Min Xia Fen
“Fearless . . . a pipa player like no other” - The New York Times

We will pay tribute to a great iconic figure whose musical boundaries transverse the world!

WOLRD 3 consists of Sharp Redway, a pianist with extraordinary talent and soul;Min Xiao Fen, a pipa master from China with vocal clarity and distinction; and T.K. Blue, a multi-talented reed player with deep reverence for the elders.

The connection that brings this trio together is the spirit and musical legacy of recently deceased Dr. Randy Weston.

"At a time when modernity is all-too-often defined by complexity and challenge, there's something particularly refreshing about the arrival of Sharp Radway, and artist who values substance over style, and humility over hubris." - John Kelman, Managing Editor and prolific contributor to AllAboutJazz.com

Min Xiao Fen plays the ancient Chinese instrument called the pipa. She is a master instrumentalist and a prolific vocalist. Min recorded two CDs with Dr. Weston: Khepere in 1998 and The African Nubian Suite 2017. Her duo with Randy called The Shang is a masterpiece.

The elegant and soulful reedman T.K. Blue performs primarily on alto and soprano saxophones, flute, and the African kalimba. His CD release Amour on Dot Time Records 2017 featured a Weston composition entitled 204. T.K. has been a member of Randy’s African Rhythms Ensemble for 38 years and his musical director, arranger, and co-producer for two Weston recordings: The Storyteller and The African Nubian Suite.

T.K. Blue (Saxophonist/Flautist): composer, educator, bandleader and current musical director and arranger for NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston. T.K. Blue appears on over eighty recordings and has performed with such artists as Don Cherry, Abdullah Ibrahim, Sam Rivers, Archie Shepp, Dizzy Gillespie, Pharoah Sanders, Melba Liston, Chico Hamilton, Stefon Harris, Regina Carter, Bobby McFerrin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jimmy Scott, Jayne Cortez, Benny Powell, Mal Waldron, Winard Harper, Warren Wolf, Gregoire Maret, Allan Harris, Candido Camera, Bobby Sanabria, Steve Turre, and Arturo O’Farrill, to name just a few. In May 2017, T.K. released Amour, his 11th CD, cited as one of the best jazz recordings of the year by DownBeat Magazine (four stars). Deeply indebted to organizations such as Jazzmobile, Jazz-interactions, Henry Street Settlement, and the Muse for his own jazz studies, T.K. has remained committed to music education from pre-K to the university level. In addition Professor Blue has a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts from NYU, with a major in Music and Psychology, and a Master’s in Music Education from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. He has taught at Suffolk Community College, Montclair State University, and Long Island University where he was also the Director of Jazz Studies from 2007 to 2014. In 2007, T.K was commissioned by NYSCA and Transart Inc. to compose a work dedicated to the early African American presence in the Hudson Valley area of upstate New York. He released Follow the North Star, a suite based on the life of Solomon Northup and his memoir, Twelve Years a Slave.

Having lived close to ten years in Paris, T.K. Blue was hired by the USIA and his band embarked on three State Department Tours of Africa. He currently resides in Jersey City, New Jersey and continues to perform, teach privately, and engage in clinics and adjudication.

Tickets: $20 in advance/$23 at door/$10 full-time students with ID