Randy Porter

azz pianist Randy Porter has a refined understanding of improvisation and the spontaneous communication between musicians. As a Steinway Artist, Randy draws from a rich palette of sonorities found within his imagination and the depths of the piano. Lynn Darroch of The Oregonian states, “Porter has built a reputation as a musician’s musician, a knowledgeable, inventive, and sophisticated player with a remarkable sense of time and gorgeous keyboard facility…”

Randy Porter has performed with many jazz greats, including Freddy Hubbard, Art Farmer, and Benny Golson. He has also performed with the Charles McPherson Quartet throughout the US and in France, Italy, Greece, and China and has toured with Diane Schuur and Bobby Caldwell, conducting the Jazz Orchestra for their “Sing in Swing” tour. Some performance highlights for Randy include appearances at Kimball’s with Art Farmer and Clifford Jordan, Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center with Diane Schuur, Seattle’s Jazz Alley with New York Voices, Yoshi’s in San Francisco with Karrin Allyson and Rebecca Kilgore, The House of Blues in Chicago and BB King’s Blues Club in NYC with Gino Vannelli, the Monterey Jazz Festival with Madeline Eastman, and the Chicago and Detroit Jazz Festivals with Charles McPherson.

Randy’s compositions and arrangements can be heard on his own recordings: Thirsty Soul with John Wiitala on bass and Reinhardt Melz and Todd Strait on drums; Brio also featuring John Wiitala and Reinhardt Melz; Modern Reflections with Nancy King on vocals, Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Mel Brown on drums; and Eight Little Feet with Bob Magnusson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. Samples of Randy’s writing and playing can be found on Apple’s iLife jingles. Porter also composed the music for the 2009 documentary Deep Green.

Randy has been a performer and educator at the Port Townsend Jazz Festival for many years where he has played with Bud Shank, Maria Schneider, Ingrid Jensen, and Terrell Stafford, and where he has coached many young jazz musicians. He has also worked several years at the Stanford Jazz Workshop and at Jazz Camp West with singer Madeline Eastman. Porter teaches master classes and adjudicates student combos and bands at high school and college jazz festivals. Currently, Randy teaches jazz piano at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.