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Randy Villars

Jazz pianist/saxophonist/composer/producer/educator

About Me

RANDY VILLARS - PIANIST, SAXOPHONIST, COMPOSER/PRODUCER AT 20 YEARS OF AGE, RANDY WAS BLESSED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY OF PLAYING PIANO FOR LEGENDARY BE-BOP SAXOPHONIST SONNY STITT, ALONG WITH FUTURE BASS LEGEND DAVE CARPENTER AND DRUMMER STEVE BARNES AT GILLY'S JAZZ CLUB IN DAYTON OHIO. THUS BEGAN A STRING OF SUCH APPEARANCES WITH JAZZ GIANTS EDDIE HARRIS, JAMES MOODY, JOHN SCOFIELD, STEVE TURRE, FRED HERSCH, CLARK TERRY, TIM HAGANS, CONRAD HERWIG, BERNARD PURDY, OTHELLO MOLINEAUX, MARK MURPHY, NORRIS TURNEY, MIKE DAVIS, AND OTHERS.

WHILE A STUDENT AND GRADUATE TEACHING ASSOCIATE AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, RANDY PLAYED AND/OR STUDIED WITH MAYNARD FERGUSON, RAMSEY LEWIS, DAVE SAMUELS, ANDREW WHITE, HANK MARR, JOHN FEDCHOCK, JIM RUPP, AND DICK SHEARER.

OTHER BRUSHES WITH GREAT PLAYERS: BOB BERG, SONNY ROLLINS, BILL MAYS, HAL GALPER, GORDIE BRISKER, DAVE DOUGLAS, JUDY SILVANO, ANDREAS WEIDENMUELLER, MARK FELDMAN, CAL COLLINS AND OTHERS.

RANDY WORKED AS A SESSION MUSICIAN AND FOUND HIMSELF IN DEMAND AS A PIANIST, SYNTH PLAYER, SAXOPHONIST, COMPOSER/ARRANGER AND COMMERCIAL MUSIC PRODUCER. IN ADDITION, HE PICKED UP SOME CREDITS PLAYING ON ALBUM PROJECTS FOR CBS RECORDS, POLYGRAM AND OTHERS.

WHILE WORKING IN CINCINNATI, CHICAGO AND NASHVILLE, RANDY COMPOSED AND/OR PRODUCED ORIGINAL MUSIC FOR CLIENTS SUCH AS MCDONALD'S, GULF AND WESTERN, KODAK, AND MANY OTHERS. HE COMPOSED ORIGINAL SCORES FOR TIME-LIFE FILMS, BROADCAST ON THE A & E TELEVISION NETWORK.

HE HAS PLAYED PIT ORCHESTRA KEYBOARDS FOR THE TOURING BROADWAY MUSICALS VICTOR, VICTORIA, 42ND STREET, ANNIE, AND IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

RANDY HAS THREE INTERNATIONALLY DISTRIBUTED CD PROJECTS ON THE LEVIATHAN AND POSITIVE MUSIC RECORDS LABELS TO HIS CREDIT. EACH OF THE CDS RECEIVED POSITIVE REVIEWS AND AIRPLAY ON 50 PLUS STATIONS. AIRPLAY ON TIME-WARNER MUSIC CHOICE AND OTHER MEDIA.

HE STUDIED WITH JAZZ GREATS KENNY WERNER AND JOE LOVANO AT THE BANFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS AND IS CURRENTLY AT WORK ON A NEW PIANO TRIO CD. FEATURING ORIGINALS AND RE-WORKED STANDARDS, THE PROJECT CALLED “MELODIES” IS SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN 2012.

THE CURRENT HIGHLIGHT FOR RANDY IS THE BOOTSY COLLINS WORLD TOUR. RANDY IS PLAYING ALTO SAXOPHONE IN BOOTSY'S NEW FUNK U-NITY BAND CONCERTIZING THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, RUSSIA, AND BRAZIL.

