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FRED'S
BLOG
June
2020
Hello
again,
It’s been awhile
but, as I’m sure
is the case with
you all, a lot has
been going on. As
I write this we
are deep into the
Covid 19 lockdown
situation which
has been
challenging for
everyone. As an
educator I, along
with my
colleagues, have
ventured into the
world on remote
learning. On the
bright side we are
all getting more
comfortable with
the amazing
technological
tools that are now
available to us.
At the same time,
there is no
greater experience
than playing in or
directing a live
music ensemble,
whether that is
high school band,
orchestra, or live
gigs with fellow
professionals.
One thing I will
say for sure: it
makes you
appreciate how
special real, live
musical
interaction is and
how positive and
needed it is as a
force it is in our
current world. I
miss it and can’t
wait to get back
to teaching and
gigging in real
time!
Teaching String
Orchestra,
Symphonic Band,
Jazz Bands, and
Digital Music
Studio at Bishop
O’Dowd High
School
has really
progressed and,
I’m thankful to
say, grown. We’ve
had so many great
experiences
together and its
especially
rewarding to
reconnect with
music alumni over
the holidays and
summer. Many of
these talented
students are now
touring artists,
composers, and
teachers: power
to them! We
finished the
school year using
weekly zoom
meetings and music
theory software
which allowed us
to focus on areas
that we normally
don’t have time to
investigate
deeply. My
Tuesday night
piano classes at Contra
Costa College
have been great
fun and we
likewise finished
the year online.
Thanks to my great
students who hung
in there with me
on Zoom!
Professionally,
I’m happy to say
that I am finally
releasing my 4th
CD “Mood
Walk”
on June 5th. Due
to the Covid 19
situation, it was
unclear at first
how to proceed.
We had CD release
concerts scheduled
at Marin Country
Mart, Bird &
Beckett, Open
Embrace House
Concerts, and
California Jazz
Conservatory
scheduled in
addition to a
performance on
Derk Richardson’s
great radio show
“Here and Now” on
KPFA. When it
became clear that
this pandemic will
be going on for a
long time, I made
the decision to go
ahead and
release. I feel
that this is our
best effort yet
and am proud of
the results. One
thing I was able
to do during
lockdown was to
put together a
promo video called
“The
Making of Mood
Walk”
with the help of
the talented
Lincoln Adler.
You can watch the
video here.
I’m honored to be
joined on this
project by the Bay
Area’s best: Dan
Zemelman, Erik
Jekabson, Greg
Wyser-Pratte,
Sheldon Brown,
Greg Sankovitch,
Silvestre
Martinez, Brian
Rice, and Dillon
Vado all performed
amazingly. My
beautiful wife
Marcia came up
with the cover
concept and the cd
package was put
together by
Lincoln Adler and
Julie Ann
Accornero. We
recorded at 25th
Street Studios
with engineer Jeff
Kohlhede and
overdubs were done
at What’s For
Lunch Recording
with engineer Dan
Feiszli. The
mixing was done by
Gary Mankin and
the mastering by
Ken Lee.
We received some
wonderful reviews
at publications
such as “Roots
Music Report”, “JW
Vibe”,
“Contemporary
Fusion Reviews”,
and England’s
“Bebop Spoken
Here”, all thanks
to my hard working
publicist Holly
Cooper. I was
also interviewed
by Patrick Hickey
Jr. for “Review
Fix” magazine.
You can check out
the interview here.
We look forward to
rescheduling all
of the cd release
concerts and hope
to see you all
then.
