Randy Weston discusses his time in Africa.

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Randy Weston discusses the importance of documenting jazz history.

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Randy Weston discusses the piano.

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Q: ”Now, when you went to Africa, how much of it rubbed off on you? How much did the whole rhythmic feeling change your music?”

A: “Well, I don't know whether I really changed it or not. It just made everything ... I had a better understanding of what I was doing, you know, and I heard so much, you know, and I suddenly realized that so many things we do has been going on for thousands of years. Not anything really new in music, you know. But it comes out new because it's on the European instruments, it's in different languages and ... But I was amazed at how much wealth of music there is in Africa. So it rubbed off on me in such a way that it gave me a certain kind of strength, maybe a kind of spiritual strength that puts you that way, you know. And I was very impressed, like for example, the traditional musicians, you know, before they perform, they praise God before they even touch their instrument, you know. So it's a whole tremendous spiritual experience, playing music.”