# Randy Waldman

Randy Waldman (born September 8, 1955, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor. He has frequently collaborated with Barbra Streisand, serving as her pianist and conductor since 1984. Waldman has worked with notable artists including Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder. His 2018 album Superheroes garnered the award for Best Arrangement at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
Waldman is also an aviation pilot and instructor, holding a 2003 flight speed record in a Bell OH-58 helicopter.

## Early life

Waldman was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 8, 1955. Waldman began playing piano at age five at which time he was considered a child prodigy. He was hired to demonstrate pianos at a local piano store at age 12. While in high school, he performed with the Northwestern University Jazz band.

## Career

At the age of 21, Waldman was hired to go on tour as the pianist for Frank Sinatra. He was then hired by The Lettermen to go on tour from Chicago to Los Angeles. After the tour, Waldman relocated to Los Angeles and, within a year, he toured with Minnie Riperton, Lou Rawls, Paul Anka, and George Benson, the last of whom kept Waldman around as his pianist, musical director, and arranger for the following seven years.
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. In the 1980s, Waldman worked on soundtracks such as Ghostbusters, Romancing the Stone, Back to the Future, Nuts, Beetlejuice, Salsa, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Abyss, and Weekend at Bernie's.
Waldman was nominated for a Grammy for Best Vocal Arrangement for "Code of Ethics" from The Manhattan Transfer 1983 album Bodies and Souls. Two years later, Waldman's co-arrangement of the West Side Story song "Somewhere", recorded by Barbra Streisand for The Broadway Album, won a Grammy. Waldman has contributed to many Streisand albums, films, and live concerts.
In the 1990s, Waldman worked on the soundtracks for numerous films including Forrest Gump, The Bodyguard, Mission: Impossible, and Titanic. 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, John Travolta, Kenny G, Katey Sagal, and others.
Randy Waldman also has left a significant mark on the Japanese music scene with Tetsuya Komuro, through his string arrangements for various prominent artists. His work began in 1996 with Tomomi Kahara’s "I'm Proud", "LOVE BRACE", "LOVE IS ALL MUSIC" and Namie Amuro’s iconic tracks like "SWEET 19 BLUES", "You're my sunshine (Hollywood Mix)", "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?", showcasing his talent for enhancing J-pop with lush orchestral textures. Throughout the late 1990s, he collaborated with artists such as Yuki Uchida, Ami Suzuki, YU-KI (TRF), and globe, contributing to hits like "love the island" and "dragons' dance." His arrangements continued to evolve into the 2000s, with notable works including globe’s "genesis of next (orchestra version)" in 2003 and Ayumi Hamasaki’s "crossroad" in 2010. Waldman’s final known contribution came in 2018 with Tetsuya Komuro’s "Guardian" featuring Beverly, cementing his legacy as a key figure in enriching Japan’s pop and orchestral soundscape over two decades.
Waldman released Wigged Out, his first solo album, on his own WhirlyBird Records in 1998. Featuring bassist John Pattitucci and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, the album consisted of a collection of classical songs reworked with jazz arrangements. His second album, UnReel, was released in 2001 and featured a variety of soundtrack and theme music from many different films and television shows. He worked on the soundtrack for Ice Age in 2002 before releasing Timing is Everything in 2003.
Waldman appeared on the 2017 Seal album Standards, featuring the songs of Frank Sinatra. He was also Barbra Streisand's pianist, music director, and conductor for her Barbra: The Music, The Mem'ries, The Magic tour. A filmed version of one of the shows was released on Netflix in November 2017. In September 2018, he released the studio album, Superheroes, with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Carlitos Del Puerto on bass. The album also featured guest appearances from artists like Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Take 6, Chris Potter, and several others. 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 the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.