Prior to Covid 19
my career as a
freelance bassist
was in full
swing. In the
past year alone
I’ve been blessed
to work with great
musicians such
as: Charged
Particles, Carla
Helmbrecht, Fil
Lorenz Big Band,
Orquesta Dharma,
Susan Chen,
Vince Lateano,
Jim Zimmerman,
Ken French,
Silvestre
Martinez Group,
Steve Carter
Trio, Ian Carey
Group, Billy
Johnson, Lisa
Torres, Sharman
Duran, Yolandra
Rhodes, Roberta
Donnay, Mads
Tolling and the
Madsmen, Isaac
Schwartz, Frank
Martin, Sandy
Cressman, Gaea
Schell, Ian
Mcardle, Richard
Howell Group,
Paul McCandless,
Ian Dogole, Dave
Rocha, Sheldon
Brown Trio, Greg
Gotelli Group,
Grant Levin,
Dmitry Methany,
and Mike O’Neill
just to name a
few. I’ve also
recently joined
the San
Francisco State
University
Symphony
Orchestra
which has been a
great experience.
During lockdown I
participated in my
friend Joe
Escobar’s
performance/fundraiser
for Covid 19
victims which you
can view here.
A recent project
that I recorded on
by Ian Carey is
getting some great
press. It is
entitled Fire in
My Head (the
Anxiety Suite).
You can check it
out here.
So until the Covid
19 lock down,
things were really
moving along.
Since the lockdown
began, its been a
time of
reflection, study,
practice, and
composition. In
some ways its been
good to slow down
and have time to
study. On the
other hand, I
can’t wait to get
back to reality.
Wishing everyone a
safe and healthy
recovery from this
unprecedented time
and…
See you on the
bandstand!
August
2016
Hello
again,
Its
been a long time
since my last
entry and
definitely time
to catch up with
you all! The
last couple of
years have been
heavily focused
on my building
up the music
program at Bishop
O’Dowd High
School
where its been a
great pleasure
working with the
talented
youngsters.
We’ve been
playing at
festivals such
as the CMEA, the
Reno and Santa
Cruz Jazz
Festivals, and
have been on
trips to
Disneyland and
beyond while
bringing in
guest clinicians
and performers.
Suffice to say
its been
extremely
fulfilling
work! I’ve also
been teaching at
Berkeley City
College where I
just finished
teaching a
summer course on
the History of
Popular Music in
America. In
addition, this
Fall will mark
my 3rd year of
teaching basic
and jazz piano
at Contra Costa
College on
Tuesday nights.
This has all
been challenging
and forces me to
“stay on top of
stuff” which is
they way I like
it.
Musically
speaking, I was
finally able to
release my 3rd
cd “Song
Without
Singing”
last year. I’m
really happy
with the result
and special
thanks to the
great musicians
who played on
it: Marcos
Silva, Phil
Thompson, Alan
Hall, Brian
Rice, Chrisian
Pepin, Matt
Heulitt, Rob
Reich, Sandy
Cressman, Erik
Jekabson, Matt
Clark, Rob Roth,
Alex Murzyn, and
Greg Wyser
Pratte. Lincoln
Adler and Julie
Ann Accornero
did the
beautiful cover
art and graphics
and the
masterful Dan
Feiszli did the
engineering and
mixing, truly a
labor of love.
We received
airplay all over
the US and even
in South
Africa. The cd
release
concerts which
were held at
Peace Lutheran,
the Sound Room,
and the
California Jazz
Conservatory
were great fun.
Lincoln did a
great job video
taping our CJC
concert (see the
“video” page on
this website for
examples from
the show).
This
Fall the Fred
Randolph Quintet
will be playing
a bunch of shows
at the Sound
Room in Oakland,
the Empress
Theater in
Vallejo, and the
new venue The
Impulse Room in
Walnut Creek
where we will be
premiering new
compositions as
well as digging
deep into our
catalog. To
stay current you
can go to the
“gigs” page on
this website.
