Randal Despommier - South (2025)

Some of the first public performances by alto saxophonist and composer Randal Despommier were at Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans alongside his father, a drummer who studied with Crescent City guru James Black and served a stint in the Big Easy rock band South. Although Randy grew up in Metairie, just outside New Orleans, and was steeped in the regional sounds of funk, R&B and jazz (not to mention digging punk and grunge), he would stretch his musical wings far beyond in subsequent years. He studied early sacred music in Italy, earned a doctorate at New England Conservatory, played the organ and led choirs in churches, and eventually settled into the bustling, ever-challenging jazz scene of New York City. Despommier’s 2021 album Dio C’è, his debut as a leader, earned praise from such outlets as All Music Guide for being a “wildly ambitious, genre-mashing” record that reflected his wide-ranging influences. After teaming with venturesome guitarist Ben Monder to explore the folk-inflected lyricism of Swedish composer Lars Gullin for 2022’s A Midsummer Odyssey — which Offbeat magazine touted as “fascinating” and “exquisite” — Despommier has returned to his New Orleans roots with the soulful album South, to be released digitally and on CD by Sunnyside Records on March 7, 2025, with a vinyl edition to follow.

Randal Despommier - alto saxophone
Jason Yeager - piano (3, 6, 8)
David Torkanowsky - piano (1, 2, 5, 7, 9)
Aaron Holthus - bass (3, 4, 6, 8)
James Singleton - bass (1, 2, 5, 7, 9)
Rodrigo Recabarren - drums (3, 4, 6, 8)
Johnny Vidacovich - drums (1, 2, 5, 7)
Phil Despommier - drums (9)