Search - Randy Weston :: Live in St Lucia

Randy Weston In Quintessential Concert

Michael F. Hopkins | Buffalo, NY USA | 05/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you have any questions regarding the grace, the might,

and the integrity of the African-American conception known

as Jazz, come hear and see this superb concert from one

of the great treasures of the world. That this sterling

aesthetic presentation came through BET's Jazz Channel

is a miracle of no small proportions, and such fortifying

presentations from BET as a whole should be enthusiastically

encouraged.

Ageless in wisdom, bountiful in song, pianist Randy Weston

brings his peerless instrumental balladry to bear in this

2003 live performance for the St. Lucia Jazz Festival. Even

for this amazing artist, going strong across the span of a

half-century plus, LIVE IN ST. LUCIA is a precious moment.



With his African Rhythms Quintet, Weston weaves his

lushly harmonic, polyrhythmic spell, melodies yielding

the irresistible summons of Great Black Music reaching

deep into your soul. The blessings offered by the pianist's

imploring hush and lyrical thunder strike all the deeper

in the company of this robust ensemble.

On African Percussion, Neil Clarke juggles multiple tempos

with searing finesse, as bassist Alex Blake thrums sharp,

soulful litanies which will have many a viewer looking for

the unseen kora player working wizardry through the larger

fiddle! Trombonist Benny Powell nimbly bounces his alluring

round tones up and down and all around each rhapsody, as

Music Director Talib Kibwe (T.K.Blue) unleashes his unique

brand of warmth and spirit on reeds and flute.



Through Weston, this is a quintet to savor and enjoy,

time and again. Listen to the waltzing swing of "Little

Niles", the dancing leaps of "African Cookbook", or

the ever-steady, oncoming Blues of "Blue Moses", and

you know you are hearing sorcery of the most devout

order.

For those who have this exciting concert on CD, the

DVD offers stunning cinematography which beautifully

complements the Music in play. As a further bonus,

the DVD offers a fine interview with Weston himself,

who's never at a loss for words or vision in discussing

his Art, the world from which it comes, and all that's

at stake.



Here is Music and Image in gleeful, determined

human motion.



"

Afro-Latin jazz of the highest order

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 12/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"St. Lucia, that diminutive Caribbean island, proves to be the perfect setting for Randy Weston's deep-delved African/Latin jazz explorations.In the heart of what V. S. Naipaul called "The Middle Passage," that is, the center of the Caribbean Islands that received the African slave trade and which became a "Client Culture" for the West, Randy Weston brings his Afro-Latin band. I don't know what it is about this setting--some kind of primal sensibility--but Weston and company deliver a burning set that exudes the depth and pathos that lies at the center of Afro-Latin experience. Everything here has been recorded by Weston before--but never this spectacularly. The band, a hot one, featuring long-time Weston colleague and music director T. K. Blue (Talib Kibwe) on sax and flute, Alex Blake on acoustic bass, Benny Powell on Trombone, and Neil Clarke on African percussion, simply lays down some stone grooves from which spring startlingly progressive and rich musical excursions. Clarke, especially, seems totally tuned in, and his solo on the opening number simply mesmerizes, totally validating the decision to eschew a traditonal drum kit--and Alex Blake swings with a fury and abandon seldom encountered. From the open solo piano notes of "African Cookbook" to the last dying figures of "Blue Moses," a supremely elevated aesthetic gloriously unfolds. Maybe it's the opportunity to open up these Weston pieces to extended group conversation and improv that gives them a heretofore unrecognized gravitas; I don't know. But they achieve a weight of glory here that they previously had simply not attained.A spectacular set that has the power to move even the most hardened and cynical jazz warrior."

A Living Master

M. Perini | 08/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great video and audio quality, including a 5.1 mix. Randy plays with his usual band members. If you like Randy you will love this. If you don't know about Randy Weston, he is a great jazz piano player and composer, who incorporates many elements of African music into the composition and playing of his own music, in a seamless organic way, without it seeming like a gimmick."