Tom Ranier
| Tom Ranier | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Thomas John Ranier |
| Born | July 13, 1949 |
| Origin |
 Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | Bop, cool jazz, West Coast jazz, classical, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, multireedist, composer, educator |
| Instruments | Piano, saxophone, clarinet, flute |
| Associated acts |
Buddy DeFranco Natalie Cole Eddie Daniels Barbra Streisand Heard Ranier Ferguson |
Tom Ranier (born Thomas John Ranier, July 13, 1949, Chicago, Illinois) is an American instrumentalist who primarily plays piano but also saxophone and clarinet (multireedist). As a jazz artist he has recorded widely under his own name and as a sideman for Warner Bros., Concord Records and several other labels. He has been prominent in the film, television, and music recording industry since the 1970s. He has played keyboards, woodwinds and writing music for a long list of assignments, including Grammy, Academy Award, Emmy, and Golden Globe winning media and soundtracks for artists such as Barbra Streisand, Shirley Bassey, Michael Feinstein, Christina Aguilera, Joe Pass, Plácido Domingo, Barry Manilow, Natalie Cole, and many others. As a pianist and jazz artist, "(his) personal approach mixes aspects of Bud Powell's complexity, Oscar Peterson's ardent swing and Bill Evans' exploratory harmonies."
Tom Ranier was born in Chicago on July 13, 1949. His family later moved to Garden Grove, California. He was first musically inspired by clarinetist Benny Goodman at age six or seven, and was also inspired by Charlie Parker. "One of the first records that I really liked was Charlie Parker with Strings, the way he soared over the orchestra..." Ranier took up piano at age ten, studying the classical repertiore, and added clarinet at 12. He has said he didn't pursue a concert piano career because, "After hearing Benny, I always wanted to play jazz."
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Wikipedia