Jan Randall
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | SELF | AFM
Music
Press
-"Jan Randall's impressive original score
"-"most memorable of the nine shows I saw"
-Rosa Jackson
- Edmonton Journal
Jan Randall is brilliant!
"and the crowd was spellbound"
-Anne Alexander - Edmonton Sun
"My favorite here, has to be..."Fatso" Love that Fats! While "wallering" on the floor to my Fatso, I was wishing I could play 1/4 this good.
"15 Minutes" : Another great morsel. Has a Zappa meets Steely Dan after watching an Andy Warhol documentary" kinda feel to it. Very catchy hook. Cannot stop singing it in my head though, ...Thanks.!"
Oct 23, 2006
Online Review from "Sing Songs and Plant Seeds"
- MySpace
"Memorable original tunes with strong and interesting ideas- Jan Randall provides smooth vocals and masterful piano work that are at times incredibly exciting, sometimes deeply moving, and always engaging."
Andy Donnelly-CKUA
(on air, July 2008) - Andy Donnelly-CKUA
"Jan Randall is a veteran performer who is not to be missed!" - Edmonton Journal
"Heard Jan Randall play piano and sing. Great tunes- really different. Want to hear more from this guy."
-Review by Becky Bardola - LA Weekly
Songwriters expose souls at The Matchbox
"Randall showed he’s an amazingly versatile quick-study, accompanying Donnelly on his Celtic songs, as well as bluesy folk artist Rault.
But his own music was mostly light-hearted and jazzy.
Randall told the audience of 50 that he wrote Good, Fair World “with no surprises at all.”
Sure enough, the crowd anticipated the lyrics and sang along to this cheerful tune about “the lovely side of being naive.”
Randall got slightly more serious in a song he wrote about his brother who joined the U.S. Navy. “My family seems to be a metaphor for the world,” he said.
And sure enough, Randall’s repeated refrain of “When’s my brother coming home?” sounded as if he was awaiting rescue from the cavalry.
Before long, the pianist was back with another playful tune, In-Between Day, about the antsy kind of weather we get in Alberta, when the sun doesn’t want to poke out of the clouds for too long.
Randall created tense keyboard sounds, giving the song the right nervous edge."
By Lana Michelin - Red Deer Advocate
Published: November 27, 2008
- Red Deer Advocate
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
The Lethbridge Folk Club started off 2009 with a couple good, if sparsely attended shows.
A handful of people enjoyed Friday night’s open mic, which featured several local performers including Dusty Dee, whose new CD should be out shortly.
Approximately 30 people took in the club’s first performance of 2009, which consisted of Edmonton pianist/songwriter Jan Randall and local singer-songwriter Andrew Scott. Scott entertained the crowd with a wicked sense of humour, odd stories and his own country-style music. The Lethbridge Folk Club started off 2009 with a couple good, if sparsely attended shows.
A handful of people enjoyed Friday night’s open mic, which featured several local performers including Dusty Dee, whose new CD should be out shortly.
Approximately 30 people took in the club’s first performance of 2009, which consisted of Edmonton pianist/songwriter Jan Randall and local singer-songwriter Andrew Scott. Scott entertained the crowd with a wicked sense of humour, odd stories and his own country-style music.
Randall played a variety of music from his debut CD “Good Fair World,” with music ranging from the styles of Fats Waller, Dr. John, Loony Tunes and Gershwin — and that was just in one instrumental called “Fatso.” He cracked jokes and told stories about brushes with fame and answered questions about his time with Second City Theatre, not to mention the ghosts of CKUA where he used to host a weekend radio show before deciding to focus on touring on his new CD. His kid-like “aw, shucks” grin, which made him look 30 years younger than his 56 years, and pleasant piano playing really appealed to the crowd who were listening to every word. I was impressed with the many different styles he could play, including a lot of jazz, some folk and even some blues.
“I’ve been playing piano for 53 years, since I was three,” Randall said before his show. He has worked in comedy clubs and with a variety of bands, but has been concentrating on a lot of television score work including an episode of “The Nature of Things” which was aired last week.
“A lot of different projects came to an end. So the timing was right,” he said of finally deciding to record his debut CD.
“I’m really pleased with it. People of all ages and personas seem to like it. There is a lot of variety,” he said of the CD, which was released in October. He is already working on his second CD, which will be recorded in summer with a full band behind him. The current CD features just Randall on piano and vocals. He was driving to Austin, Tex. immediately following his Lethbridge show and plans to play Philadelphia and Los Angeles, as well as Western Canada, where he has been focusing on touring so far. - Lethbridge Sun Times
Discography
Wait in Line (2021)
Good Fair World (2008)
Photos
Bio
Jan Randall is a singer songwriter who weaves wit, blues, and jazz wit into an unforgetable experience.
He is a master story teller, an accomplished song writer and a formidable musical talent.
Solo Act Lead SINGER/KEYS/GUITAR
Rhythm Train Lead SINGER/KEYS
Bo Diddley, Otis Rush, Sha Na Na, Gary US Bonds, Amos Garrett SIDEMAN
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