Randy Klein Blog

Randy Klein at the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Gala Honoring Larry Rosen and Dave Grusin

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:35:00 -0400

Photo: Dr. James Gandre, President of Manhattan School of Music and Randy Klein

Photo: Debra Kinzler of Manhattan School of Music and Randy Klein

Photo: Randy Klein at the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Gala 2013

Improvisation #12 All Piano Improvisations by Randy Klein

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:02:34 -0400

Improvisation #12

All Piano Improvisations by Randy Klein

Randy Klein's Article About The Star Spangled Banner Published in American Songwriter Magazine

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:56:00 -0400

Randy Klein The Star Spangled Banner Is Not A Song, or Is It? - American Songwriter Magazine, April 2013

FOR MY PEOPLE at San Diego State University Every once in a...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:49:00 -0400

FOR MY PEOPLE at San Diego State University

Every once in a while, a composer actually gets to hear what he or she was imagining while composing a piece of music. In my case, this past weekend’s concert at San Diego State University, was my turn. I got to hear much of the music from FOR MY PEOPLE as I heard it while composing. This is because of the wonderful performance by the San Diego State University Aztec Concert Choir conducted by Dr. Patrick Walders. It was my utmost pleasure to work with such a wonderful group of enthusiastic students who sing their hearts out. The audience’s response was overwhelming. They stood and cheered! Congrats to all! Thank you all for the joyful experience.

Photos: The performance of For My People - A New Musical Work by Composer Randy Klein based on the Poems of Margaret Walker at San Diego State University School of Music and Dance on March 24, 2013. The concert featured composer Randy Klein on piano, vocal solos by Broadway performer Aurelia Williams, the 80-voice Aztec Concert Choir under the direction of Dr. Patrick Walders. Choral arrangements by James Ballard. Photo Credit: Charise Lewis Photography. More photos

For more information about the project go to Electronic Press Kit: For My People - A New Musical Work by Composer Randy Klein based on the Poems of Margaret Walker

Photoshoot on the Pacific Coast - California, 2013.

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:07:00 -0400

Photoshoot on the Pacific Coast - California, 2013.

On March 22, 2013 I had the honor of conducting a two hour...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 15:15:35 -0400

On March 22, 2013 I had the honor of conducting a two hour master class at San Diego State University School of Music and Dance’s piano department. The class included four excellent pianists playing pieces from Mozart, Prokofiev, Schubert and Debussy. We found ourselves discussing the infinite sounds that the piano is capable of making and how it can vary depending on the composer and the pianist playing. The range of the selections allowed for a very in depth discussion. Great playing and everyone learning! Terrific experience! Congrats to all the very fine pianists!

Randy Klein and Aurelia Williams Led a Master Class at San Diego State University School of Music and Dance

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:04:00 -0400

On March 20, 2013 Randy Klein and Aurelia Williams led a performance master class at San Diego State University School of Music and Dance. The audience listened to pieces from For My People - A New Musical Work by Composer Randy Klein based on the Poems of Margaret Walker and had the rare opportunity to view a rehearsal of a new piece being added to the concert. Questions about composing and performing the work were asked by the students. Three more performance master classes are scheduled this week ending with the concert of For My People this Sunday, March 24, 2013. For more information about the concert go here.

West Coast Premiere of "For My People - A New Musical Work by Composer Randy Klein based on the Poems of Margaret Walker" at San Diego State University!

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:50:00 -0400

SDSU School of Music and Dance Presents the SDSU Choirs Spring Concert featuring The West Coast Premiere of For My People - A New Musical Work by Composer Randy Klein based on the Poems of Margaret Walker.

Includes Performances by Emmy Winning Composer Randy Klein, Broadway Vocalist Aurelia Williams and the 80-Voice Aztec Choirs under the direction of Dr. Patrick Walders

San Diego State University School of Music and Dance presents the SDSU Choirs Spring Concert culminating with the West Coast Premiere of For My People – A New Musical Work by Composer Randy Klein based on the Poems of Margaret Walker, on Sunday, March 24, 2013, 4:00 p.m. at the College Avenue Baptist Church, 4747 College Avenue, San Diego. The concert is presented free of charge and is open to the public.

For My People is a breathtaking musical work that encompasses various genres. The piece includes contemporary music forms, gospel, piano improvisation, musical-theatre and performance elements that incorporate and paint the poetry of African American poet, novelist and essayist Margaret Walker. As a work of art it powerfully intertwines two forms of expression - poetry and music – offering wide appeal to audiences of classical and contemporary vocal music as well as lovers of poetry, those interested in African – American History and fans of Margaret Walker.

The piece features composer Randy Klein on piano, vocal solos by Broadway performer Aurelia Williams, the 80-voice Aztec Concert Choir all under the direction of Dr. Patrick Walders. For My People received its East Coast premiere at the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts at James Madison University on April 2, 2011.

