Randy Halberstadt
Randy
Halberstadt has been a major figure on the Pacific Northwest jazz scene
for many years. A multi-dimensional pianist, he is equally at home playing
be-bop, Latin, down-home blues, straight-ahead swing, free and eclectic
jazz. In addition to leading his own trio and producing his own
recordings (he has performed with Herb Ellis, Buddy de Franco,
Terry Gibbs, Slide Hampton, Pete Christlieb, Bobby Shew,Lanny Morgan,
John Stowell, David Friesen,
Jiggs Whigham, Roswell Rudd, Jack
Walrath, Gary Smulyan, Julian
Priester, Mel Brown, and many others. Recently, Randy recorded
with Bay area guitarist Mimi Fox and the world renowned Ray Drummond
on bass. On the local Seattle scene, Randy performs with vibraphonist
Susan Pascal,
vocalists Gail
Pettis, saxophonist Jack Klitzman and many others. He is the
pianist for the esteemed Seattle
Repertory Jazz Orchestra and has performed repeatedly with
the Seattle
Symphony.
On the strength of his large repertoire, great sense of swing, and acute listening skills, Randy has established himself as a first-call accompanist for jazz vocalists. He has performed with Ernestine Anderson, Sheila Jordan, Kevin Mahogany, Marlena Shaw, Karrin Allyson,as well as with the world-renowned tap dancer Brenda Bufalino. In 1997 Randy performed with the innovative Jay Clayton at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. He is featured on Jay's 1997 recording Circle Dancing (Sunnyside). In May 2004, Randy and the fabulous vocalist Meredith d'Ambrosio did a short tour of Israel. Randy works frequently with some of the greatest vocal talents in the Pacific Northwest, including Gail Pettis, Greta Matassa, and Katy Bourne.
While Halberstadt's recordings showcase his formidable pianistic skills, they also establish him as a first-rate composer. Inner Voice (1991, Pony Boy Records) features Randy's compositions in the jazz trio format, which range from blues to Latin to polymetric to hard-driving swing. Seattle's KPLU FM has kept Randy's finger-snapper "Bad Bud" in heavy rotation for the past thirteen years. Clockwork (1996, Pony Boy Records) presents Randy's beautiful songs with original lyrics and features five of the Northwest's best vocalists, including Jay Clayton and Kendra Shank. One of these songs, "When Springtime Turns to Fall," was re-recorded in 2000 by Kendra on Reflections (Jazz Focus), in 2005.