R.I.P. Randy Weston

Pianist Randy Weston, a contemporary of ’50s greats such as Thelonious Monk — his greatest influence — and Wynton Kelly — his cousin — and a passionate advocate for connecting the sounds and culture of Africa with jazz, died in his home in Brooklyn on Sept. 1. He was 92.
The Brooklyn-raised musician first performed in the 1940s with such as peers as saxophonist Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, and he went on to work with such collaborators as trumpeter Kenny Do