“My attraction to the poetry of Margaret Walker was the result of a New York City subway trip from Brooklyn to Manhattan on or about February 2000,” explains composer Randy Klein. “Printed on a placard from the Poetry In Motion series was a poem by Margaret Walker titled, For My People. It began, “My grandmothers were strong.” As the subway train rumbled on, I was lost in the words of Ms. Walker’s heartfelt poetry. A few weeks later I again became aware of the placard with Lineage on it. This time, I scribbled down the poem on a piece of paper, and when I got home, I went to my piano and composed music for it. This was the beginning of For My People.”

Margaret Walker (1915-1998) honed her skills in the 1930s radicalism building on the intellectual and cultural legacy of the Harlem Renaissance. Her identity was further shaped by her teaching experiences at segregated schools in the South in the 1940s and ’50s; the Black Arts and Black Power in the 1960s and ’70s, and the black women’s renaissance of the 1980s and ’90s. She remained a self-identified Southern writer all of her life, which offered her a unique perspective for thinking and writing about gender, race and globalization. Her biography analyzes the contradictions that she faced in a life lived on and off the page, observing a fluid boundary between art and activism. Ms. Walker’s papers show her to be the “twentieth-century voice of the South,” an extraordinary woman who shared an intimate relationship with a century of profound social change.

This SDSU presentation of For My People includes a dynamic multi-media performance with video projections corresponding to the images in the poetry and rare footage of Walker reading her own poetry. It is presented in collaboration with the SDSU Department of English and Comparative Literature and the SDSU Black Student Unions.

For more information about the Spring Choirs Concert or For My People visit the SDSU School of Music and Dance website. Admission to the concert and parking are free. College Avenue Baptist Church is located at 4747 College Avenue, San Diego.

For My People is presented in San Diego by the SDSU School of Music and Dance. Seventy-six years ago, the Department of Music at San Diego State University began conferring degrees, and a commitment to excellence in artistic innovation was dedicated. The commitment fostered a long legacy of educational and musical leadership for the program. Today it flourishes as the School of Music & Dance.

The SDSU School of Music and Dance is just one example of how the University engages the San Diego region, a key initiative of The Campaign for SDSU. Whether it’s supporting programs that contribute directly to San Diego’s growth or building academic programs to prepare for the region’s future, SDSU is an important community partner.

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Randy Klein (Composer/Pianist): Award winning composer/pianist, alumnus of Berklee College of Music, Randy Klein has had an eclectic career playing and creating music in many different genres. Awarded the 2011 Simons Public Humanities Fellowship by the Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas and the Anna Sosenko Trust Grant, BMI Foundation Jerry Harrington Award, four Southern Regional Emmys for original score to 90 minute film-documentary - Richard Wright (Black Boy) (PPS/BBC/Mississippi ETV), Ticktock Minutes (PBS/Mississippi ETV). Nominated - Jerry Boch Award in theater composition, winner - USA Songwriting Competition - Jazz category, two gold records for songs by Millie Jackson, composed/produced dance hit “Watch The Closing Doors”. Songs recorded: Candy Staton, Sarah Dash (formerly of LaBelle), rap group Black Sheep, Memphis Bleak, and Sesame Street. Recordings: Randy Klein’s Jazzheads, Underground Romantic, Just My Imagination and Love Notes From The Bass, Broadway Remembers, How Sweet It Is, Rock-A-Bye Baby, Invitation In, Piano Christmas, The Flowing, Sunday Morning, What’s Next? Member of advanced BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, The Dramatists Guild, NARAS, music educator, an exclusive Steinway Artist.

Patrick Walders (Conductor): Dr, Patrick Walders maintains an active career as a professional vocalist, music educator, church musician, clinician, and conductor. As Director of Choral Activities within the School of Music and Dance, Dr. Walders conducts the Aztec Concert Choir and the SDSU Chamber Choir and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting classes, literature courses, and ear training. His research interests include Vocal Pedagogy, diction, and rehearsal techniques especially in ensemble settings, and how dance and movement relates to conducting gesture. For seven years, Dr. Walders served as the Director of Choral Activities at James Madison University where he directed the award-winning JMU Chorale and Madison Singers supervised three additional choirs. For four seasons, Dr. Walders was the Associate Conductor of the National Philharmonic Chorale, and Artistic Director of the National Philharmonic Singers. As a baritone/countertenor, Dr. Walders has sung professionally throughout the northeastern United States. He has been a member of the prestigious Westminster Choir and Westminster Symphonic Choir under the direction of Joseph Flummerfelt, regularly performing under the batons of some of the world’s finest orchestral conductors.

