And legendary pianist and composer Randy Weston has died at the age of 92 in his home in Brooklyn, New York. For more than six decades, Weston was a pioneering jazz musician incorporating the vast rhythmic heritage of Africa. His 1960 album “Uhuru Afrika” was a landmark recording that celebrated the independence movements in Africa and the influence of traditional African music on jazz. In 2001, he was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, considered to be the nation’s highest honor in jazz. In 2012, the late Randy Weston appeared on Democracy Now! and talked about the making of “Uhuru Afrika,” which featured lyrics and liner notes by Langston Hughes.

Randy Weston: “So I wanted to create a work of music celebrating this freedom of Africa. So Langston wrote a freedom poem for me, and also he wrote the words, a song I call 'African Lady.' That song was dedicated to our mothers, our sisters, those African women who were always in the background, who always supported us, you see. And then, finally, we did—”

Amy Goodman: “Can you play a little?”

Randy Weston: “Oh, yeah. You mean which one? 'African Lady'? Sure. [playing ‘African Lady’]”

Click here to see this whole interview with Randy Weston in 2012. The late Randy Weston died on Saturday at the age of 92.