Randy Klein is a distinguished composer, pianist, record producer, author, and music educator, celebrated for his multi-award-winning contributions to the arts. Among his notable works is For My People, a powerful song cycle inspired by the poetry of American author Margaret Walker. This composition was prominently featured at the Furious Flower Poetry Festival at James Madison University and the University of Kansas, with its premiere held on April 2, 2011, at the Forbes Center for the Arts, James Madison University, VA.
Klein’s profound connection to poetry is further showcased in his compositions Facing It and Dear John, Dear Coltrane, which are based on the works of Yusef Komunyakaa and Michael Harper. These pieces premiered during the 2014 Furious Flower Poetry Conference, performed by the combined James Madison University and Morgan State Chorales, highlighting his ability to intertwine music and literary art.
His remarkable career also includes the world premiere of Fanfare For Jerusalem performed at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, NYC, followed by performances at Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and in Jerusalem, Israel, later that year. In April 2018, Klein debuted his concert work Brockton, performed by the Brockton High School Advanced Concert Band, further cementing his legacy as a composer whose works resonate across diverse audiences and settings. With great pleasure, we had the opportunity to speak about his career and current projects.
Randy, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. You started performing at just 14 with The Good Things and played with your high school marching band. How did those early experiences shape your passion for music and your path as a musician?
Oh that’s an easy answer, The Good Things were a ‘Young Rascals’ cover band. We performed songs like Good Lovin, I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore, How Can I Be Sure, Groovin’ along with other pop hits like I’m On the Outside Looking In (Little Anthony and the Imperials) and many more. We’re talkin’ New Jersey, 1960s rock’n’roll. I owned a Farfisa Combo Compact organ which my father bought for me at Manny’s on 48th Street. We won the Fort Lee – Battle of the Bands in 1966. I was in the biz. Hooked on great songs and the world of pop music.
The high school marching band was another musical world and a wonderful experience that I look back upon which reminds me that I have been obsessed with music ‘like forever’. When I was a freshman in high school, I joined the HS band. But I couldn’t march with my piano and even though I was interested in brass and reed instruments and tried a few, it really wasn’t a fit. To solve my problem, Mr. Miller, the head of the FLHS band, decided that I was to be in the drum section. The section consisted of about 6 drummers playing snare and tenor drums. Being that I was the freshman, the head of the section, a senior, told me I was going to be the bass drummer. It seemed like no one wanted to march with the bass drum and then I showed up. You know…give it to the new kid! As I look back on this now, I realize I thought it was cool. Wearing the uniform, halftime routines at football games, marching down main street of Fort Lee after a victory. I thought I was cool. What is funny is that I was short, a towering 5 ft 5 inches. And, because I’m usually the last one to know, I didn’t realize how funny I looked. In fact, I was happy. I was very proud to be assigned this auspicious role. I was playing music. Boom boom boom boom. I was feelin’ the beat!!!!
Graduating from Berklee and receiving your degree from Duke Ellington is an incredible memory. How did your time at Berklee influence your musical style, and what was it like meeting such an iconic figure in jazz?
In 1971, the graduating class from the Berklee College of Music was all of 48 musicians. The ceremony took place at the John Hancock Building in Boston. Berklee was a small intimate school at that time. The guest speakers were (ready for this!!!) the amazing musician arranger producer Arif Mardin and the musical genius Duke Ellington. Not too shabby! Each member of our class walked across that stage, received their degree and shook hands with these two world renowned musical icons.
And there’s more…at the reception, a group of us were casually asking Duke Ellington questions. One of them being, ‘Who do you listen to?’ As he spoke you could hear a pin drop, he said, ‘I listen to everyone and I listen to no one.’ Duke Ellington then signed all of our degrees with his infamous Edward K. Ellington signature. I’m very proud of that moment in my life. My signed degree is on the wall of my studio for all to see.