Aurelia Williams (Vocalist): Aurelia Williams, a Plainfield, NJ native, completed her Master’s Degree in education at Rutgers University. She delayed a teaching career to pursue her love of singing. Though not initially trained in the craft, she has been performing for ten years and is deeply entrenched in the world of musical theater. Her experience as a professional singer began with a European Tour with the Harlem Gospel Singers. Her musical theatre performances on Broadway, both regionally and in New York City, include “Effie” in “Dreamgirls,” and she appeared in “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” “All Shook Up,” “Menopause the Musical,” “Caroline or Change,” and “Nunsense,” among many others. She is currently on tour with the new musical “Madagascar LIVE,” which is a stage adaptation from the Dreamworks hit movie.

For more information about the project go to Electronic Press Kit: For My People - A New Musical Work by Composer Randy Klein based on the Poems of Margaret Walker

Guitar International Reviews Randy Klein’s Two Duos “What’s Next?” w/Alex Skolnick and Boris Kozlov

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:16:00 -0400

Pianist Randy Klein is an alumnus of Berklee College of Music. He is an Emmy Award winner for Free To Dance (PBS Great Performances), Beyond Tara – The extraordinary Life Of Hattie Mc Daniel (American Movie Classics) and Richard Wright – Black Boy (PBS/BBC Production).

Klein has also enjoyed great success in Musical Theatre, and has released 11 recordings as a leader for his record label “Jazzheads.” Klein states that he hopes to continue his series of duo recordings for years to come.On this project Klein is joined on alternating tracks by bassist Boris Kozlov and guitarist Alex Skolnick.

Kozlov is Russian born, and has been with the Mingus Big Band for many years. Skolnick is best known for his work with Testament and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. His reputation for technical prowess in the heavy metal genre is well deserved.

The opening tune is titled “Exalted Kingdom” and featured a tight unison statement of a Latin tinged melody. Skolnick immediately shows that he is capable of a nice full traditional Jazz tone and phrasing. Klein’s note selection and soloing is a combination of Bill Evans and Ahmad Jamal. He plays nice full chords underneath thoughtful single lines that flow effectively through the changes.Next up is the title tune “What’s Next.”

Kozlov provides the perfect voice to blend with Klein both as a support instrument and soloist. Their natural interplay shows a commonality of musical background and approach that works wonderfully. “Casa China” brings Skolnick back to share in a somewhat mysterious melodic statement and feel.

“Dear Charles Mingus” is a bass feature that I am sure has the departed legend smiling from above. “No” is a playful tune with a somewhat fugal treatment and presentation. Once again Skolnick serves as a perfect partner to Klein’s musical intent.All of the compositions are Klein originals. Other titles included are “Lark,” “Where’s My Glasses,” “Tea for Three,” “Inner Voice” and ‘Return to Splendor.”

Each tune is perfectly placed in the order of the presentation to guarantee a solid contrast throughout. The melodies are all extremely well crafted and interesting. Klein’s chord progressions offer a modern approach while maintaining enough of the traditional thought processes to be logical and pleasing to the most hard line old school listener.

This is a truly fine recording performed by three excellent musicians. It will be a welcome addition to the library of any Jazz fan. It can be enjoyed as either relaxing background music, or analyzed and appreciated for its complexity. That is a truly rare combination and a testament to the quality of the compositions.

Guitar International - Vince Lewis

“What’s Next?” available on JAZZHEADS, and

YOU CAN WRITE A SONG: Songwriting Coaching with Randy Klein

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:02:00 -0400

Songwriting Is A Craft That Can Be Learned and Enjoyed By All!

Private coaching for songwriters with Randy Klein, an award winning composer with multiple Gold Records and Emmys. Critiques include analysis of lyrics, melody and demos. Your songs will improve and your craft will grow. Your voice will emerge in your songs after just one lesson. All levels and genres welcome (including professional writers to shower singer-songwriters). So sign-up and begin writing your songs!

Each lesson is an individual and unique songwriting experience!

One on one sessions either in New York City or by SKYPE.
Contact: randyklein@randyklein.com for more information.

Listen to what Randy’s students are saying about his song coaching:

“Randy is a coach that cares about helping to think & detail every line & note of the song. He challenges you to be a better songwriter. Thanks, Randy.”

“Randy was excellent. I enjoyed how he went through each song line by line and gave excellent suggestions and critique.”

“This was my first Private Coaching session and I have received a wealth of information & personalized help. Randy Klein is an excellent coach and mentor.”

“It feels really good when I can gain insight as to what is most helpful, or needed in choosing to get feedback for my songwriting. I appreciate it, for all that it is worth. And I must say, that it is worth it’s weight in gold. Whether I’m inching or making baby steps along this journey, it has all been a wonderful experience.”

