Tom Ranier

Thomas John Ranier (born July 13, 1949) is an American instrumentalist who primarily plays piano but also saxophone and clarinet. 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.

Early life, musical education and influences Tom Ranier was born in Chicago on July 13, 1949. His family later moved to Garden Grove, California. and in 1980 for the First American label. Recently he has recorded for Concord Records. He has gone on to work with the Terry Gibbs-Buddy DeFranco Sextet, George Coleman, Lew Tabackin, Eddie Daniels, Lanny Morgan and a long list of other jazz musicians. Noises Off (1992), Matlock, Diagnosis: Murder, Ranier has done extensive work as both a musician and orchestrator for Disney, the Academy Awards, and CBS. Ranier takes great pride in and enjoys doing studio work: "it's a craft that both keeps you fresh and makes you a better musician...and because you work on different projects with different composers, it broadens your scope." He has recorded on numerous albums and studio sessions as a woodwind doubler.

Teaching and education career Tom Ranier is a strong advocate of music education and has been teaching at the collegiate level since the mid-1970s. He has taught jazz composition and arranging at Fullerton College and helped to contribute writing for several highly successful recordings the school produced. Most recently he has been teaching in the jazz program headed up by guitarist Kenny Burrell at the University of California, Los Angeles.

He is also an educational author for Alfred Publishing and wrote Piano in the Rhythm Section.

Discography Studio albums 1975: Ranier (Warner Bros.) 1980: Night Music (Music in Motion) 1997: In the Still of the Night (Contemporary) 2020: This Way (Tom Ranier)

Collaboration albums 1982: A Chick From Chelsea - Jimmy Mosher Quartet Featuring Tom Ranier, Joel DiBartolo And Peter Donald (Discovery records) 1983: Heard Ranier Ferguson (ITI) 1987: Back to Back - Heard Ranier Ferguson (ITI) 2000: Late Nite Jazz - Pete Christlieb, Jim Hughart, Tom Ranier, Charles Harris, Slyde Hyde (Vertical Jazzz) 2016: Chanté with Leo Potts (CD Baby)