You can say that moment had a profound effect on me as well. And, because I’m usually the last one to know, I didn’t realize how important the years at Berklee were. I was always a good improviser, but at Berklee, I learned about the art form jazz: the players who were saying something musically important; the history; the styles; the influences; the gift of being able to express yourself through this musical language and how good it felt – the freedom of improvisation. I absorbed as much music as I could, got to play with many musicians in ensembles and was taught by the likes of Phil Wilson, Dean Earl, Ray Santisi, and of course my mentor John Laporta. I eventually taught in John’s program at Berklee in the early 1970s. I loved music and I was in the right place at the right time. It was also where I began to learn how to be a music educator.
You toured with Millie Jackson during a pivotal time in your career. What were the most valuable lessons you learned from working with her, and how did those experiences impact your journey as a musician?
R&B Hall of Famer, Millie Jackson and I have been friends since the first day I went to her house in Teaneck, NJ to rehearse. Our commonality was that we were both ‘crazy’ and willing to go with ideas that weren’t considered, let’s say, the norm. She was the first artist to record one of my songs. The song, Feelin’ Like A Woman was on her hit album Feelin’ Bitchy. She and I later co-wrote Go Out and Get Some (Get It Out’cha System) which also went gold.
I learned a great deal from Millie J. Not being afraid of who you are is one of the big ones. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Millie J., Millie Jackson (R&B Hall of Fame) is not afraid of using profanity on or off stage. She is inherently funny and doesn’t shy away from telling the truth or being labeled as a purveyor of dirty words. In fact, her awareness of who she was became a big part of the result of her success. Millie Jackson fans love her for being true to herself. Another lesson.
I have good feelings about those days. I was the only white person in the band for going on three years. It was an eye and ear opening experience for me. It laid the foundations for many other projects that were then still way in the future. During this time, I learned first-hand what racism felt like traveling with Millie and the band. We traveled through the south playing the chitlin circuit. Her fanbase was mostly below the Mason-Dixon line. I remember that we weren’t allowed into a motel in Yazoo City, MS. We were turned aways from restaurants in Arkansas. Our vehicles were stopped by police in South Carolina looking for some reason to give us trouble. I wasn’t aware of what a profound impression that period of time had on my being. The feeling of racism and antisemitism was always palpable. It was thick, in the air, hard to avoid and looking back I remember being frightened to death by it. Having a grocery store owner in Mississippi ask me with a tone of disrespect, ‘You’re a Jew aren’t ya?’ still weighs heavy on me. The tone of his asking in that way stemmed from ignorance and hate. What happened during this period of my life was that I learned to recognize hate. I find it ironic that hate is intangible like music. You can’t hold on to it, so you just have to be acutely aware of what it feels and sounds like. A good skillset to have!
I almost forgot…the Millie Jackson band members – we were called the ‘Easy Action Band’(of course it was the 70s!!!)….Brian Tyree, great rhythm guitar player, George Morland (Isley Brothers drummer on Work To Do – who taught me how to feel time), and Levi Monroe, lead blues guitar and MD. It was a cooking R&B rhythm section. Millie’s shows were known for her spontaneity, they were always filled with surprises. We were accenting her every nuanced move and line. She kept us on our toes. Talking about improvisation! And…this is me braggin’, I played the Apollo!
We were a family that I was proud to be a part of. Those years with Millie Jackson taught me about life and about people. We all cared and looked out for each other. That’s what you do!
Anecdote: Millie and I were on an airplane back to Newark from some gig in South Carolina, we got into a conversation about how different we were from each other. She from Georgia, influenced by Gospel, R&B and country music, with a flair for using four letter words, and me, from Fort Lee, NJ, a musician with a pop, jazz, musical theatre and classical background. I jokingly said, ‘it sounds like a symphony’. Millie responded, ‘yes the Phuck-U Symphony.’ That night I wrote it, recorded a demo on my old 4-track Tascam and the next day performed/conducted it for Millie in her kitchen, I sang all parts and concluded with a baffo musical button. After she stopped laughing, she said, ‘I want to record it!’. The ‘live and uncensored’ album that contained the Phuck-U Symphony went Platinum. It has been sampled numerous times by artists like Black Sheep, Memphis Bleak, Lil Kim Yo Gotti featuring Meek Mill and a bunch more. Not too shabby. Here’s to writing special songs for unusual situations. I love the songs that I wrote for Millie. They are some of my favorites in my catalog. Recently, songs from that period that weren’t recorded have emerged from the trunk. Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band with blues singer Antoinette Montague recorded Who Taught You That?. The album Vox Humana was nominated for a Grammy. Song was written in 1978. Go figure!