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BIO: Randy Klein is a music educator who conducts clinics on music, the business of music and songwriting to universities and conferences. He has taught at the University of Kansas, James Madison University, San Diego State University, Berklee College of Music, SongU.com along with a long list of private students.

Klein’s awards include:

the Simons Public Humanities Fellowship at the Hall Center for the Humanities (University of Kansas),
BMI Foundation Jerry Harrington Award, CAP Grant (American Music Center) for his song cycle For My People.
Southern Regional Emmy Awards: Richard Wright (Black Boy) PPS/BBC;
Southern Regional Emmy Awards “Outstanding Collaborative Achievement for Composer”;
National Emmy Award for Best Public Service Announcement - Ticktock Minutes (PBS)
Nominated - Jerry Boch Award in theater composition.
Winner - USA Songwriting Competition in Jazz for “Data”.

Klein has composed/produced songs for R&B legend Millie Jackson (Gold Records), dance hit “Watch The Closing Doors” for RCA group IRT and has songs recorded by Candy Staton, Sarah Dash, rap group Black Sheep, Memphis Bleak and Sesame Street.

He is a member of Advanced BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, The Dramatists Guild, NARAS; alumnus of the Berklee College of Music; President of Jazzheads, an independent Jazz record label; exclusive Steinway Artist.

Improvisation #11 All Piano Improvisations by Randy Klein

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:46:49 -0400

Improvisation #11

All Piano Improvisations by Randy Klein

West Coast Premier of For My People: The Margaret Walker Song Cycle at San Diego State University!

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 01:21:00 -0500

West Coast Premier of For My People: The Margaret Walker Song Cycle featuring Emmy Winning composer Randy Klein and Broadway vocalist Aurelia Williams.

San Diego, California - On Sunday, March 24, 2013, Emmy winning and Gold Record award winning composer and pianist Randy Klein will bring For My People - The Margaret Walker Song Cycle to San Diego State University Choirs Spring Concert. The performance is the West-Coast Premiere of the work. The concert will be held at 4 p.m. at the College Avenue Baptist Church, 4747 College Avenue, San Diego, CA.

The Song Cycle is a musical work that incorporates the poetry of Margaret Walker and the music of Randy Klein. It is an exciting multi-media performance that combines a musical concert with video projections corresponding to the images in the poetry and rare footage of Walker reading her poetry. These art songs paint musical impressions to match the poet’s intentions.

As a work of art that encompasses two forms of expression, poetry and music, For My People offers wide appeal to audiences of classical and contemporary vocal music, as well as lovers of poetry, those interested in African-American history, and, of course, fans of Margaret Walker.

This special event will feature Klein, Broadway vocalist Aurelia Williams, and members of the renowned SDSU Chorale under the direction of Dr. Patrick Walders.

For more information about the project go to Electronic Press Kit: For My People - The Margaret Walker Song Cycle

Our new musical EVER HAPPILY AFTER! had its first performance at...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:56:00 -0500

Our new musical EVER HAPPILY AFTER! had its first performance at the Center Stage Theatre Company, Westport, CT in February, 2013. The cast is young and spirited. The audience loved what they saw. Watch the video highlights of the show. Extremely cute!!! Enjoy!!!

MWE3.com Interviews Randy Klein

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:07:00 -0500

mwe3: Aside from the different instrumentation, how different is your new duo album What’s Next? compared to your first duo album? Also how did you meet Boris Kozlov and Alex Skolnick and how would you describe the musical chemistry in play on What’s Next? how was the material chosen for the album and how did it begin and end?

RANDY KLEIN: The compositions on Sunday Morning, the first CD from the Two Duos project, are more melody and harmony driven. They were chosen because they fit the two players performing them. Oleg Kireyev has a deep warm saxophone sound and Chris Washburne has a unique facility in all ranges of the trombone. Both are superb all around musicians and improvisers. As I was preparing What’s Next? I wanted to make the CD simply different from the last one. The most important difference was to use two rhythm instruments and the compositions on What’s Next? are written with this idea in mind. The compositions also forced my demands as a pianist to grow.

The back and forth sequencing of the cuts was a result of my listening to the cuts from Sunday Morning and trying to make the entire CD take the listener on a musical journey from the beginning to the end of the CD. I used the same sequencing method on What’s Next? My desire for the listener to enjoy the recording always trumps decisions like I played a better solo on that cut, so let’s front load it.

I knew Boris Kozlov from hearing him play in many situations around New York City. He always played his upright bass. I then heard him play with a vocalist in a duo situation at a small club in Brooklyn and Boris was playing his electric bass guitar. I was blown away by his technique, musicality and the unique sound he got from the instrument. I knew instantly that I wanted him to play on What’s Next?