RANDY GIVES THE DEEPEST THANKS AND CREDIT TO HIS TEACHERS FOR PROVIDING HIM WITH A SOLID AND MULTIFARIOUS MUSICAL FOUNDATION UPON WHICH TO BUILD AS AN INSTRUMENTALIST AND COMPOSER: CLASSICAL PIANO TEACHERS LOUISE WHYTE, WILLIAM WALTERS AND ROBERT WYNNE; CLASSICAL CLARINET TEACHERS ARTHUR ERESMAN, JOHN KEMP, AND RICHARD YORK; SYMPHONIC BAND DIRECTORS CLARK HAINES AND RICHARD BUTTS; SYMPHONIC BAND AND JAZZ ENSEMBLE DIRECTOR WES HAINES; JAZZ ENSEMBLE DIRECTORS IAN POLSTER AND AND TOM BATTENBERG; ORCHESTRAL CONDUCTORS CHARLES WENDELKEN-WILSON, DONALD DETRIECH AND JOSEPH FERRITO; SONGWRITING COACHES MOLLY- ANN LEIKEN AND THE LEGENDARY SAMMY CAHN; JAZZ GURUS KENNY WERNER, JOE LOVANO, DAVE PIETRO, MICHAEL KANAN, AARON GOLDBERG, BILL CUNLIFFE, STEVE BARNES, DAVE CARPENTER, AND TOM RANIER.

THE FUTURE PROMISES TRIO AND QUARTET RECORDING PROJECTS, DEEPER STUDY OF THEORY, HARMONY AND COMPOSITION, AND EXPANSION HIS TEACHING CAREER TO INCLUDE ROAD-SHOW MASTER CLASSES AND MORE EDUCATIONAL BOOKS, CDS, AND DVDS.

RANDY'S SITES AS HIS MAIN MUSICAL INFLUENCES: BILL EVANS (THE PIANIST), SONNY ROLLINS, JOHN COLTRANE, MICHAEL BRECKER, CHARLIE PARKER, MILES DAVIS, DIZZY GILLESPIE, TIM HAGANS, KENNY WERNER, HERBIE HANCOCK, CHICK COREA, KEITH JARRETT, DEXTER GORDON, DAVID SANBORN, KENNY GARRETT, PAT METHENY, WEATHER REPORT, ARTIE SHAW, PETE FOUNTAIN, BOB MINTZER, MIKE MANIERI, MCCOY TYNER, AND GIL EVANS, ALSO CLASSICAL COMPOSERS DEBUSSY, RAVEL, IVES, TCHAIKOVSKY, AND OTHERS.

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because it is so interesting and fun to listen to and so interesting and fun to learn about and so interesting and fun to study, to learn how to improvise and play this wonderful music. I was first exposed to jazz by my dad, who was from New Orleans. He turned me onto Dixieland and my first musical hero - Pete Fountain, the great New Orleans clarinetist. Then, it was discovering Bill Evans and Sonny Rollins and Maynard Ferguson and Coltrane and from there, the floodgates were opened!!! I met Sonny Rollins at Gilly's Jazz Club in Dayton, Ohio when I was in high school and got a chance TO PLAY with Maynard Ferguson in a band made up largely of area teachers also when I was a high school student. Maynard was our guest soloist. I just remember I was up all night after that concert because I of the exhilaration i was feeling from that early brush with jazz greatness! Other brushes would follow, including getting the chance when I was a college student, to play piano behind the great Sonny Stitt FOR TWO NIGHTS in a row also at Gilly's in Dayton - along with my friends bassist (THE) Dave Carpenter and drummer Steve Barnes. Priceless!!! The best show I ever attended was The Pat Metheny Group love at Mershon Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio in 1980. That group was at the height of its powers at that time. I was BEYOND a show for me, an experience of an entirely different and higher order!!! The first jazz record I bought was probably actually purchased by my parents and that was Pete Fountain's "Candy Clarinet." My advice to new listeners is: LISTEN TO EVERYTHING...Jazz, Classical, Pop, Rock, Country, R&B, Ethnic music from around the world. Everything except (tip 'o the hat to Duke Ellington)"bad music." :-)