Randy Weston is one of the elder statesman in jazz. At 83, he has been at this before many of his listeners were born. He does not tour or record as much as he used to, so it was a very special occasion when Weston entered the stage at Yoshi’s in San Francisco on February 7, 2011 for a one-night, one-time special performance. He was there to promote his new book, his first book, African Rhythms. Befittingly, he was interviewed by Anthony Brown, a UC Berkeley jazz professor, drummer and popular bandleader who had once produced an interview with him for the BBC. At 6’ 7” Weston, clad in his customary African-derived garb, is an imposing...

Sunday nights are not known for attracting crowds for a 9 PM show. However, a show by Los Van Van, the songo group dubbed the “Rolling Stones of Salsa”, proved to be an exception. During four nights at Yoshi’s, a jazz and contemporary music club in San Francisco’s Fillmore District, the Cuban band drew packed crowds. On this particular Sunday evening, the dance floor was packed with a coterie of enthusiastic dancers. Los Van Van was founded in December 1969 by bassist Juan Formell (who did not make the tour: see below) along with fellow conservatory-educated musicians. Amalgamating the sounds of soul, disco, rock, and funk,with the rhythms...

He beckons on the cover, seated at the piano, an imposing figure in a yellow Moroccan shirt and cap. The CD opens to show him grinning and seated at the keys. The liner notes are by the author of the best biography of Thelonious Monk. The recording is a solid set of compositions, all but one written by him and many dating back decades. At 84, Randy is still going strong, after more than a half century of composing and performing. More than 50 CDs and albums in, he still has something to say, as

Adventurous has always been the word for the music of Matthew Shipp, and Art of the Improviser his new two-CD set is no exception. At first glance, the purple-and-black cover, with its solid-set lettering, appears to be two disks of Matt solo, but it turns out to be two dates: one in a trio with drummer Whit Dickey and bassist Mike Bisio (recorded in Troy, New York) and a second solo at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City. Both contain reworkings of previously recorded tunes, and there are two lov

One of two recent releases on Motema by Geri Allen, Geri Allen & Timeline Live is not your usual live recording of a quartet date. Geri, a renowned contemporary pianist, is…