Alex Skolnick and I met through a referral from my radio promoter for Jazzheads, Michael Moryc. Michael has really great ears and has the ability to hone in on what the music is about on any recording. He felt that Alex and I should play. When we did, it was obviously a match. Alex is an amazing musician and he thrives in many worlds of music. I went to one of his gigs with Testament (his heavy metal group) and my mouth was agape as I watched Alex climb on the speakers and take one of the most amazing guitar solos. It is fun for me to play piano with Alex on guitar because he reinforces the rhythm and it frees me up to play with more intensity and obviously match the rhythms.

mwe3: How do you balance your time between writing and recording for your duos series and your other work with teaching music and theater work. I heard you went to the University of Kansas in February? Is there a story about that?

RANDY KLEIN: I never feel as if my time is balanced between all of the activities I am involved with. For the most part, this is the biggest challenge that I have to deal with. Hence the title of my Two Duos CD, What’s Next? I am constantly asking myself this question. Over the years, I have developed some personal techniques to focus on one thing at a time. But my days are rarely that. If there is a deadline on a project, I put all else aside and obviously work on that project. But, if I’m working on a project that will span over many months or even years, I always have it on my mind and I continually come back to it. Hence, my favorite saying is the art of writing is re-writing. Getting some distance on a project makes me much more objective about it. It is almost as if I didn’t create the work at all and I am critiquing someone else’s work.

Another point is that there are only so many creative hours in the day. I like the mornings. It is quiet and the phone doesn’t ring, so I can focus in on more difficult assignments. But, if I have to write fast, I can. It is similar to improvisation. A learned skill! Very much in the moment and I make my decisions quickly.

Last year, I was awarded the Simons Fellowship at the Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas. The fellowship was an amazing experience for me. I spent two months during the 2011-2012 semesters in Lawrence, KS. I was given my own office with a midi/computer setup for composing, a beautiful 7’ Steinway B and the keys to the building. I made the most of this opportunity. I lectured in the music department, the business of music department and performed with some of the outstanding improvising students in the jazz school. I also recorded a series of piano improvisations. I loved being surrounded by all of the energy coming from the students and professors that I met and interacted with. It made me realize that I had a great deal of knowledge about music and the business of music and I loved sharing it.

When I went to Berklee College of Music, graduating in 1971, music education was quite different. At that time, Berklee then known as Berklee School of Music, was small. My graduating class was a total of 48 musicians. Oh, by the way, my degree was handed to me by Arif Mardin and Duke Ellington. Both were honored at the ceremony. Very cool! It was a school that did music 24/7 and at the time not very diverse in other subjects. My knowledge base has come from doing. Learning to write by writing. Learning to teach by teaching. Learning the business by observing others and learning from good and bad business decisions.

So, my experience at the state-of-the-art University of Kansas, was overwhelming and wonderful. Now, I am asked to conduct more and more lectures at universities around the country. I learn from each experience.

mwe3: Can you tell us where you grew up and where you live now. What was your early exposure to music listening and then playing and studying music and how has your music evolved over the years?

RANDY KLEIN: I grew up in Fort Lee, NJ and I have lived in New York City for over 30 years. I thrive on the energy of the city - it continuously inspires me.

I have been playing piano since I was about 5 years old. My grandfather played violin, my grandmother was a piano teacher, my mother was an excellent pianist and my father played mandolin. So, music pretty much was part of everyday life as long as I can remember. My earliest exposure was classical music and music from Eastern Europe where my family came from in the early 1900.

Around the time that I was 10 years old, my father owned a dance hall in the Bronx (it’s now part of I95 to New England). I was allowed to go to work with him on Saturday nights as long as I stayed in the office. Liquor was served and it was against the law for a minor to be hanging around the bar. Saturday night was record hop night. The DJ was the great Cousin Brucey from legendary AM radio. He played the top hits of the day. “I’m On The Outside Looking In” by the Little Anthony & The Imperials, “Who Wears Short Shorts” by the Royal Teens, and as time went by, “The Twist” by Chubby Checker. Pop hits! I would sneak out of the office and sit behind the bandstand just absorbing the music. It is this early listening in my life that has given me the ability to hear potential hit songs. It helps me in my teaching of song writing. Those songs which I heard as a young teen, had catchy hooks and choruses, a good beat, were filled with emotions and are still hits to this day.

My mother was a musical theatre person. She loved going to shows and she took me with her to experience the wonder of live musical theatre. I was lucky to have seen Fiddler with Zero Mostel and Herschel Benardi, Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey in Hello Dolly, Sammy Davis in Golden Boy, Jack Cassidy in Superman, and too many more to list. I loved all of it. I embraced it and listened to the cast albums. And, my mother played the cast album of Fiddler On The Roof every night at dinner time for about a year and a half. “‘Sunrise Sunset”, please pass the string beans’. True story!

