Biography

Tom Ranier (born Thomas John Rainieri, July 13, 1949, Chicago, Ill.) is an American instrumentalist who primarily plays piano but also saxophones and clarinet (Multireedist). 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 having played keyboards, woodwinds and writing music for a long list of assignments to include Grammy, Academy Award, Emmy, and Golden Globe winning media and soundtracks for artists such as Barbra Striesand, Shirley Bassey, Michael Feinstein, Christina Aguilera, Joe Pass, Plácido Domingo, Barry Manilow, Natalie Cole, and many others. As a pianist and jazz artist, "(his) personal approach mixes aspects of Bud Powell's complexity, Oscar Peterson's ardent swing and Bill Evans' exploratory harmonies."