Randy Waldman

Randy Waldman (born September 8, 1955, Chicago, Illinois, United States)[1] is an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor. In 2019, Waldman's arrangement of the "Spiderman Theme" on his Superheroes album garnered the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals at the 61st Grammy Awards. Waldman also co-arranged Barbra Streisand's "Somewhere", which was awarded with an arrangement Grammy in 1985. He has served as Streisand's pianist and conductor for over 35 years and has worked with numerous artists including Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder. He is also a helicopter and airplane pilot and instructor and holds a 2003 flight speed record in a Bell OH-58 helicopter.[2]

Randy Waldman
Randy Waldman with Beyoncé in 2004
Background information
Born	September 8, 1955 Chicago, Illinois
Genres	Jazz Pop
Occupation(s)	Pianist Arranger Conductor Composer
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1966–present
Associated acts	Barbra Streisand Frank Sinatra George Benson Josh Groban Michael Bublé
Website	Official website

Early life

Waldman was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 8, 1955.[1] Waldman began playing piano at age five at which time he was considered a child prodigy.[3] He was hired to demonstrate pianos at a local piano store at age 12. While in high school, he performed with the Northwestern University Jazz band.[4]

Career

At the age of 21, Waldman was hired to go on tour as the pianist for Frank Sinatra.[4][5] He was then hired by The Lettermen to go on tour from Chicago to Los Angeles. After the tour, Waldman relocated to Los Angeles and, within a year, he toured with Minnie Riperton, Lou Rawls, Paul Anka, and George Benson, the last of whom kept Waldman around as his pianist, musical director, and arranger for the following seven years.[4][6][7]

Eventually, Waldman began a session career in Los Angeles that would go on to span 40 years. He has performed on hundreds of albums, motion picture soundtracks, television shows, and jingles.[4] In the 1980s, Waldman worked on soundtracks such as Ghostbusters, Romancing the Stone, Back to the Future, Nuts, Beetlejuice, Salsa, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Abyss, and Weekend at Bernie's.[8][9][10][11]

In 1983, Waldman was nominated for a Grammy for Best Vocal Arrangement for The Manhattan Transfer's "Code of Ethics", from their album Bodies and Souls.[12][13] Two years later, Waldman's co-arrangement of the West Side Story song "Somewhere", on Barbra Streisand's The Broadway Album, won a Grammy.[4][14] Waldman has been Streisand’s pianist for over 30 years and is featured on many of her albums, movies, and live performances.[10][15]

In the 1990s, Waldman worked on the soundtracks for numerous films including Forrest Gump, The Bodyguard, Mission: Impossible, and Titanic.[8][9][10] He also worked with numerous artists over the course of his career including Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Patti LaBelle, Celine Dion, Beyoncé, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Olivia Newton-John, Barry Manilow, Ray Charles, The Stylistics, Michael Bublé, Quincy Jones, Johnny Mathis, Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli,[4][9][16][17][18] John Travolta,[19] Kenny G,[17] Katey Sagal, and others.[20]

In 1998, Waldman released his first solo album, Wigged Out, on his own WhirlyBird Records, featuring bassist John Pattitucci and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. The album consisted of a collection of classical songs reworked with jazz arrangements.[21] His second album, UnReel, was released in 2001 and featured a variety of soundtrack and theme music from many different films and television shows.[3] In 2002, he worked on the soundtrack for Ice Age before releasing a third album, Timing is Everything, in 2003.[4][14]

In 2017, Waldman appeared on Seal's Standards album which features Frank Sinatra's songs.[22] He was also Barbra Streisand's pianist, music director, and conductor for her Barbra: The Music, The Mem'ries, The Magic tour. A filmed version of one of the shows was released on Netflix in November 2017.[23] In September 2018, he released the studio album, Superheroes, with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Carlitos Del Puerto on bass. The album also featured guest appearances from artists like Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Take 6, Chris Potter, and several others.[24] Waldman's arrangement of the album's "Spiderman Theme" would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals at the 61st Grammy Awards in 2019. His arrangement of the "Batman Theme" was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.[25]

Selected discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums with selected album details

Title	Details
Wigged Out	Released: 1998 (US) Label: WhirlyBird/Concord Jazz Formats: CD, Vinyl
UnReel	Released: 2001 (US) Label: WhirlyBird/Concord Jazz Formats: CD, Vinyl
Timing is Everything	Released: 2003 (US) Label: WhirlyBird/Concord Jazz Formats: CD, Vinyl
Superheroes	Released: September 28, 2018 (US) Label: BFM Jazz Formats: CD, Vinyl