Then in 1967, the stars aligned and I heard the crossover hit by the Ramsey Lewis trio, ‘The In Crowd’. It was a life changing moment. Melody, Rhythm, audience clapping, improvisation! It was the beginning of my lifelong love of improvised music. It is one of the reasons that Jazzheads (the label I started in 1992) exists and to this day is the basis of my creativity. Honing one’s skill as an improvising musician takes a deep commitment and because of improvised music, Jazz, as we have labeled it, my musical direction is usually pretty clear.

I do have to say that the different influences sometimes collide with each other and that merger has become a bit of a quest for me musically.

mwe3: What piano are you performing on the What’s Next? CD and what was the recording process like, describing the chemistry with your producer Daryl Bornstein. What other keyboards do you play and do you play other instruments?

RANDY KLEIN: Being that I am a Steinway artist, I am playing a Steinway B – 7’ grand. As you might know, every piano has an individual quality to its sound and the way the instrument reacts to a player’s touch. Unlike other instrumentalists who play their own instrument all the time, the pianist is subject to a life of continually adjusting to the nature of the instrument. And, I feel strongly about this, ‘sometimes the pianos should be used for kindling’ and yet, pianists still have to try to make music on them.

But, luckily for me the Steinway at BiCoastal Studios in Ossining, NY is in really fine shape. In other words, I was able to adapt to the sound and action of the instrument quickly and found its sweet spots.

This recording is my first collaboration with Daryl Bornstein. He is a impeccable engineer and producer. A perfectionist like me! He was very careful with the miking of the piano. He tried to cover all the bases. He close miked the piano and had a pair of mikes set up a few feet away and then had ambient mikes to pick up the sound of the instrument from afar. He recorded everything flat and other than adding a bit of ambient reverb to the overall recording, you are hearing the instrument as it sounds. Daryl is also a wonderful musician himself. This musicality is the place where we connect most. Having a second set of ears in the studio, like Daryl’s, is a real pleasure and allows me to just play. I look forward to working with Daryl again on future projects.

I have at one time or another picked up most instruments and tried to play them. I find it interesting to know what other players go through in order to play their instrument. I did play bass for about a year in college and played tuba and drums in high school. B3, Rhodes, synths of all kinds, but, piano is it for me. I own a 1904 6’ Steinway and use a Yamaha P250 digital with my notation and sequencing programs.

mwe3: Your company Jazzheads looks great. Can you tell us the story of Jazzheads, when you began it and any label philosophy, and, from a label perspective, what you feel the future holds for the CD and music in general?

RANDY KLEIN: Jazzheads, the independent NYC Jazz label, is 20 years old this year. We are very proud of the recordings we have released and the long lasting working relationships and friendships that have helped build the label.

What started as frustration trying to get my music ‘out there’, 20 years later, has turned into a full-fledge independent label that releases high quality recordings by a long list of the very finest Jazz artists on the scene. And, I am very proud to say, two 2012 Grammy Nominations for Bobby Sanabria’s CD Multiverse in best Latin Jazz and best Instrumental Arrangement categories.

Back in 1992, I was extremely upset about not getting any response from labels for a project I was pitching. My friend, Gary Dallaire, suggested I record and release the album myself and see what happens (a bit ahead of the curve compared to today’s self-releasers)! I recorded the music at HarariVille, a small studio in New Jersey, Bob Katz the mastering engineer supreme mastered it, and I pressed 1000 copies. I sent promos out to everyone I knew and not much happened. Then one afternoon, I remember sitting in my kitchen listening to NYC’s Jazz station WBGO with Michael Bourne as the host. He announced that he received a CD at his home, of all places, and was pleasantly surprised how good it was. The CD he was referring to was my first CD, Randy Klein’s Jazzheads. So imagine, there I was sitting in my kitchen listening to my music being played on the air in New York City! I was elated and, at the same time, overcome with the fact that 1.) at that moment I was a record label and 2.) I knew zilch about how to run a record label (I already showed my ignorance by not putting a barcode on the back of my CD). I knew little about distribution, retail, promotions, marketing, radio and the long list of subjects that a label owner needs to know to run a label and make it successful. Truthfully, I made a myriad of mistakes along the way. But I picked myself up, learned from each mistake, and stubbornly moved forward. What I did know was what good music should sound like and how to make good recordings. So with this knowledge and the drive to get my music out there, I began my 20-year journey of building Jazzheads.

