Randy Weston goes on an African exploration

PIANIST Randy Weston has spent a considerable amount of time in Africa, living in different areas and operating his own club for a few years in Morocco. Halfway through his opening set Tuesday at the Jazz Bakery, he took a few moments to describe the importance of music to African culture, underscoring his belief in its life-affirming qualities.

By that time, his conviction had already been amply demonstrated by his appropriately named African Rhythm Trio. Playing with a deep, passionate involvement in the music, the ensemble -- Weston, bassist Alex Blake and percussionist Neil Clarke -- brought a rare, visceral combination of life and spirit to the Bakery stage.

Weston, who stands 6 feet 8 inches, was a powerful presence at the keyboard, his large hands commanding huge note clusters, his percussive attack generating turbulent waves of energy. The Panamanian-born Blake, seated on a stool and wielding his acoustic bass like an oversized guitar, and the veteran Clarke, employing an array of percussive devices, added their own impressive contributions.

Weston was the music’s lightning rod for a program reaching from his “African Sunrise” (written for Dizzy Gillespie) and “African Cookbook” to the early hit “Hi-Fly.” Beginning many pieces with rhapsodic piano introductions, he opened the path for the others to join him in a series of musical journeys notable for their extraordinary combination of symbiotically engaged ensemble passages and often astonishing solo work.

Blake’s remarkable soloing on “African Sunrise” employed every imaginable aspect of his instrument. Tapping on the wood, strumming, sliding his fingers up and down the strings, scatting along with his bass lines (sometimes in harmony), he displayed incredible virtuosity combined with inventive musicality in a fashion that was stunningly entertaining. Clarke, playing subtle layers of colorful rhythms, was a perfect musical companion.

At the heart of it all, Weston -- at 80 still as vital as ever -- gave the music its engaging vigor. No wonder Langston Hughes once described Weston’s playing as “a combination of strength and gentleness ... in an ebb and flow of sound seemingly as natural as the waves of the sea.”

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Randy Weston’s

African Rhythm Trio

Where: The Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Los Angeles

When: Tonight through Sat., 8 and 9:30 p.m.

Price: $30

Info: (310) 271-9039