Randy Waldman
Randy Waldman withBeyoncé in 2004
Background information
Born	September 8, 1955 Chicago,Illinois
Genres	Jazz Pop
Occupations	Pianist Arranger Conductor Composer
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1966–present
Website	The Jazz Pilot

Randy Waldman (born September 8, 1955,Chicago,Illinois, United States)^[1] is an Americanpianist,arranger,composer, andconductor. He has frequently collaborated withBarbra Streisand, serving as her pianist and conductor since 1984. Waldman has worked with notable artists includingFrank Sinatra,Michael Jackson,Whitney Houston,Beyoncé,Ray Charles, andStevie Wonder. His 2018 albumSuperheroes garnered theaward for Best Arrangement at the61st Annual Grammy Awards.

Waldman is also a helicopter and airplane instructor, holding a 2003 flight speed record in a Bell OH-58 helicopter.^[2]

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 theNorthwestern University Jazz band.^[4]

At the age of 21, Waldman was hired to go on tour as the pianist for Frank Sinatra.^[4][5] He was then hired byThe Lettermen to go on tour from Chicago toLos Angeles. After the tour, Waldman relocated to Los Angeles and, within a year, he toured withMinnie Riperton,Lou Rawls,Paul Anka, andGeorge 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 asGhostbusters,Romancing the Stone,Back to the Future,Nuts,Beetlejuice,Salsa,Who Framed Roger Rabbit,The Abyss, andWeekend at Bernie's.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Waldman was nominated for aGrammy for Best Vocal Arrangement for "Code of Ethics" fromThe Manhattan Transfer 1983 albumBodies and Souls.^[12][13] Two years later, Waldman's co-arrangement of theWest Side Story song "Somewhere", recorded byBarbra Streisand forThe Broadway Album, won a Grammy.^[4][14] Waldman has contributed to many Streisand albums, films, and live concerts.^[10][15]

In the 1990s, Waldman worked on the soundtracks for numerous films includingForrest Gump,The Bodyguard,Mission: Impossible, andTitanic.^[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]

Randy Waldman has also left a significant mark on the Japanese music scene with artists such asTetsuya Komuro,Namie Amuro, andTomomi Kahara through his string arrangements for various prominent Japanese artists, cementing his legacy as a key figure in enriching Japan’s pop and orchestral soundscape over two decades.

Waldman releasedWigged Out, his first solo album, on his own WhirlyBird Records in 1998. Featuring bassistJohn Pattitucci and drummerVinnie 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] He worked on the soundtrack forIce Age in 2002 before releasingTiming is Everything in 2003.^[4][14]

Waldman appeared on the 2017Seal albumStandards, featuring the songs of Frank Sinatra.^[22] He was also Barbra Streisand's pianist, music director, and conductor for herBarbra: The Music, The Mem'ries, The Magic tour. A filmed version of one of the shows was released onNetflix in November 2017.^[23] In September 2018, he released the studio album,Superheroes, with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Carlitos Del Puerto onbass. The album also featured guest appearances from artists likeChick 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 theGrammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.^[25]

• Randy Waldman's Official Website
• Randy Waldman atIMDb

• American session musicians
• Musicians from Chicago
• Living people
• 1955 births
• Helicopter pilots
• American aviation record holders
• Rotorcraft flight record holders
• 20th-century American pianists
• American male pianists
• Grammy Award winners
• 21st-century American pianists
• 20th-century American male musicians
• 21st-century American male musicians

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