T.K. Blue Brings Randy Weston’s African Rhythms to SFJAZZ

For musician T.K. Blue, Randy Weston’s music still conveys guidance, demonstrates breadth, and reflects a sense of responsibility.

T.K. Blue. Courtesey photo.

Listen to the full conversation with TK Blue below.

Blue spent nearly four decades in Weston’s African Rhythms ensemble, eventually serving as musical director and arranger. When he arrives at SFJAZZ (April 10-12) with the African Rhythms Alumni Ensemble for a three-night centennial tribute, he brings more than just repertoire knowledge. He carries a deep understanding of how Weston viewed music: as history, as spiritual practice, and as a gift to those present.

That idea comes through clearly in “The Wise One Speaks,” one of the pieces Blue plans to discuss and, for many listeners, one of the best entry points into Weston’s worldview. Blue recalled a rare moment before a concert in Belgium when Weston gathered the band to speak about purpose. Playing, Weston told them, meant giving to the audience, telling a story, painting a picture, and leaving people better than they were when they arrived. Blue remembered the moment as Weston “imparting wisdom, jewels of wisdom upon us.” The composition carries that memory forward.

The House on Lafayette Avenue

A more intimate portrait of Weston appears in “Kasbah 330A,” Blue’s dedication to Weston’s home at 330A Lafayette Avenue in New York’s Bedford-Stuyvesant. In Blue’s telling, that house was a hub of thought and hospitality. Books on African and African American history lined the shelves. Musicians, scholars, and friends visited. Meals were shared. Conversations went on. The atmosphere was part family home, part study hall, part gathering spot.

Blue described the house with such vivid detail that it's clear it still lives strongly in his memory. He remembered the baby grand piano, the library, and the feeling of being in a room where music and knowledge shared space. “Kasbah 330A” captures that same feeling and honors Weston both as a pianist and bandleader, paying tribute to the life that surrounds the music.

A Lineage, Not a Reenactment

That distinction matters for these SFJAZZ shows. Blue is not presenting a miniature memorial. He is leading musicians who worked within Weston’s sound world and know how to navigate it. The African Rhythms Alumni Ensemble features Ku-umba Frank Lacy on trombone, Sharp Radway on piano, Alex Blake on bass, and Chief Baba Neil Clarke on percussion. Each musician has direct ties to the African Rhythms tradition, and Blue has said the group will draw from both well-known Weston works and less frequently heard material.

Expect standards from the Weston songbook, such as “Hi-Fly,” “Little Niles,” and “Blue Moses,” along with deeper cuts that showcase his range as a composer. That breadth fits Weston’s legacy. He wrote music that could swing, chant, dance, brood, and testify. He also insisted on an African perspective for jazz history, one that connected the music to older cultural memory and a broader diasporic map.

Blue’s career has prepared him well for this role. His résumé includes work with Don Cherry, Abdullah Ibrahim, Miriam Makeba, Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Melba Liston, and many others. Still, Weston remains the central figure in this story. Blue talks about him as a mentor, elder, and source.

For Bay Area audiences, these Joe Henderson Lab performances offer an opportunity to experience the legacy of musicians who truly lived it. Blue’s hope is straightforward and generous. Weston’s music, he said, was always about uniting people. “We’re all united,” he said. “It’s all love.”

That may be the strongest reason to hear this run. Randy Weston’s centennial deserves celebration, and T.K. Blue is bringing something fuller than homage. He is bringing memory, language, and a band that knows where the music comes from.

Show Information

Event: African Rhythms Alumni Ensemble: Centennial Tribute to Randy Weston
Venue: SFJAZZ Joe Henderson Lab
Dates: Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12, 2026
Showtimes: Friday–Saturday: 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Sunday: 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/25-26/african-rhythms-alumni-ensemble/

Free Event

The African Rhythms Alumni Quintet is also performing a free show in San Francisco honoring the late NEA Jazz Master Dr. Randy Weston on Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), 685 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94105.

Visit: https://www.moadsf.org/event/moad-sfjazz-present-african-rhythms-alumni-quintet