Randy Weston's first thoughts on a career centred on football and basketball, rather than on music.

His father, for whom "the greates musical pleasure was listening to the sound of a wellplayed piano", insisted on Randy studying classical piano for three years; the boy had no particular affection for the pieces he played..

Another teacher, whose repertoire included certain popular songs, succeeded in awakening Randy's interest. When he was 17, he made his debut with "Spencer's Hard Rocker's", alongside trupeter Ray Copeland.

Growing up in the Bedford Stuyveseant district, Randy Weston had been totally immersed in an extremely rich and active musical environment, and met Cecil Payne, Max Roach, Duke Jordan and Jimmy Nottingham during his schooling. He enthused over the work of Basie, Ellington and Nat "King" Cole, but he revered Coleman Hawkins, considering "Body and Soul" to be a masterpiece, all musical categories combined.

Through Hawk he met Thelonius Monk, at whose house he made the acquaintance of Bud Powell, Elmo Hope, Herbie Nichols, Jackie McLean and Idrees Sulieman. And at the same time, his first hearing of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillspie produced a decisive shock.

When he was drafted in 1945, Randy was stationed in the South Pacific, which kept him away from the States for three years. On his return, still undecided about a career, he worked in his father's restaurant, a cultural centre in that it featured a jukebox containing the latest recordings by Monk, Parker, Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan and Milt Jackson, as well as works by Stravinsky and Prokofiev.

During 1951, Randy joined Bull Moose Jackson's rhythm'n'blues group, and later played in Eddie "Cleandead" Vinson's band, before appearing with Kenny Dorham. There followed a period when Randy took a job as a cook near Tanglewood, famous for its music festival, but he still played piano in his spare time; after meeting Marshall Stearns, the author of "The Story of Jazz", he began studying the styles of Fats Waller and James P. Johnson and also African and Caribbean music.

Then Bill Grauer, one of the founders of the Riverside label, asked Randy Weston to record for him. A first album, recorded with bassist Sam Gill in April 1954, was fooloed by others with Randy appearing in various surroundings: trio, quartet (with Cecil Payne on baritone), even solo. During this period, Randy's trio played in Greewich Village, mainly at Birdland and the Cafe Bohemia. Randy was already active politically, and close to Max Roach in this area, and in 1955 he dedicated his composition "Zulu" to Africa, with whose problems he was especially concerned.

Five years later, together with the trombonist-arranger Melba Liston, he was to record the orchestral suite "Uhuru Africa". Invited to the Nigeria Festival in 1961, Randy visited Africa and returned there two years later to play an give lectures.

In New York he led a sextet that included, among others, Ray Coperland, Booker Ervin and Lennie McBrowne; the formation stayed together for thre years.

In 1967, the State Department contacted Randy Weston for a tour of fourteen African countries, finishing in Morocco. In 1968 he returned for six years, and founded a cultural association, the "African Rhythm Club". During his stay, Randy became familiar with the music of the region, and took a special interest in the music of the Gnaouas, whose ancestors were slaves from the coast of West Africa. In 1972 he organized the first Afro-American Festival, recording the "Blue Moses" album while visiting the USA, a record that was an immediate success. One of his compositions, "Tanjah", arranged by Melba Liston, was nominated for a Grammy Award.

After resettlin in his native country, Randy Weston made his first tour of Europe in 1974, which took him to the Festival of Montreux. He had built up a close friendship with Duke Ellington, whom he considered a second father.

After the end of the 70's, Randy Weston returned to Europe on numerous occasions, even staying in France. His "Three African Queens" suite was first performed in Boston in 1981, and in 1986 he appeared at the Festival of Marrakech, accompanied by a Gnaoui percussionist. The following year he recorded a duo album with David Murray as his partner on tenor and bass-clarinet.

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