Meanwhile
I’ve stayed busy
as a sideman for
other peoples’
projects and
shows. Some of
the great people
I’ve been
working with
during the last
year are: Bob
Kenmotsu, Jet
Blacq, Ed
Johnson and
Avi Wisnia,
Sandy
Cressman,
Bobbe Norris
and Larry
Dunlap,
Montclair
Women’s Big
Band, The Lost
American
Jazzbook
Project, Ian
Carey Sextet,
Rana Farhan,
Carla
Helmbrecht,
Robert Donnay
and the
Prohibition
Mob, Charged
Particles, The
Melanthium
Ensemble,
Terrence
Brewer,
Orquesta
Dharma, Calvin
Keys, and
Dmitri Metheny.
I’ve done recent
recording
sessions with Melanie
O’Reilly
for her Dave
Brubeck Project,
Lisa B.
for her Cole
Porter
Reimagined
project, and
with the chamber
fusion project Melanthium.
Finally,
I had the good
fortune to have
my article
“Chart
Notation: The
Essential
Toolkit”
published in the
July 2016 issue
of Downbeat
Magazine. This
was a
continuation of
my workshops at
the Jazz School
and I hope it
will lead to
other
opportunities in
this area.
Ok,
that’s all for
now, as always
I’m thankful to
be able to live
the creative
life and I hope
to see you soon
at the next gig!
August
2012
Hello, everyone.
Time has sure
flown since my
last blog entry!
My new position
as band director
at Bishop O'Dowd
High School, in
addition to
recording the
Homespun Trio CD
and my upcoming
Quintet CD, has
kept me quite
occupied. Its
been a groove
working with
drummer Bryan
Bowman and pianist
Grant Levin in the
Homespun Trio.
This is a co-op
group in which
everyone
contributes
equally to
writing,
arranging, and of
course playing.
Our recent show
at Chez Hanny was
a resounding
success and we
look forward to
more performances
in the near future
so be sure to
check my "gigs"
page for upcoming
shows. To check
out the new
Homespun CD go to:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/homespuntrio.
Also, all basic
tracks for my new
Quintet CD have
been recorded at
Fantasy studios in
Berkeley. Stay
tuned to my
website for
further
developments on
this project. My
Quintet will be
previewing this
new material at
Peace Lutheran in
Danville on
October 28th.
Don't miss it!
I continue my work
as a sideman in
both live
performance and
recording
contexts. My most
recent recordings
include the latest
Ian Carey CD,
Angie Spinelli's
new trio CD
"Journey", The new
Oakland Jazz Choir
CD, Ian Dogole's
Hemispheres world
music project
featuring Paul
Mcandless and
Frank Martin, and
Melanie
O'Reilley's Celtic
Jazz Band.
I have also
enjoyed performing
during the last
few months with
Santana's vocalist
Tony Lindsay, Al
Molina's Latin
Jazz Group with
Mark Levine and
Louis Romero, the
Mendocino Festival
Big Band, the
Scotty Wright
group featuring
drummer Ralph
Humphries, my own
Trio performances
with Matt Clark,
Akira Tana, Larry
Dunlap, and many
other super
talented friends.
June
2008
Hello,
everyone.
Wow, half the
year has
already flown
by and many
wonderful
events have
occurred.
First of all,
Marcia and I
became engaged
and celebrated
with a big
bash and gig
at Joe’s
of Lafayette.
We felt very
blessed to
celebrate this
joyous
occasion with
our dear
family,
friends, and
fans.
In
addition, my
quintet
started the
summer on a
swingin’ note
with an
awesome show
at the Sonoma
Wine and Song
Festival
on May
24th.
The band truly
played their
hearts out and
everybody had
a great time.
We plan to
continue the
summer fun at
the Fillmore
Jazz Festival
on July
5th, Pearl’s
on July
20th,
the Old
First Church
on August
3rd,
and our
semi-regular
gigs at Joe’s
of Lafayette
on June
13th, July
11th, August
1st, and
September 5th.
I also have
some gigs
scheduled with
my trio and
quartet, so be
on the lookout
for those
upcoming
shows.