## Selected discography
### Studio albums

List of studio albums with selected album details :
| Title | Details |
| Wigged Out | Released: 1998 (US) Label: WhirlyBird/Concord Jazz Formats: CD, Vinyl |
| UnReel | Released: 2001 (US) Label: WhirlyBird/Concord Jazz Formats: CD, Vinyl |
| Timing is Everything | Released: 2003 (US) Label: WhirlyBird/Concord Jazz Formats: CD, Vinyl |
| Superheroes | Released: September 28, 2018 (US) Label: BFM Jazz Formats: CD, Vinyl |

### Songwriting, instrumental, and production

List of songwriting, instrumental, and production credits on selected albums :
| Album | Year | Artist | Role | Notes |
| Lou Rawls Live | 1978 | Lou Rawls | Keyboards | |
| Bodies and Souls | 1983 | The Manhattan Transfer | Piano, synthesizers, instrumental arrangements, composer | He was nominated for a Grammy for Best Vocal Arrangement |
| Emotion | 1984 | Barbra Streisand | Synthesizer | US #19 |
| The Broadway Album | 1985 | Barbra Streisand | Arranger Keyboards Synthesizer Assistant Engineer | US #1, co-arrangement of "Somewhere" won Grammy |
| 20/20 | 1985 | George Benson | Arranger Keyboards Synthesizer | US #45 |
| One Voice | 1987 | Barbra Streisand | Synthesizer | US #9 |
| Bad | 1987 | Michael Jackson | Synthesizer | US #1 |
| Till I Loved You | 1988 | Barbra Streisand | Arranger Piano Synthesizer Programming Drum programming Rhythm arrangements | US #10 |
| This Christmas | 1990 | Patti LaBelle | Producer Engineer Arranger Piano Synthesizer Drum programming Vocal arrangement Composer | |
| The Comfort Zone | 1991 | Vanessa Williams | Arranger Piano Arrangement preparation Writer | US #17 |
| Love Remembers | 1993 | George Benson | Strings Piano Keyboards | |
| My World | 1993 | Ray Charles | Guitar Synthesizer | US #145 |
| The Concert | 1994 | Barbra Streisand | Piano Synthesizer | US #10 |
| Miracles: The Holiday Album | 1994 | Kenny G | Piano | US #1 |
| Earth Songs | 1995 | John Denver | Piano Synthesizer | |
| My Cherie | 1995 | Sheena Easton | Arranger Keyboards Programming Guest artist | |
| HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | 1995 | Michael Jackson | Keyboards Synthesizer | US #1 |
| The Best of George Benson | 1995 | George Benson | Synthesizer | |
| Star Bright | 1996 | Vanessa Williams | Arranger Piano | US #36 |
| Higher Ground | 1997 | Barbra Streisand | Piano | US #1 |
| Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix | 1997 | Michael Jackson | Keyboards Synthesizer | US #24 |
| Greatest Hits Volume III | 1997 | Billy Joel | Keyboards | US #9 |
| The Complete Hits Collection: 1973–1997 | 1997 | Billy Joel | Keyboards | |
| Bathhouse Betty | 1998 | Bette Midler | Piano Guest artist | US #32 |
| The Collection | 1998 | John Denver | Arranger | |
| The Movie Album: As Time Goes By | 1998 | Neil Diamond | Keyboards | US #31 |
| A Love Like Ours | 1999 | Barbra Streisand | Piano Keyboards Guest artist Synthesizer | US #6 |
| Classics in the Key of G | 1999 | Kenny G | Piano Guest artist | US #17 |
| Faith: A Holiday Album | 1999 | Kenny G | Piano Guest artist | US #6 |
| Timeless: Live in Concert | 2000 | Barbra Streisand | Arranger Keyboards Orchestration | US #21 |
| Les Incontournables | 2000 | George Benson | Synthesizer Programming | |
| The George Benson Anthology | 2000 | George Benson | Synthesizer | |
| Mathis on Broadway | 2000 | Johnny Mathis | Producer Engineer Arranger Guest artist Piano Keyboards | |
| Freedom | 2000 | Sheena Easton | Producer Engineer Arranger Programming | |