As I began spreading the word that I had started a label, other musicians with similar stories of wanting to get their music out there without any luck in doing so, approached me. I started to partner with these other musicians on CDs. They were responsible for recording the music and a portion of the promotion, while Jazzheads was responsible for manufacturing, distributing, promoting and paying royalties on sales, when they existed. This is how the label was built: musicians (artists) and a business entity that could work together in a fair arrangement that allowed everyone to profit. Over the years, there have been many ups and downs. At times I thought I would shut the whole thing down and, at other times, I felt simply that it wasn’t worth putting all this energy into a business that sold minimal sales and was a niche market at best. But through it all, it was the music that kept the label alive.

I now realize it was worth every moment, mostly because of the invaluable learning experience that I have had, which came from the most unlikely source, the musicians who were making the music. I’ve gotten to listen to them play, be in the studio with them, absorb and learn from their vast wealth of musical knowledge. And throughout, I’ve been in awe of these great musicians and felt honored to be able to hang with them. Their knowledge has influenced my decisions and taught me about the great four-letter word JAZZ. It has been the musicians and their willingness to share their gift of music and their dedication to the form, which has built the label. I have simply been the one nudging it along.

Jazzheads is proud to be distributed by Allegro Distributors for all of its physical CDs and with IODA, EMusic, and Believe Digital for its digital download distribution. We have wonderful relationships with our promotional team headed by Chris DiGirolamo from Two For The Show Media, with Mark Elf, Dr. Jazz and Michael Moryc for our radio promotion. They have taken Jazzheads music, released it, moved it out the door, brought it to new audiences to listen to, review and read stories about. I thank them for their tireless efforts.

In our 20th year, we are proud to announce our partnership with the Canadian record label Spectra/Musique in releasing CDs by internationally acclaimed artists Susie Arioli and Jordan Officer to the Jazz audiences in the United States. We are in our 5th year of releasing CDs by the esteemed Manhattan School of Music with proceeds going back to the MSM scholarship fund. Giving back!

Many of the artists on Jazzheads are major educators in the field of Jazz. Dr. Chris Washburne is the Director of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance at Columbia University, Justin DiCioccio is the head of the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Department, Bobby Sanabria teaches at MSM Jazz and the New School, Dave Liebman is also at MSM, with Cliff Korman, Rob Derke, Jeff Lederer, Mark Weinstein teaching the form. And I am not only the president of the label, but an active teacher in the subjects of songwriting, improvisation and the business of music in high schools and universities. So, not only is Jazzheads releasing CDs with improvised music on it, we are passing the baton to the next generation. Pretty cool!

mwe3: What are your other plans moving into 2013 and beyond? It looks like you’ve got a busy year ahead.

RANDY KLEIN: Well, I am always trying to create new ways of ‘getting my music out there’. Currently on my plate are two musicals that are both in different levels of production, ‘Flambé Dreams’ and ‘Ever Happily After’. I continue to perform ‘For My People’ – The Margaret Walker Song Cycle, a major music work that combines the poetry of Margaret Walker with its socially conscious themes written for solo voices and large chorale. I am performing with Two Duos, giving solo piano improvisation concerts and of course teaching song writing and the business of music. Oh, by the way, did I mention that I never sleep! Truthfully, I love what I do so much, that I try not to waste a moment. When in doubt, improvise!

MWE3.com

MWE3.com Reviews Randy Klein’s Two Duos “What’s Next?” w/Alex Skolnick and Boris Kozlov

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:42:00 -0500

Jazz duo albums can sometimes be a hit and miss affair yet one that completely hits the bullseye is What’s Next? by jazz pianist Randy Klein. For the 12 track, hour long What’s Next? Randy teams with guitar virtuoso Alex Skolnick and bassist Boris Kozlov and the results are a delicate yet sonically durable outing that puts Klein’s sumptuous grand piano skills in a very favorable light. Both Skolnick and Kozlov are fine players to compliment Klein’s sensitive sounding, jazzy piano tracks. What’s Next? is actually the second CD of Randy Klein’s Two Duos album series from the pianist, the first one being 2010’s Sunday Morning, featuring Klein with trombonist Chris Washburne and saxophonist Oleg Kireyev. Guitar fans will note Skolnick’s tasteful fretboard work on What’s Next? and indeed Skolnick’s deft touch sounds quite well suited to Klein’s jazzy piano. Commenting on working with Skolnick and Kozlov on What’s Next? Klein adds, ‘These are top notch players! And when you play with players who are on this level, it really becomes a dream come true.’ Jazz fans who appreciate sensitive, varied, acoustic piano-based albums are truly well served by this album, while music fans should keep their ears open for more releases from the soon to be acclaimed series of CD releases from Randy Klein’s Two Duos on Jazzheads - the record label started by Klein back in 1992.

MWE3.com

“What’s Next?” available on JAZZHEADS, and

Randy Klein at the 55th GRAMMY Awards Ceremony with Multi-Grammy...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:19:00 -0500

Randy Klein at the 55th GRAMMY Awards Ceremony with Multi-Grammy Nominee Latin Jazz drummer Bobby Sanabria, Chair Jazz Arts Program at Manhattan School of Music Justin DiCioccio, and Jazz saxophonist Bob Mintzer.