Songwriting, instrumental, and production

List of songwriting, instrumental, and production credits on selected albums

Album [16][17]	Year	Artist	Role	Notes
Lou Rawls Live	1978	Lou Rawls	Keyboards
Emotion	1984	Barbra Streisand	Synthesizer	US #19[26]
The Broadway Album	1985		Arranger Keyboards Synthesizer Assistant Engineer	US #1,[26] co-arrangement of "Somewhere" won Grammy
20/20		George Benson	Arranger Keyboards Synthesizer	US #45[27]
One Voice	1987	Barbra Streisand	Synthesizer	US #9[26]
Bad		Michael Jackson	Synthesizer	US #1[28]
Till I Loved You	1988	Barbra Streisand	Arranger Piano Synthesizer Programming Drum programming Rhythm arrangements	US #10[26]
This Christmas	1990	Patti LaBelle	Producer Engineer Arranger Piano Synthesizer Drum programming Vocal arrangement Composer
The Comfort Zone	1991	Vanessa Williams	Arranger Piano Arrangement preparation Writer	US #17[29]
Love Remembers	1993	George Benson	Strings Piano Keyboards
My World		Ray Charles	Guitar Synthesizer	US #145[30]
The Concert	1994	Barbra Streisand	Piano Synthesizer	US #10[30]
Miracles: The Holiday Album		Kenny G	Piano	US #1[31]
Earth Songs	1995	John Denver	Piano Synthesizer
My Cherie		Sheena Easton	Arranger Keyboards Programming Guest artist
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I		Michael Jackson	Keyboards Synthesizer	US #1[28]
The Best of George Benson		George Benson	Synthesizer
Star Bright	1996	Vanessa Williams	Arranger Piano	US #36[29]
Higher Ground	1997	Barbra Streisand	Piano	US #1[26]
Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix		Michael Jackson	Keyboards Synthesizer	US #24[28]
Greatest Hits Volume III		Billy Joel	Keyboards	US #9[32]
The Complete Hits Collection: 1973–1997
Bathhouse Betty	1998	Bette Midler	Piano Guest artist	US #32[33]
The Collection		John Denver	Arranger
The Movie Album: As Time Goes By		Neil Diamond	Keyboards	US #31[34]
A Love Like Ours	1999	Barbra Streisand	Piano Keyboards Guest artist Synthesizer	US #6[26]
Classics in the Key of G		Kenny G	Piano Guest artist	US #17[31]
Faith: A Holiday Album				US #6[31]
Timeless: Live in Concert	2000	Barbra Streisand	Arranger Keyboards Orchestration	US #21[26]
Les Incontournables		George Benson	Synthesizer Programming
The George Benson Anthology			Synthesizer
Mathis on Broadway		Johnny Mathis	Producer Engineer Arranger Guest artist Piano Keyboards
Freedom		Sheena Easton	Producer Engineer Arranger Programming
Best Ballads			Arranger Keyboards Programming
Christmas Memories	2001	Barbra Streisand	Keyboards	US #15[26]
Duets	2002		Arranger	US #38[26]
Paradise		Kenny G	Piano	US #9[31]
Wishes: A Holiday Album				US #29[31]
The Christmas Album		Johnny Mathis		US #143[35]
Just Whitney		Whitney Houston	String arrangements String conductor	US #9[36]
The Movie Album	2003	Barbra Streisand	Piano Keyboards	US #5[26]
Michael Bublé		Michael Bublé	Arranger Piano Keyboards Horn arrangements	US #5[37]
Let It Snow			Arranger Keyboards	US #32[37]
The Greatest Hits of All		George Benson	Synthesizer	US #138[27]
Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook		Bette Midler	Piano Harpsichord	US #14[33]
Genius Loves Company	2004	Ray Charles	Arranger Piano Keyboards Rhythm Arrangement	US #1[30]
The Essential Johnny Mathis		Johnny Mathis	Piano
It's Time	2005	Michael Bublé	Piano	US #7[37]
The Greatest Holiday Classics		Kenny G	Piano Keyboards Horn Arrangements	US #39[31]
My Lives		Billy Joel	Keyboards	US #171[32]
With Love	2006	Michael Bublé	Piano
Givin' It Up		George Benson and Al Jarreau	Piano Arranger	US #58[27]
I'm in the Mood for Love...The Most Romantic Melodies of All Time		Kenny G	Conductor Piano Arranger	US #37[31]
Cool Yule		Bette Midler	Piano Keyboards	US #33[33]
Amore		Andrea Bocelli		US #3[38]
Live in Concert 2006	2007	Barbra Streisand	Arranger Piano Orchestration	US #7[26]
Call Me Irresponsible		Michael Bublé	Arranger Keyboards	US #1[37]
King of Pop	2008	Michael Jackson	Keyboards Synthesizer
The Collection	2009		Synthesizer
Special Delivery	2010	Michael Bublé	Piano	US #26[37]
What Matters Most	2011	Barbra Streisand		US #4[26]
Release Me	2012			US #7[26]
The Classic Christmas Album		Kenny G		US #128[31]
This Christmas		John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John	Producer Arranger Conductor Mixing Organ Piano Synthesizer bass	US #81[39]
Back to Brooklyn	2013	Barbra Streisand	Keyboards
Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole		George Benson	Producer Conductor Arranger Piano Background vocals	US #89[27]
Love in Portofino		Andrea Bocelli	Keyboards Piano	US #40[38]
Partners	2014	Barbra Streisand	Piano	US #1[26]
Stages	2015	Josh Groban		US #2[40]
Stages: Live	2016			US #149[40]
Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway		Barbra Streisand		US #1[26]
The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic!	2017		Music direction Piano	US #69[26]
Standards		Seal	Piano

