Randy Weston (foto: Carol Friedman)
El festival de jazz de Barcelona ha pedido a dos buenos amigos suyos, Todd Barkan y Willard Jenkins –ambos estrechamente relacionados con Randy Weston–, que nos ofrezcan sus razones para considerar ineludibe el concierto del pianista el próximo domingo en Luz de Gas (20.00 horas).
He aquí sus argumentos (en inglés):
Todd Barkan, Jazz at Lincoln Center, November 1st, 2011
Randy Weston takes our hearts and dreams out dancing just as this Blue Moses holy man of sounds sings and swings and seamlessly alchemizes hard bop, abakwa, and gnawan dervish rhythms into unforeheard chants and dancing souls taking off their clothes of separation.
Randy Weston's innovative 85-years-young Blue Moses soul resonates in the body and spirit of one of the greatest musical innovators and mystical alchemists in the entire history of contemporary music.
A gentle giant of a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and conjurer of unforeknown and unforeheard cultural linkages and bridges between what we know, what we would like to know, what we have been too afraid to know or to accept, and what we must know to be able to truly love.
Randy Weston's soaring music is furiously incandescent and gently soothing all at the same time...it bears the rarest kind of fire that burns only as it heals and makes our hearts more whole. Nobody does a better job of bringing it all together while reminding us about how totally unique each of us is, or can be. He makes us much more aware than any artist I have ever worked with of our shared humanity transcending our human limitations and the challenges of overcoming what separates us to embrace what joins us.
Randy Weston in Barcelona (foto: Ricard Cugat).
Willard Jenkins, The Independent Ear, November 1st, 2011
1. Randy Weston is one of jazz music's true grandmasters.
2. At age 85 Randy Weston plays with a depth and genius that is informed by a life beautifully lived in search of the spirits of our ancestors.
3. No artist in the history of music has been more informed by, or has spent more time seeking the African essence of our spiritual existence, both in his music and in his life's pursuits, than Randy Weston.
4. Despite all the accolades that have come his way in recent years, Randy Weston remains one of those underrated giants whose music stands alone in the pantheon of jazz.
5. There are few artists who so truly tell stories with their compositions and performance as does Randy Weston; hearing his music, and listening to him detail what motivated him to write a given piece of music, conjures all sorts of vivid imagery in his listeners, which makes for a fascinating journey that transcends everyday music performances.
Willard Jenkins arranged the book African Rhythms: The Autobiography of Randy Weston (Refiguring American Music), composed by the pianist. His blog is The Independent Ear at http://www.openskyjazz.com/blog
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