Dean Randall

Dean Randall pours forth talent as big as his baritone saxophone. As his ever-growing deluge of devotees are so fond of saying, Dean puts the low in mellow, his sound reaching out to envelop and hold you in a warm embrace.

The evolution of Dean's individual style originates with him growing up around music. Having several relatives, including his mother, as founding members of the famous Chicago-based “Velvetones” brought a consistent wealth of musical experiences into his childhood home. When Dean turned twelve, his uncle and godfather introduced him to the saxophone, and it wasn't very long before Dean wore out every Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, and Earth Wind & Fire album in Illinois!

Dean's deep love of those bands sparked an immediate need to learn about arranging. In 7th grade, he began transcribing Chicago & BS&T scores. By high school, he added the guitar to his instrumental arsenal and delved into the world of rock music with some friends and brothers, creating the group “Four On The Floor.” Fascinated by sound reproduction, Dean embarked on an exploration of electronic sound system design while still in high school. By seventeen, several of his arrangements had been premiered by the award-winning Flora High School jazz Band.

In a difficult decision, Dean chose to decline an invitation to attend the world-famous Berklee College of Music. To be closer to his extended Italian family (is there any other kind?), he chose to attend Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville) where he studied classical and jazz saxophone and graduated with a jazz performance degree. Always striving to elevate his compositional abilities, Dean apprenticed himself to Brett Stamps, the celebrated composer/arranger from the University of Miami & Stan Kenton Band fame.

Expanding his instrumental inquiry, Dean focused on the baritone saxophone for several years. Over time, his saxophone prowess grew to a mastery level on the alto, tenor and bari in equal measure. Emulating his favorite sax artists (Gene Ammons, The Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Phil Woods and Cannonball Adderley), he emerged from their influence with a sound entirely his own.

Dean toured with the contemporary R&B dance group “Madway Café” for several years, playing saxes and keyboards in addition to providing many of the band's arrangements. When not on tour, he continued studio writing and recording for several other local artists including contributing the background soundtrack to “Is We Is,” a novelty video with national airplay.

Relocating to Phoenix (seriously, it's just a little less snowy than Chicago), it didn't take Dean very long to work his way into the local music scene performing with the Scottsdale Community College Monday Night Jazz Band and several, high-profile entertainment agencies and variety groups. Dean performed at the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival in 1991, and participated in a performance tour of northern England in 1992. Joining the Groove Merchants in 1995, Dean continues to anchor the best horn section in Phoenix as its baritone saxophonist and primary arranger.

Inspired by the 2001 Fountain Hills Jazz Festival, particularly the performances of Michael Lington, Warren Hill and George Benson, created the blueprint for Late Harvest Jazz. Through his connections with Bose Electronics and his affiliation with the Groove Merchants, Dean and the other horn players (Jack Bannon, Brett Haglin and Rich Cross) are pioneering artists for the Bose's cutting edge, live-music sound technology. Dean's experience in arranging, performance and sound design has a new muse in Late Harvest. The musical horizon beckons. Show less