In 1992, you founded Jazzheads, which now boasts over 225 titles and numerous accolades. What inspired you to create your own label, and what do you consider the key to its success?
In 1992, I had been shopping a recording titled, Randy Klein’s ‘Jazzheads’. It consisted of jazz songs. Jazz melodies with lyrics. I had a folder of rejection letters from all the labels that passed on it. I should have wall papered my bathroom with those letters. FYI: I threw the folder aways some years ago. At a moment of frustration, which there were many, I threw them in a dumpster. I wanted rid myself of rejections.
A friend suggested I press 1000 CDs and start sending them out to music people I knew. Which I did. One of those CDs wound up in the hands of a gentleman named Al Julian, an old radio record promoter from the early days of Concord Jazz. He called me and said, he liked the recording and would send it to some of his friends. Which he did. One of those friends was the late great radio jock, Michael Bourne from WBGO in Newark, NJ. One night I’m in my kitchen cooking dinner and I hear Michael Bourne say, ‘I normally don’t get recordings sent to my apartment, mostly here at the station, but I’m glad this one landed on my doorstep.’, he played two of my tracks DATA and Coffee. And, it was at that moment that I realized Jazzheads was a record company. I’ve been composing, playing, promoting and learning from recordings ever since. The industry has changed but the mission is the same, creating and promoting music while finding your fanbase. The good news is that the internet has changed the playing field. Opportunities for exposure are endless. Streaming has taken us back to the days of 45s. One song/track at a time. I feel it forces artists to show their best work, and the cream still does rise to the top, but the playing field has become extremely crowded, and sadly some of those in the crowd are imposters. To quote the Godfather, ‘this is the world we live in’.
I have notice that certain older tracks and albums continue to stream and download. It is amazing to me to see that these tracks, released 20 years ago which are now getting their just due. A bit of self-vindication and excited because these were the tracks that sold me on the recording, caught my ear the first time I heard them.
The key to success is: Keep the pencil sharp….translates to keep creating.
You’ve worked with an impressive roster of artists, from Diane Schuur to Bobby Sanabria and Kenny Barron. Is there a particular collaboration that stands out as a defining moment in your career?
I recorded an album titled What’s Next?. It features two wonderful improvisors: Alex Skolnick on Electric Guitar and Boris Kozlov on 6 String Electric Bass Guitar. I played a beautiful Steinway B on the recording. I am proud of the playing on this recording. This duo recording opened up the world of duo playing to me. It is a feeling of being totally exposed at all times. Pretty scary, but I love this feeling of the interconnectivity that happens with two players when they are totally in sync. I am always listening for new duo partners.
You’ve received many notable awards, including Gold Records, Southern Regional Emmy, the Creatives Rebuild New York grant and recently having a song on a Grammy nominated recording. How do these accolades influence your creative process and drive as an artist?
They don’t influence my creative process at all. The process – the music is on a path of its own. I don’t dictate it. There are projects that I have found my way into, but none of the decisions were planned. Music is always coming out of me. It never stops. I am very lucky to be able to say that.
You’ve been recognized for your theater compositions, including nominations for the Jerry Bock Award and the BMI Foundation Jerry Harrington Award. How does composing for theater differ from your other musical projects, and what draws you to this medium?
My parents took me to see the great musical theatre shows of the early 1960’s – Fiddler On The Roof, Hello Dolly, Golden Boy, Camelot. I was transported into a world where everyone sings their emotions. How amazing is that! I love the idea that everything sings. In musical theatre, it not only sings, but we are transported into imaginary worlds with character and with a story. And if written well, it takes you on an unbelievable journey. It is sad that most people don’t sing. Singing makes everything feel a little better. This is occurring to me as I am writing this. But in my life, I want everything to sing. Good and bad news, important to the sublime, from birth announcements to emails that say your rent is overdue. What a wonderful world that would be!
