Randy Weston and Lewis Nash to Play The Nash This February

Pianist, composer, and bandleader, Randy Weston comes to The Nash to join Lewis Nash for an unforgettable afternoon of jazz on Sunday February 19 at 2:00 pm. The Nash is located at 110 Roosevelt St, on the corner of 1st and Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix.

A true legend, Randy Weston has an impressive career centralized around his love for all things African, a passion instilled in him at an early age growing up in Brooklyn. He has performed with the greatest of the great, from drummer Max Roach to Charlie Parker, has been named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, and Jazz Composer of the Year multiple times by DownBeat Magazine.

Tickets for The Randy Weston Quintet are $25, $50, and $75. The concert will be followed by a Meet and Greet and no-host Social Hour. All seats are reserved and are available at www.thenash.org or by calling 602-795-0464.

About Randy Weston

After contributing seven decades of musical direction and genius, Randy Weston at age 91 continues as one of the world's foremost pianists and composers - a true innovator and visionary. Encompassing the vast rhythmic heritage of Africa, his global musical creations continue to inform and inspire.

"Weston has the biggest sound of any jazz pianist since Ellington and Monk, as well as the richest most inventive beat," states jazz critic Stanley Crouch, "but his art is more than projection and time; it's the result of a studious and inspired intelligence...an intelligence that is creating a fresh synthesis of African elements of jazz technique."

Randy Weston has never failed to make the connections between African and American music. His dedication is due in large part to his father, Frank Edward Weston, who told his son that he was, "an African born in America."

"He told me I had to learn about myself and about him and about my grandparents," Weston said in an interview, "and the only way to do it was I'd have to go back to the motherland one day."

Randy Weston, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1926, didn't have to travel far to hear the early jazz giants that were to influence him. Though Weston cites Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Art Tatum, and of course, Duke Ellington as his other piano heroes, it was Monk who had the greatest impact. "He was the most original I ever heard," Weston remembers. "He played like they must have played in Egypt 5000 years ago."

Randy Weston's first recording as a leader came in 1954 on Riverside Records, Randy Weston plays Cole Porter In a Modern Mood. It was in the 50's when Randy Weston played around New York with Cecil Payne and Kenny Dorham that he wrote many of his best loved tunes, "Saucer Eyes," "Pam's Waltz," "Little Niles," and, "Hi-Fly." His greatest hit, "Hi-Fly," Weston (who is 6' 8") says, is a "tale of being my height and looking down at the ground."

In the late 60's, Weston left the country. But instead of moving to Europe like so many of his contemporaries, Weston went to Africa.

Though he settled in Morocco, he traveled throughout the continent tasting the musical fruits of other nations. One of his most memorable experiences was the 1977 Nigerian festival, which drew artists from 60 cultures.

"At the end," Weston says, "we all realized that our music was different but the same, because if you take out the African elements of bossa nova, samba, jazz, blues - you have nothing. To me, it's Mother Africa's way of surviving in the new world."

About Lewis Nash

Internationally acclaimed jazz drummer Lewis Nash, named the most valuable player in jazz by Modern Drummer Magazine, was described by Ira Gitler of The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz as "Perhaps the most talented drummer of his generation."

Lewis grew up in south Phoenix and by the early age of 10 years old began playing drums. At age 21 he moved to New York City, where he became the drummer of choice for an incredible array of artists - from jazz masters to the hottest young players of today.

His 30-year career includes performance on 10 Grammy award-winning albums and an impressive discography of over 400 recordings with jazz legends such as BetTy Carter, Tommy Flanagan, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, Hank Jones, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, Ron Carter and Clark Terry, as well as such contemporary jazz artists as Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Joe Lovano and Roy Hargrove.

A highly respected educator and clinician, Lewis joined the faculty of the ASU School of Music in January 2017 as the Bob and Gretchen Ravenscroft Professor of Practice in Jazz.

About The Nash

Recognized by Downbeat Magazine as one of the top jazz venues in the world, The Nash is named for "the most valuable player" in jazz (Modern Drummer Magazine), Phoenix native Lewis Nash. Located in the heart of downtown Phoenix on "Roosevelt Row, The Nash brings a full calendar of live performances and ensures the future of the iconic art of jazz through its educational and outreach programs.

The Nash hosts classic jazz and new music concerts; performances by student musicians, local pros and touring artists; weekly jazz jam sessions; workshops; master classes; and clinics. Educational programs are offered ranging from one-on-one private lessons to combo labs, guided listening, jazz in film, jazz camps and more.

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