| Best Ballads | 2000 | Sheena Easton | Arranger Keyboards Programming | |
| Christmas Memories | 2001 | Barbra Streisand | Keyboards | US #15 |
| Duets | 2002 | Barbra Streisand | Arranger | US #38 |
| Paradise | 2002 | Kenny G | Piano | US #9 |
| Wishes: A Holiday Album | 2002 | Kenny G | Piano | US #29 |
| The Christmas Album | 2002 | Johnny Mathis | Piano | US #143 |
| Just Whitney | 2002 | Whitney Houston | String arrangements String conductor | US #9 |
| The Movie Album | 2003 | Barbra Streisand | Piano Keyboards | US #5 |
| Michael Bublé | 2003 | Michael Bublé | Arranger Piano Keyboards Horn arrangements | US #5 |
| Let It Snow | 2003 | Michael Bublé | Arranger Keyboards | US #32 |
| The Greatest Hits of All | 2003 | George Benson | Synthesizer | US #138 |
| Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook | 2003 | Bette Midler | Piano Harpsichord | US #14 |
| Genius Loves Company | 2004 | Ray Charles | Arranger Piano Keyboards Rhythm Arrangement | US #1 |
| The Essential Johnny Mathis | 2004 | Johnny Mathis | Piano | |
| It's Time | 2005 | Michael Bublé | Piano | US #7 |
| The Greatest Holiday Classics | 2005 | Kenny G | Piano Keyboards Horn Arrangements | US #39 |
| My Lives | 2005 | Billy Joel | Keyboards | US #171 |
| With Love | 2006 | Michael Bublé | Piano | |
| Givin' It Up | 2006 | George Benson and Al Jarreau | Piano Arranger | US #58 |
| Navidades | 2006 | Luis Miguel | Piano | US #51 |
| I'm in the Mood for Love...The Most Romantic Melodies of All Time | 2006 | Kenny G | Conductor Piano Arranger | US #37 |
| Cool Yule | 2006 | Bette Midler | Piano Keyboards | US #33 |
| Amore | 2006 | Andrea Bocelli | Piano Keyboards | US #3 |
| Live in Concert 2006 | 2007 | Barbra Streisand | Arranger Piano Orchestration | US #7 |
| Call Me Irresponsible | 2007 | Michael Bublé | Arranger Keyboards | US #1 |
| King of Pop | 2008 | Michael Jackson | Keyboards Synthesizer | |
| The Collection | 2009 | Michael Jackson | Synthesizer | |
| Special Delivery | 2010 | Michael Bublé | Piano | US #26 |
| What Matters Most | 2011 | Barbra Streisand | Piano | US #4 |
| Release Me | 2012 | Barbra Streisand | Piano | US #7 |
| The Classic Christmas Album | 2012 | Kenny G | Piano | US #128 |
| This Christmas | 2012 | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | Producer Arranger Conductor Mixing Organ Piano Synthesizer bass | US #81 |
| Back to Brooklyn | 2013 | Barbra Streisand | Keyboards | |
| Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole | 2013 | George Benson | Producer Conductor Arranger Piano Background vocals | US #89 |
| Love in Portofino | 2013 | Andrea Bocelli | Keyboards Piano | US #40 |
| Partners | 2014 | Barbra Streisand | Piano | US #1 |
| Stages | 2015 | Josh Groban | Piano | US #2 |
| Stages: Live | 2016 | Josh Groban | Piano | US #149 |
| Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway | 2016 | Barbra Streisand | Piano | US #1 |
| The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic! | 2017 | Barbra Streisand | Music direction Piano | US #69 |
| Standards | 2017 | Seal | Piano | |

## Nominations and awards

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 1984 | Grammy Award | Best Vocal Arrangement | Arrangement of The Manhattan Transfer's "Code of Ethics" | Nominated |
| 2019 | Grammy Award | Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella | Arrangement of "Batman Theme" from Waldman's Superheroes | Nominated |
| 2019 | Grammy Award | Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals | Arrangement of "Spiderman Theme" from Waldman's Superheroes | Won |