Randy Sandke - Trumpet

Randy Sandke has performed at festivals, clubs, and concerts around the world. In addition to

the United States, he has toured and performed extensively throughout Europe, Japan, Canada,

and India.

Randy has recorded over 20 albums as a leader, and the instrumentalists he has recorded with

include Michael Brecker, Benny Goodman, Kenny Barron, Dick Hyman, Mulgrew Miller, Bill

Charlap, Eric Reed, Frank Wess, Ray Anderson, Chris Potter, Sweets Edison, Flip Phillips,

Scott Hamilton, Wycliffe Gordon, Warren Vaché, and Mel Lewis. Singers include Mel Torme,

Jon Hendricks, Rosemary Clooney, Cab Calloway, John Pizzarelli, Gregory Hines, Art Garfunkel, Barbara Carroll, Dr. John, Karrin Allyson, Susannah McCorkle, as well as appearances with Diane Reeves, Sting, Elton John, Billy Joel, Bette Midler, James Taylor, Chaka Khan, Ruth Brown, Billy Eckstine, and Joe Williams.

Randy has also played on the soundtracks of several films, including Francis Ford Coppola’s

“The Cotton Club,” Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “American Splendor,” and five

Woody Allen movies. On Broadway, Randy played in the production of “Chicago” with Bebe

Neuwirth at the City Center, which launched the hugely successful revivals on stage and screen.

Randy also played the on-stage Harry James trumpet solo which climaxes the show “Fosse.” He recorded all trumpet solos for the recent production of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” starring

Whoopee Goldberg. He has performed on television in Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany,

Italy, and in the U.S. -- on a PBS special with Benny Goodman, and on the CBS “Late Show

with David Letterman.”

As a composer, Randy has received two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and

has had pieces performed at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd St. YMHA, the Greenwich House in New

York City, and Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center. The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band has performed

six of his suites. In 1998, the Concord Concerto label released an album featuring several of his. orchestral compositions in performances by the Bulgarian National Orchestra. More than 50 of Mr. Sandke’s pieces have been recorded. In July of 2003, his “Subway Ballet” was performed at the

92nd St. Y in New York City. He has written arrangements for Sting, Elton John, the King of

Thailand; and transcriptions for Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

Randy’s book, “Harmony for a New Millennium,” published in 2002, details a method of exploring

non-tonal harmony in the context of both composition and improvisation. Randy has also written scholarly articles on jazz history for the “Oxford Companion to Jazz” and the Rutgers University

“Annual Review of Jazz Studies.” He has been a guest lecturer at the Julliard School, Manhattan

School of Music, the New School, Hofstra University, Rutgers University, Hampshire College,

William Patterson College, and the University of Arizona.

Mr. Sandke is listed in the “Encyclopedia of Jazz,” and has been featured in “Jazz Times”

magazine and the English magazine, “Jazz Journal.” His CD, “Inside Out,” was named one of

the top ten albums of the year by Jazz Times in 2002.