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Randy Halberstadt Bio "...a pianist of power,sensitivity and wit, who "Halberstadt has a bright and original approach; |
Highly acclaimed as a pianist, composer and educator, Randy Halberstadt is a jazz triple threat of stunning dimensions. Randy is widely popular and sought after as a moving, complete pianist in the great modern traditions of Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea. His memorable compositions on his first CD recording, Inner Voice, have captured the imagination of much of the jazz listening public and press throughout the Pacific Northwest and around the nation. His second CD recording, Clockwork, has been called courageous work of art songs of lyric beauty and complexities. Finally, as an instructor at Seattle's prestigious Cornish College of the Arts, he is a mentor to many of today's emerging musical talents.
Randy is known for his rhythmic invention and muscularity, and also for his beauty of phrasing and harmonic quest. His music encompasses, in the words of critic/editor Andrew Freund, "honky tonk dynamism" in one song and the "soul of Iyricism" in the next. Randy's clean articulation, wide ranging stylistic enthusiasms and keen listening skills make him the "first call" keyboard sideman and accompanist in the fertile Seattle . jazz scene. He is a powerful voice in two of the quintessential working units in the Pacific Northwest, his own Randy Halberstadt Trio and the sophisticated, bluesy, crowd-pleasing Clarence Acox Group. Randy is a regular presence on Seattle/Tacoma's leading jazz radio station, KPLU-FM, and at one of the world's supreme nightclubs, Seattle's Jazz Alley. He has been featured in many leading West Coast music festivals, from his Puget Sound home base to the world famous Monterey Jazz Festival.
Not only a compelling composer of instrumentals, Randy has written Iyrics and music to several deeply moving songs that Jay Clayton, one of the most important singers of this era, includes in her repertoire. He has performed with lay many times as well as with such notable icons as Julian Priester, Carter Jefferson, Terry Gibbs and Ernestine Anderson. They appreciate Randy's "go for broke" commitment and daring, and his integration of musical colors and direct, energetic fun. Add Randy Halberstadt's wide influence as an educator, and he reckons as a major force in today's musical scene.
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