ucsd.edu>
    >Subject: [acid-jazz] Randy Weston
    >Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 03:01:05 -0500 (EST)
    >
    >
    >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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