We are excited about offering a new Q & A Segment to the Website profiling our 2016 artists. As the countdown to the Festival begins, what better way to get to know more about the performers that enhance our festival. This month Randy Reinhart.
What/who are your musical influences?
Pee Wee Erwin, Bobby Hackett, Bix, Louis, Doc Severinsen, Billy Butterfield, Dick Cathcart
What have been your musical highlights/accomplishments over the last year?
During 2014, I performed as the jazz chair in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway at the St. James Theater in New York.
Where do you see Traditional Jazz in today’s musical landscape? Its’ influences & importance?
Traditional Jazz has seems to have made a resurgence among the younger generation, who attend concerts, clubs, and many are involved in swing dancing.
What separates the North Carolina Jazz Festival from other festivals that you have participated in?
The NCJF is a wonderful venue, and includes local talent who are also patrons to join the musicians in the Saturday Jam Session
What similarities does the NCJF have with other festivals that you have participated in?
The NCJF provides a chance for the performers from various areas of the country to get together and perform. These wonderful festivals provide a reunion for all of us who enjoy playing together!
What has been your most memorable moment performing on stage?
I have had several: 2 of my most memorable were –
1. Playing standing next to Bobby Hackett when I was 19, my parents in the audience. They had told me about Bobby from the time I was little, and I used to hear records of him with Glenn Miller and with Jackie Gleason’s Orchestra. To be actually playing a couple of songs with him was an incredible thrill.
2. Playing at the Landing in San Antonio, I noticed a little commotion at the door. I looked over and saw Doc Severinsen walking into the club to hear the band. I hadn’t had a lump in my throat like that since my first solo in public in 4th grade!
Anything else you would like to add?
Thank you so much for including me at the North Carolina Jazz Festival!
