Randy Weston

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Randy Weston (b. Brooklyn, New York, April 6, 1926) is an American jazz pianist and composer.

Randy Weston has had a considerable career in jazz as a pianist, composer, and bandleader. He emerged in the mid-1950s and produced his first great album, Little Niles, near the end of that decade. His piano style owes much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk (he has paid direct tribute to both), but it is highly distinctive in its qualities: percussive, highly rhythmic, capable of producing a wide variety of moods.

In the 1960s, Weston's music prominently incorporated African elements, as shown on the large-scale Uhura Africa and High Life. In addition, during these years his band often featured the great tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin.

Weston traveled throughout Africa and lived in Morocco for several years, but for a long stretch he recorded infrequently and on obscure labels. However, he made quite an impact with the two-CD recording The Spirits of Our Ancestors (recorded 1991; relased 1992), which featured sterling work by arranger Melba Liston, a long-time collaborator. The album contained new, expanded versions of many of his greatest pieces; featured a tight ensemble, including some African musicians; included legendary guests such as Dizzy Gillespie and Pharoah Sanders; and showcased the entirety of Weston's musical art.

Randy Weston has since produced a series of first-rate albums in a variety of formats: solo, trio, mid-sized groups, and collaborations with the gnawa musicians of Morocco. Weston’s greatest compositons include "Hi-Fly," "Little Niles," "Berkshire Blues," "African Sunrise," "The Healers," "Blue Moses," and "African Cookbook."

In 2002 Weston performed with bassist James Lewis for the inauguration of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt.