Saxophonist and composer Randal Despommier returns to his New Orleans roots with South, a deeply personal and celebratory new album that blends jazz, funk, gospel, and blues into a soulful homage to the city that shaped him. From early performances in Mardi Gras parades with his drummer father to a rich academic and musical journey spanning Italy, Boston, and New York, Despommier brings a lifetime of diverse influences to this project. Recorded with local legends like David Torkanowsky, James Singleton, and Johnny Vidacovich, plus a special appearance by his father, South revisits classics by Professor Longhair and Allen Toussaint, honors icons like Jelly Roll Morton and Sidney Bechet, and showcases Despommier’s lyrical compositions. Co-produced with longtime collaborator Jason Yeager, the album is both a heartfelt homecoming and a celebration of the multicultural spirit of New Orleans music.
LISTEN
Building on the success of his 2021 solo debut Dio C’è (“wildly ambitious” — AllMusic) and his co-led 2018 effort with pianist Jason Yeager All at Onceness, alto saxophonist Randal Despommier returns with A Midsummer Odyssey, a captivating duo session with guitarist extraordinaire Ben Monder. The central focus is the highly accessible yet always enigmatic music of Swedish baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin (1928-1976). Alternately boppish, cool, bluesy, folkish and chamber-like, Gullin’s pieces afford the Despommier/Monder duo endless opportunities for fresh reinvention.
Dio C'è (“God Exists”), the debut solo album of saxophonist and composer Randal Despommier, is an autobiographical playlist of poignant, nostalgic, spirited, and uplifting new music. Featuring Despommier’s quartet and guest artists Aubrey Johnson, Ben Monder, and multi-grammy winner Jimmy Haslip, the album captures various scenes of Despommier’s life, from living/travelling in Italy, to moving to New York City. Contemporary jazz, Italian pop, alternative rock, Gregorian chant, and high-octane, gospel-infused grooves are all present in this bold display of artistry.
All At Onceness is a soulful mix of improvisational arrangements of Baroque, Romantic, twentieth-century, and contemporary pieces. With source material ranging from Bach to Stravinsky, Scriabin to Messiaen, these intrepid composer-improvisers stake out their own territory in a diverse program that combines folk-like melodies, evocative harmonies, and infectious rhythms. Joining the duo are three of New York's most adventurous artists: vocalist Aubrey Johnson, bassist Danny Weller, and drummer Jay Sawyer.
UPCOMING SHOWS
MAY 30
The Campbell
New York, NY
PRESS
"New Orleans is inextricably linked to Randal Despommier's sound and sense of self, and he pays due respect with this highly agreeable appreciation… A sincerely felt musical homecoming, South is remarkably satisfying from every angle."
- DAN BILAWSKY, ALL ABOUT JAZZ
"Wildy ambitious, genre-mashing recordings that speak to Despommier's wide-ranging influences"
- MATT COLLAR, ALLMUSIC
"His music sounds fresh, it has a wonderful dancing quality and underlying soul"
- BAYERISCHER KLASSIK
downbeat
Randal Despommier is original from New Orleans, where he gained important experience playing in groups that someimtes included his father or brother, both drummers. He left down to attend New England Conservatory in 2007, but returned in the spring of 2024 to record South. Despommier’s tone on alto saxophone occasionally recalls Paul Desmond and, at his most passionate, late-period Art Pepper. But his choice of notes is very much is own… READ MORE
all about jazz
Growing up in Metairie, Louisiana—a mere six miles from New Orleans—alto saxophonist Randal Despommier's formative experiences were rooted in the Crescent City's fertile sonic soil. A stone's throw away from the action, he was able to cut his teeth on the local scene(s) and put his horn to good use in Mardi Gras parades… READ MORE
musings on music
New Orleans alto saxophonist Despommier, now based in Brooklyn, joins NOLA veterans David Torkanowsky on piano, James Singleton on bass and Johnny Vidacovich on drums in taking significant liberties on Crescent City classics like Professor Longhair’s “Go to the Mardi Gras” and Allen Toussaint’s “Southern Nights,” which is rendered in particularly impressionistic fashion… READ MORE
FRED KASTEN - WWNo
Randal Despommier is WWNO New Orleans’ Player of the Week 2/14/25. LISTEN HERE
ALLMUSIC
