Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Randy Weston's African Rhythms Trio: Zep Tepi

283

Randy Weston's African Rhythms Trio: Zep Tepi

By

View read count
Randy Weston's African Rhythms Trio: Zep Tepi
There's no better argument for the notion that jazz keeps you young than Randy Weston. Appearing last month at the Blue Note in support of Zep Tepi, the Brooklyn-born Weston showed that at eighty he remains one of the most vital and creative forces in jazz, as well as one of its most charismatic figures.

Zep Tepi is a trio effort that revisits some of Weston's most popular and enduring compositions. While the fare is well known—including old favorites like "Berkshire Blues, "Hi Fly and an ecstatic take on "African Sunrise —the performances are fresh, highlighting the deep spirituality of Weston's piano playing and his strong empathy with nonpareil bassist Alex Blake and African percussionist Neil Clarke. Fans of Weston's long-running African Rhythms quintet will no doubt miss the contributions of saxophonist TK Blue and trombonist Benny Powell, but the stripped-down trio format offers a valuable chance to focus attention on Weston and his rhythm section.

At the Blue Note, Weston laid out frequently, ceding the focus to Blake, a brilliantly unorthodox bassist who slaps and strums the strings with a ferocious attack, more like a slightly mad flamenco guitarist than a traditional jazz bassist keeping time. Weston played dark, rich chords and spare, off-kilter solos that reflected his deep connection to mentor Thelonious Monk, as well as his abiding immersion in the musical traditions of Africa. A closing homage to Duke Ellington highlighted Weston's indebtedness to another epic figure in the history of jazz piano.

Visit Randy Weston on the web.

Track Listing

Blue Moses; African Sunrise; Berkshire Blues; Route of the Nile; Ballad for T; Portrait of Frank Edward Weston; High Fly; Tamashi; The Healer; Love-the Mystery of.

Personnel

Randy Weston: piano: Alex Blake: bass: Neil Clarke: African percussion.

Album information

Title: Zep Tepi | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Random Chance Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.