I have a number of shows that are receiving productions for the first time. My Theatre for Young Audience shows, Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas, Twinkle’s Fairy Pet Day, Every Happily After all have productions lined up for 2025-26. I’m also sitting on what I call. ‘ready for the stage shows’. Flambé Dreams, Black Swan Blues, and in the works is SPEAK – a musical tale.
You’ve mentioned that you’re always juggling multiple projects at various stages of completion. Can you share more about your creative process and how you stay inspired across such a diverse range of work?
Been this way for years and I’ve been told it is because of my Gemini rising sign. Mercury is an interesting planet. But, juggling so much also created a bunch of bad habits which I’m always trying to eliminate. For example, not digging deep enough because of an urge to jump to another project. What happens is the project I’m working on and the project I have an urge to jump to both get short changed. And I what I mean by that is that the music is not as developed as if I had just stayed and dug deeper. So, this constant urge to jump makes me obsessed with organizing and because of that I am always trying to reorganize my organization of projects. You see what I mean. It’s complicated. But the creative process is extremely random, a word that has much popularity these days. It works like this, I go for a bike ride, an idea emerges, I pull over to the side and take out my phone, then jot it down or sing it into the recorder. Then I go on my way. Years ago, I used a small notebook and a voice recorder. Then, if the idea sticks with me, I imagine what its successes could be. Who can sing it? Is it part of a show? Is it a hook to an EDM track? Is it too out there? Is it worth investing my creative time in? Song title: There’s A Maze In My Brain – When its scrambled, I’m usually unhappy. Imagining is a good part of my process. There’s Maise In My Brain…ouch!
I stay inspired because I love what I do. I was given a gift and I give it uncompromised respect. It took some time for me to understand this. But it drives me to keep releasing music and seeing the journey unfold.
I do have a very organized system of keeping things in order. (a subject for another interview). But, here is my new organizational trick, ‘The minute I finish an assignment or task, I ask myself the question ‘What’s Next?’ If I don’t know it forces me to think about it, which inevitably gets me my to my next assignment. Try it! It works.
Your song cycle For My People won the CAP Grant and reflects a deep connection to social themes. How do you approach creating music that resonates with both personal creativity and broader societal issues?
For My People isn’t a project that I chose. It chose me. The CliffsNotes version is that I learned of the author Margaret Walker from my work on a PBS/BBC documentary Richard Wright Black Boy. Margaret Walker was a talking head. I later read the Margaret Walker’s poem Lineage on a placard on the #2 train to Brooklyn. I scribbled it on to a piece of paper came home and wrote music to it. Since then I composed music to many of Ms. Walker’s poems which turned into the Margaret Walker For My People Song Cycle. Her most famous poem is For My People. It is 10 stanzas – it is a 9-minute musical composition. It’s hefty. Her words resonated with me. She is a poet from the civil rights movement period. As far as I know these civil rights causes that Margaret Walker was writing about still exist. Her poems are filled with the love for her people. They are heartfelt and honest. This resonated with me when I first discovered her work and has had a lasting influence on my being. We recently performed songs from the song cycle with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and 120 voice chorale. It was a spectacular event. Pinch me.
With so many achievements under your belt, what upcoming projects are you most excited about? Are there any new collaborations or directions you’re exploring?
Currently at the top of my list is composing the music to Jubilee – the Folk-Opera. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Margaret Walker. The first workshops of the score and segments from the libretto, written by Joan Ross Sorkin, will be performed early this summer at the Opera South Workshop at Jackson State University in Jackson, Ms. The other project I am working on is Songs That/From Speak – a jazz project with vocals. I am very excited about it!!!!
Looking back on your incredible journey, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians who hope to carve out a long and impactful career in the music industry?
Perseverance furthers.
If a door opens, stick your toe in.
If it is too good to be true, it isn’t true.
Gig spelled backwards is Gig
For further information, please visit Randy’s website
Ellington – unknown
Randy Klein in studio – Janis Wilkins
3 Electric Keys images – Duff Harris
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