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Randal Despommier

Likened to a “Rimbaud hipster” (The Rest is Jazz), Randal Despommier’s music is a genres-and-centuries spanning amalgam of jazz, blues, and western classical idioms, resulting in a distinct twenty first-century compositional voice. Since moving to New York City in 2013, Despommier, a native of Metairie, Louisiana, has become a part of the New York jazz scene, performing in the ‪Williamsburg Music Center‬, ‪Cornelia Street Café‬, The Cell Theater, and other NYC jazz havens.

All At Onceness, a “compelling new album” (Boston Globe) on Red Piano Records, is Despommier’s first recording project with pianist/composer Jason Yeager. It has received widespread acclaim, including positive mentions in Jazz Verlag magazine and airplay on various radio programs including Coleurs Jazz (Paris) and Radio Oskarshamn (Sweden). Since the album release, Despommier has shared his music with audiences around the United States, including the venues Regattabar, David Friend Hall at Berklee College of Music, Port City Blue, and the Backroom in Berkeley CA. His debut solo album (title TBA) with Outside in records will be recorded in November and released in the spring of 2020. Other projects include a forthcoming classical song cycle, Circus of the Soul, (released on the streaming platform Idagio) and a new album consisting of jazz arrangements of medieval and renaissance songs. A live recording of a track from this album can be streamed here on Soundcloud.

Despommier received a D.M.A. in music composition from New England Conservatory and a B.M. (cum laude) in jazz studies at Loyola University of New Orleans. He has also studied choral conducting at the Conservatory of Perugia and sacred music at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena under the tutelage of Azio Corghi. As Adjunct Professor, he currently teaches music performance, music theory, and music history at Bard High School Early College in Manhattan. He has also taught jazz history with the Bard Prison Initiative at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility for men.

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Album Review

Randal Despommier: A Midsummer Odyssey

Read "A Midsummer Odyssey" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Lars Gullin was a Swedish baritone saxophonist active mainly in the Fifties and Sixties and known for his work on his native jazz scene as well as playing with American stars such as Chet Baker and Lee Konitz. His compositions were an early example of a European musician mixing the sounds of his home country with American jazz, bringing a thoughtful Nordic calm into the cool jazz realm. Alto saxophonist Randal Despommier is a long-time Gullin fan and, on this ...

4
Album Review

Randal Despommier: A Midsummer Odyssey

Read "A Midsummer Odyssey" reviewed by Mark Corroto


If it was possible to fall in love with a set of music, Randal Despommier's A Midsummer Odyssey might be the one. The backstory to this recording begins in Perugia, Italy in 2005, where the American saxophonist heard the composition “Danny's Dream," by the Swedish saxophonist Lars Gullin (1928--1976). He was captivated by the music performed by this Scandinavian luminary and master of the baritone saxophone. Gullin was little known to American audiences, but has been hailed by contemporary bari ...

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Radio & Podcasts

New releases from Mark Lettieri, Tomas Merlo Group and Randal Despommier

Read "New releases from Mark Lettieri, Tomas Merlo Group and Randal Despommier" reviewed by Len Davis


Lots of new music this week including Mark Lettieri, Tomas Merlo Group, Dave Weckl, Band, Jeremy Green and Randal Despommier.Playlist Mark Lettieri “Red Dwarf" from Deep; The Baritone Sessions (Ground Up Music) 00:00 Snarky Puppy “Bling Bling" from Immigrance (Ground Up Music) 06:35 Dimas Predipta “9 Range Road" from Extension (BeatLuz Music) 13:06 Dewa Budjana “Ilw" from Mahandini (Dawaiku ) 19:36 Tomas Merlo “Crisis" from Crisis (Youkali Music) 26:14 Dave Weckl band “Mud Sauce" from Live In st ...

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