Over the course of his career, Brooklyn-born jazz pianist Randy Weston has developed a technique that blends melodic sophistication with a percussive-like attack. Debuting in the ‘50s, his early works like “Little Niles” and “Zulu” revealed a debt to both Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk; but as his career progressed, Weston has drawn on African music for inspiration, as on the chant-heavy, polyrhythmic rumble of “Tanjah”. The epic “African Cookbook” utilises expansive horn arrangements and rolling percussion, with Weston's deft-yet-formidable touch on the piano holding it all together.
