Fred Randolph

FRED RANDOLPH was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Though he was exposed to Hawaiian music early through ukelele lessons, his main interest as a child was surfing. In high school he took up the guitar, studying with local jazz guitarist Bill Valdez, and began playing at high school dances while developing a passion for jazz as a sideline. Moving to San Diego, he studied jazz guitar with Steve O'Connor and composition with Bernard Rands at U.C.S.D., followed by a move to Berkeley where he studied conducting with Michael Senturia at U.

Moving to San Diego, he studied jazz guitar with Steve O'Connor and composition with Bernard Rands at U.C.S.D., followed by a move to Berkeley where he studied conducting with Michael Senturia at U.C.B. He also at this time took up the saxophone and later the trumpet, studying with Jay Rizzetto at Hayward State University. He studied composition with Frank Larocca and during the course of composing his master's thesis, the string quintet "Resurrection", he became fascinated with the sound and possibilities of the acoustic bass. He began studies on the bass with Carl Stanley while still at Hayward State, then continued with Brian Marcus, Alex Glikman, and Frank Tusa, as well as electric bassist Kai Eckhardt. Fred is currently a student of bassist Timothy Spears.

A recent graduate of Hayward State University with a Masters degree in composition, Fred now freelances in and around the bay area as a bassist, arranger, and composer, and educator. He co-led the jazz quintet "The Zone" for several years, composing most of the music for that group's first cd "Grand Canyon Blue". He performed with the acclaimed Full Spectrum Jazz Orchestra, appearing on their initial cd "First Time Out" and the more recent "Rayna's Dance". As a member of the "Collective West Jazz Orchestra", he appears on their recently recorded cd "Downbeat 9:30". He performed on the soundtrack of the film documentary "Lifeline" which aired on KQED TV during December of 1999 and spent two seasons as a member of the Diablo Symphony Orchestra.

Fred has taught instrumental music privately and for the Piedmont Unified School District. He taught for two summers at the Hayward-La Honda music camp and taught for two years at Berkeley's U.C. Jazz Ensembles. Currently Fred is teaching both privately and at Stanley Middle School in Lafayette, California, where he teaches both jazz combo and bass. Recently, Fred's student combo at Stanley, ?The Groove Merchants? placed 3rd in the 2004 Downbeat Student Combo contest.

Fred has performed with many of the Bay Area's finest jazz artists including Eddie and Mad Duran, Vince Wallace, Bishop Norman Williams, Marcus Shelby trio, Graham Connah, Faye Carol, Frankye Kelly, Pamela Rose, Brenda Boykin, Jamie Fox, Bobbe Norris and Larry Dunlap, Jim and Morning Nichols, Al Molina Quintet , Michael Aragon, David Watson, Sonya Jason, Andre Bush, Mike Zilber, Akira Tana, Mark Little, Art Hirahara, Tony Corman's 3 tenors, Collective Amnesia, Anton Schwartz, Rory Snyder, Jeff Massanari, Wally Schnalle, Pete Magadini, Andy Coolberg, Kenny Washington, E.W. Wainright, Bearcult, Oakland Jazz Choir, Glass House featuring vocalist David Worm, Collective Amnesia, Mitch Marcus group, and many others. In addition he is busy on the latin circuit, performing with Sandy Cressman's Homenagem Brasileira, Marcos Silva's "Intersection", Phil Hawkin's Carribean Jazz Ensemble, Julio Bravo's "Orchestra Salsabor", "Orchestra Soroa", "Soul Sauce", Benny Velarde, Tito Garcia's "Oquestra la Internacional", Danilo Paiz and his "Orquestra Universal", Rolando Morales, and many others. He appears on the new cd by the Al Molina quintet entitled "Amigos Todos" and the 3 tenors cd "Deconstruction Ahead". He has also recorded with Los Angeles based saxophonist Doug Webb and John Tchicai who is now based in France. As a faculty member with U.C. jazz ensembles, Fred performed in clinics with guitarist John Scofield and saxophonist Bob Shephard.

Fred recently recorded his first solo cd entitled "LEARNING CURVE" and performed his new music at Yoshi's jazz club and many other venues around the Bay Area with the quintet. The recent release of ?NEW DAY? saw him premiering the music at the Jazz School in Berkeley on December 16th 2006. This highly successful concert was recorded for broadcast on KCSM 91.1 FM's Sunday night series. Fred hopes to be performing this and other new music around the Bay Area and beyond in the near future and meanwhile he performs as the leader of the Fred Randolph Trio, Duo, and Quintet, and continues work as a sideman for top Bay Area artists.