Nominations and awards

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
1984	Grammy Award	Best Vocal Arrangement	Arrangement of The Manhattan Transfer's "Code of Ethics"	Nominated	[12]
2019		Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella	Arrangement of "Batman Theme" from Waldman's Superheroes	Nominated	[12]
		Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals	Arrangement of "Spiderman Theme" from Waldman's Superheroes	Won	[12]

References

1. "Randy Waldman". Discogs. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
2. World and United States Aviation & Space Records, © 2004, National Aeronautic Association of the USA
3. Santella, Jim (October 1, 2001). "Randy Waldman: UnReel". All About Jazz. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
4. Huey, Steve. "Randy Waldman | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
5. "Seal sets new Standards with album of timeless classics and premieres I've Got You Under My Skin". The Telegraph. September 28, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
6. "Seal recruited for Frank Sinatra Christmas duets album". Music News. October 21, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
7. Bishop, Pete (July 12, 1979). "George Benson Hits Right Note". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
8. "Randy Waldman". IMDb. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
9. Hauser, Christian V.; Tomal, Daniel R.; Rajan, Rekha S. (September 14, 2017). Songwriting: Strategies for Musical Self-Expression and Creativity (3rd revised ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
10. Chaves Espinach, Fernando (November 1, 2014). "Pianista Randy Waldman se presentará". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved February 6, 2018.
11. "Randy Waldman, Dreamstreet, Vince DiCola, Jeremy Lubbock – The Artful Balance Collection - Volume 1". Discogs. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
12. "Randy Waldman". Grammy Awards. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
13. "Bodies and Souls". MusicBrainz. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
14. "Pianist Randy Waldman Finds PM40 The Piano Miking Solution". Earthworks Audio. March 12, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
15. Vitello, Barbara (August 10, 2016). "Streisand returns to Chicago solo, and she sure can deliver a song". Daily Herald. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
16. "Randy Waldman - Credits". Discogs. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
17. "Randy Waldman - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
18. "Exclusive Interview with Suzi Carr in Concert". LAEXTV. November 18, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
19. Gans, Andrew (October 3, 2012). ""Grease" Stars Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta Reunite for Holiday CD; Barbra Streisand Among Guest Vocalists". Playbill. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
20. O'Malley, Kathy; Collin, Dorothy (August 26, 1990). "In your face Philip Knight, chairman of Nike..." Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
21. "Jazz Times, Volume 28, Issues 6-10". JazzTimes. 1998. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
22. Lanham, Tom (November 28, 2017). "Seal gets back to basics, and up close and personal". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
23. Hetrick, Adam (October 23, 2017). "Barbra: The Music ... The Mem'ries ... The Magic! Will Premiere on Netflix". Playbill. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
24. Hynes, Jim (28 September 2018). "Randy Waldman Leads Colaiuta, Del Puerto, Corea, Marsalis & More On 'Superheroes' TV & Movie Theme Re-imagining". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
25. Rivera, Joshua (10 February 2019). "Here Are the 2019 Grammy Winners". GQ. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
26. "Barbra Streisand - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
27. "George Benson - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
28. "Michael Jackson - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
29. "Vanessa Williams - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
30. "Ray Charles - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
31. "Kenny G - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
32. "Billy Joel - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
33. "Bette Midler - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
34. "Neil Diamond - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
35. "Johnny Mathis - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
36. "Whitney Houston - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
37. "Michael Bublé - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
38. "Andrea Bocelli - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
39. "John Travolta - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
40. "Josh Groban - Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2018.

External links

• Randy Waldman's Official Website
• Randy Waldman on IMDb