As
usual, I
continued my
work as a
sideman with
many amazing
groups in the
Bay Area, such
as the Contemporary
Jazz
Orchestra,
Collective
West Jazz
Orchestra,
Sandy
Cressman's Homenagem
Brasileira,
and Michael
Smolens’s Kriya. I
also collaborated
with the
gifted
composer Hugo
Wainzinger
on Shanna
Carlson's
new CD, both
as an arranger
and bassist.
This summer, I
will be
playing
regularly with
Latin
Perspective
at the
Shoreline in
Benicia, the Dan
Zemelman
Quartet,
and Julie
Homi’s Homiopathy,
just to name a
few.
Finally,
the school
year ended on
a high note
with my
students at
Stanley Middle
School and the
Bishop O’Dowd
jazz band who
both gave
outstanding
performances
at their end
of the year
concerts.
I
could not have
done all of
this without
the talented
players with
whom I work
and,
especially,
you, the
people who
come out and
support my
efforts and
enjoy the
music. Thank
you so much
and stay
“tuned” for
further
announcements.
Fred's
1st Blog
Hello and welcome
to my website!
This past year has
been an incredibly
busy and exciting
one for me. I have
been leading my
own band, The
Fred Randolph
Quintet
(Fred
Randolph,
basses; Erik
Jekabson,
trumpet; Rob
Roth, saxes; Dan
Zemelman, piano;
and Alan Hall,
drums)
and promoting the
release of my
second solo CD New
Day
(Creative Spirit
Records) which
received its
premiere at The
Jazz School in
December 2006.
This highly
successful concert
was recorded for
broadcast on
KCSM’s (91.1 FM) Sunday
Night Series
and received
significant
airplay on that
station as well as
on KSDS (Jazz 88)
in San Diego. I
also had the
pleasure of being
interviewed by the
great Chuy Varela
last March on his
show Jazz
in the Afternoon.
The mojo continued
as my quintet
played for
receptive
audiences at The
Jazz School,
Hillside Club,
Bistro Yoffi,
Octavia Lounge,
and Joe’s of
Lafayette, where
my girlfriend and
I also celebrated
our birthdays with
a big bash and
gig.
As usual, I have
been performing
as a bassist
with many of the
Bay Area’s
finest
orchestras and
musicians, such
as the
Contemporary
Jazz Orchestra
and Collective
West Jazz
Orchestra at
Pearl’s, Sandy
Cressman’s Homenagem
Brasileira,
Kenny
Washington,
Larry Dunlap,
Frank Martin,
and Marcos
Silva. In
addition, I had
a fun interlude
with Julie
Homi’s band Homiopathy,
which included
Russ Gold, Dann
Zinn, and Barry
Finnerty, where
we tore it up at
the Shoreline in
Benicia. I also
ventured heavily
into the world
music scene via
gigs with
Michael
Smolens’s Earplay
and Kriya,
Musa Hanhan’s Sababa
Band,
and the Iranian
singer, Rana
Farhan.
I am a firm
believer that
undertaking new
challenges
stretches my
creative
boundaries as a
musician. Thus,
I took a step in
a new direction
by serving as a
producer and
arranger for the
CD debut of
Shelly Kutilek,
an up and coming
singer who is a
former member of
the Oakland Jazz
Choir. It was a
wonderful
experience and
opportunity.
I continue to
teach several
private
students; serve
as the director
of The
Groove
Merchants,
the Stanley
Middle School
jazz combo; and
give my class in
Musical Notation
at The Jazz
School. I most
recently began
teaching at
Bishop O’Dowd
High School in
Oakland where I
am developing
the school’s
jazz program.
Please stay
tuned for
further news and
updates. I
expect that 2008
will be an even
busier and
action-packed
year. None of
this would have
been possible
without the
support of my
friends and
fans. I am so
appreciative and
want to extend a
big “Thank You”
to all of you! I
hope you
continue to feed
your soul with
The Fred
Randolph
Quintet.
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