The debut solo album from alto saxophonist Randal Despommier, 2021's Dio C'è showcases his vibrant, cross-pollinated jazz style. Prior to recording the album, the New Orleans-bred Despommier studied at both Loyola University and the New England Conservatory, and spent time in Italy studying choral and sacred music… READ MORE
BR KLASSIK
Der amerikanische Saxophonist Randal Despommier lebt in New York und stammt aus New Orleans. Mit 38 Jahren legt er sein Debütalbum als Bandleader vor und fächert darauf zusammen mit seinem Quartett und musikalischen Gästen in insgesamt acht Kompositionen - davon sechs eigenen - seine facettenreiche, musikalische Persönlichkeit auf… READ MORE
NETTAVISEN NYHETER
Jeg føler meg overbevist om at jeg ikke er den eneste som aldri har hørt om saksofonisten og komponisten Randal Despommier. Debuten hans frister uansett til flere møter… READ MORE
offbeat magazine
Alto saxophonist Randal Despommier grew up outside New Orleans, where exposure to a rich gumbo of musical styles fueled his thirst to explore even more influences from his studies in New York, Boston and Italy. Punk and grunge rock, R&B, jazz, sacred church music, Italian popular song and European classical art songs have found places inside his musical psyche. Dio C’è is impressive in his debut as a leader, showcasing his versatility as a player and multi-faceted composer… READ MORE
musically speaking
Alto saxophonist Randal Despommier, a Louisiana native, brings an unusually wide range of musical experience to Dio C’è, his debut album as a leader—from playing Mardi Gras parade music to funk, R&B, and jazz gigs in New Orleans to serving as choir director and organist at Boston University Catholic Center and directing the A.M.E. Church of Zion choir in Cambridge, MA, and a community choir in San Martino, Italy. He brings all those musical interests to life on Dio C’è, with a lyricism and musicality that lies somewhere between the suavity of Paul Desmond and the intensity of David Binney… READ MORE
TEXTURA
Randal Despommier's packed a remarkable number of experiences into thirty-eight years. Now comfortably ensconced in New York City, the alto saxophonist grew up in New Orleans, where he earned a degree in jazz studies at Loyola University, acquired his doctorate in music education at the New England Conservatory in Boston, and even spent a year in Italy studying choral conducting at the Conservatory of Perugia and sacred music at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena… READ MORE
FRANCE MUSIQUE
Originaire de New-Orleans et aujourd’hui new-yorkais, le saxophoniste Randal Despommier fait ses débuts sur “Dio C’è”, co-produit par Jimmy Haslip, le bassiste des Yellowjackets. Sortie chez Outside in Music le 5 février. “Je crois que Randal est un immense talent. En tant que saxophoniste, il est au niveau international et c’est un compositeur très original”, confie Fred Hersch. Derrière chaque pièce de son album, Randal Despommier a une histoire très personnelle à raconter… READ MORE
RANDAL DESPOMMIER
SAXOPHONIST, COMPOSER, EDUCATOR
A shapeshifting saxophonist with a storyteller’s touch, Randal Despommier bridges the street-beat soul of his New Orleans upbringing with the restless curiosity of a modern New York improviser. First heard parading at Mardi Gras beside his drummer father, Despommier has since tracked an unusually wide arc: studying early sacred music in Italy, earning a doctorate from New England Conservatory, leading choirs from the organ bench, and carving out a voice on NYC’s cutting-edge jazz scene.
His third album South (Sunnyside Records, March 7, 2025) is a joyous homecoming. Teaming with Crescent City heavyweights David Torkanowsky, James Singleton, and Johnny Vidacovich, plus a cameo by Despommier’s dad, he reframes Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint, Sidney Bechet and more, while unveiling atmospheric originals like “Jelly Roll’s Living Room.” Produced with longtime collaborator Jason Yeager, South follows the genre-spanning praise of Dio C’è (2021) and the Gullin tribute A Midsummer Odyssey (2022).
Pianist and composer Fred Hersch hails Despommier as “a world-class player, a distinctive composer.” On record and on stage, his pure-toned alto can whisper a Chopin-tinged nocturne, weave serpentine lines through Bechet, or wail over a second-line groove - always revealing the New Orleans “accent” that continues to animate his ever-expanding musical vocabulary.
Randal Despommier is also an experienced and dedicated educator, and is currently available for private instruction, clinics, and masterclasses.
FOR ALL INQUIRIES:
RANDIPPIDES@GMAIL.COM