Randy Klein Garners Jazzheads Fame [Interview]

Carol Ruth Weber
6 min readJun 15, 2022

The ultra-talented Randy Klein now adds producer with his independent record label Jazzheads to his repertoire. The multi-award-winning composer and pianist, along with music educator, combined his garnered know-how to create a label that enables music by artists to be pushed to new innovative forms.

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Jazzheads, based in NYC, was born in 1992 with Klein inspired by A&M Records and GRP Records. He aimed to follow in the footsteps of musicians Herb Alpert, Larry Rosen, and Dave Grusin — all of who Klein observed used their own labels to release pioneering music in addition to fan favorites.

Randy Klein Made Journey from Road Trip to Jazzheads

Klein began as a teen performing gigs at 14. In the late 1970s, he found himself amid a legend traveling on the road with R&B Hall of Fame singer Millie Jackson. For her 1978 “Feeling Bitchy” album Klein co-wrote “Feelin Like a Woman.” He relished the opportunity to learn how to play in the company of a close-knit rhythm section.

Jazzheads is the perfect addition to a career that spans 30 years — as now Klein works to combine his talents of writing, performing, and producing. Projects on Jazzheads and affiliated labels have earned much admiration with an array of award recognition — Grammy Nominations, Latin Grammy Nominations, National EMMY Awards, Downbeat Critic Awards, Latin Beat Critic Awards, Jazz Journalist Award and Nominations, and Jazztimes Magazine Critic Poll Awards.

Always in a quest to gain skills, Klein has enjoyed the experience of learning how to balance his own work as a musician while also performing his administrative responsibilities. He has recognized how fast-tracking trends have changed. No longer are fan favorites tracked with CD sales or play on the radio. Now it is about what music is trending on the pay-to-play streaming platforms.

Randy Klein Garners Critical Acclaim with Jazzheads

Klein has made it a mission to have Jazzheads projects that cross musical genres. Eight-time Grammy nominee Bobby Sanabria commanded much acclaim for his Multiverse Band recording of “West Side Story — Reimagined” on the label. Among Jazzheads' projects are renowned Grammy-winning…

Carol Ruth Weber

Carol’s objective is to write pieces that inspire and stimulate. Her work is seen on multiple platforms including Huff Post, CBS, NYNJ, care.com, and many more.