Teaching Songwriting Course “You Can Write a Song” at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music!

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:58:00 -0500

Join me at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music where I’m teaching a NEW Songwriting Course called “You Can Write a Song” (all levels welcome)!

You Can Write a Song

Songwriting Is A Craft That Can Be Learned and Enjoyed By All!
You don’t play and instrument, but you really really want to write a song, and in fact, you have lots of ideas for songs. Through this course, you will write a song and you will get immense joy and satisfaction from it. (Shower singer/songwriters welcome!). The best songs are about what you know, what comes from the heart and can be about any subject. Songs are moments of inspiration. “We are human and sometimes we must simply stop speaking and sing our emotions.” So, sign up and begin writing songs!
Tuesday, 8:00-9:30 pm
CLICK TO REGISTER FOR THIS CLASS

EVER HAPPILY AFTER! Visiting the Kids

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:52:00 -0500

I was once told that the songs you write are like your children. You compose them, give them the breath of life and then when they are complete, each takes on a life of its own. So, having to give my children away before I can even get to know them a little bit is always somewhat disconcerting.

I have been composing a new musical titled, EVER HAPPILY AFTER! The book is by Jill Jaysen and the lyrics are by Matthew Hardy. The show is about: What happens when Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother is nowhere to be found? Matt and I pumped out the score in about 12 weeks. The show’s first performances, scheduled for February 8-10, 2013, will be presented by the Center Stage Theatre Company in Westport, CT. This is a theatre for young audiences. The cast is made up of talented children with ages ranging from about 9 through 12.

Because we wrote the show so fast, I didn’t really get to experience my work very much. Normally, I like to play the score with vocalists to get a feel for the songs before giving them away. But this was not the case here. Shortly after the score was complete, it was sent to the music director of the show and he started teaching it to the cast. Except for a transposition here and there of a song or two, the score is being performed exactly as it was completed. I must admit, I do have a pretty good feeling about this score - the songs are theatrical and memorable.

I’ll get to see the show and hear the score for the first time this weekend. I’m looking forward to visiting the kids and seeing the first of what I hope are many performances of EVER HAPPILY AFTER!

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Performances:
Friday, February 8th at 7:00pm
Saturday, February 9th at 1:00pm And 7:00pm
Sunday, February 10th at 1:00pm

Where: Center Stage Theatre Company (Seabury Center at 45 Church Lane in downtown Westport, CT)

Seating is Limited. To make reservations, email Jill at: opedge@hotmail.com and write Ticket Reservations in the subject line.
All tickets are $15.00, general seating, cash or check only.
Our doors will open 45 minutes before each show.

Randy Klein’s Two Duos: What’s Next? is the Ringer of the Week on Jazz Weekly!

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:59:00 -0500

I’ve always been a sucker for jazz duets. Lonnie Johnson and Eddie Lang, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Jim Hall & Pat Metheny…the list could go on forever. There’s nowhere to hide, and if you’re posing, it’s going to come out. This disc with pianist Randy Klein has him in duo setting with either guitarist Alex Skolnick or bassist Boris Kozlov, and the result is one of the most lyrical, melodic yet incisively swinging releases to come out in many moons. Klein’s got a flowing touch with an inherent sense of pulse, flow and timing, making these tunes come off like intriguing conversations between longtime friends. Skolnick’s warm guitar embraces sonatas like “Exalted Kingdom” and the luxurious “In The Twilight Hours” with delicacy while he can also give it all he’s got, yet without shouting, on the fun loving ”No.” Kozlov’s elastic and electric 6 string bass dances around “Dear Charles Mingus” with exciting fingerwork while his sensitivity is spotlighted on the lilting “Inner Voice.” All throughout, Klein keeps the mood serene yet without somnambulism. Gently gliding like a spring brook, this music is refreshing to the soul.

JazzWeekly.com - George W. Harris

“What’s Next?” available on JAZZHEADS, and

Performances of New Musical EVER HAPPILY AFTER! Announced!

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:46:00 -0500

Center Stage Theatre Company Presents:

EVER HAPPILY AFTER!
A Musical Fairytale

Book by: Jill Jaysen Music by: Randy Klein Lyrics by: Matthew Hardy

What happens when Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother is nowhere to be found…
Who can possibly save her?
Join us as we take a whimsical journey into Fairytale Land where Cinderella discovers that real magic can be found in the most unexpected places.

Performances:
Friday, February 8th at 7:00pm
Saturday, February 9th at 1:00pm And 7:00pm
Sunday, February 10th at 1:00pm