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