Khepera is an album by the American pianist Randy Weston, released in 1998.[2][3] The album was in part an exploration of the connection between African and Chinese cultures.[4] It is dedicated to Cheikh Anta Diop.[5] Khepera is Egyptian for transformation.[6]

Khepera
Studio album by
Released1998
RecordedMarch 1998
GenreJazz
LabelVerve[1]
ProducerRandy Weston, Brian Bacchus
Randy Weston chronology
Earth Birth
(1997)
Khepera
(1998)
Spirit! The Power of Music
(1999)

Production

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Recorded in March 1998, the album was produced by Weston and Brian Bacchus.[7][8] Min Xiao-Fen played the gong and pipa on two tracks.[9] Talib Kibwe played alto sax and flute; Benny Powell played trombone.[10][11] Melba Liston help to arrange the music.[12] Weston played many songs at a 6/8 time.[13]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [14]
Birmingham Post     [4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [15]
Los Angeles Times    [16]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide     [11]
The Sydney Morning Herald     [17]

JazzTimes praised Weston's "uncanny ability to re-craft, to maintain freshness in melodies and rhythms he has investigated frequently, such as the familiar 'Niger Mambo'."[9] The Washington Post noted that "an Ellingtonian elegance marks the massed horns of the swinging 'Portrait of Cheikh Anta Diop'."[18] The Sydney Morning Herald stated that "the music has a breadth and density of emotion, spirituality, colour and creativity that push it towards masterpiece stature."[17]

The Globe and Mail concluded that "Min's performances aren't quite curios, but they're not a lot more either, one a sweet but inconclusive pipa-piano duet and the other a nonet piece in which she makes only a buzzy cameo appearance."[19] The Los Angeles Times applauded the "particularly effective linkage" of Powell and Pharoah Sanders.[16] The National Post deemed Khepera "a fiendishly clever romp through African rhythms, Chinese melodies and '60s jazz tonalities."[20]

AllMusic called the album "a powerful, even visionary piece of work for any musician," writing that Sanders is "in thrilling form throughout much of the album."[14]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Creation" 
2."Anu Anu" 
3."The Shrine" 
4."The Shang" 
5."Prayer Blues" 
6."Boran Xam Xam" 
7."Portrait of Cheikh Anta Diop" 
8."Niger Mambo" 
9."Mystery of Love" 

References

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  1. ^ Lien, James (January 1999). "Best New Music". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 65. p. 18.
  2. ^ Margasak, Peter (April 18, 2002). "Randy Weston". Chicago Reader.
  3. ^ Monson, Ingrid (October 18, 2007). Freedom Sounds: Civil Rights Call Out to Jazz and Africa. Oxford University Press, USA.
  4. ^ a b Bacon, Peter (November 14, 1998). "Randy Weston Khepera". Birmingham Post. p. 34.
  5. ^ Mandel, Howard (December 1998). "Randy Weston: Khepera". Jazziz. Vol. 15, no. 12. p. 78.
  6. ^ Simon, Jeff (November 13, 1998). "Jazz". The Buffalo News. p. G34.
  7. ^ Panken, Ted (October 1998). "African soul". DownBeat. Vol. 65, no. 10. pp. 20–25.
  8. ^ Weston, Randy; Jenkins, Willard (October 5, 2010). African Rhythms: The Autobiography of Randy Weston. Duke University Press.
  9. ^ a b Jenkins, Willard. "Randy Weston: Khepera". JazzTimes.
  10. ^ Point, Michael (October 15, 1998). "Jazz Masters". Austin American-Statesman. p. 10.
  11. ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 808.
  12. ^ Chapman, Geoff (November 28, 1998). "African jazz adventure". Entertainment. Toronto Star. p. 1.
  13. ^ Bernotas, Bob (May–June 1999). "Randy Weston: Khepera". Piano & Keyboard. No. 198. p. 50.
  14. ^ a b "Randy Weston Khepera". AllMusic.
  15. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. pp. 601–602.
  16. ^ a b Heckman, Don (January 3, 1999). "Not Easy Listening, Rewarding Listening". Los Angeles Times. p. F66.
  17. ^ a b Shand, John (May 24, 1999). "A masterful hybrid". The Guide. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 6.
  18. ^ "Randy Weston 'Khepera'". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  19. ^ Miller, Mark (November 12, 1998). "Khepera". The Globe and Mail. p. D4.
  20. ^ "Jazz". National Post. January 19, 1999. p. B9.