Janey Clewer and Randy Waldman have joined forces to bring you Your Favorite Christmas CD, a collection of Christmas songs you've never heard before. They are performed with a beautiful blending of jazz and pop styles, wrapped up with a Christmas classic feel. Janey and Randy have been friends and business associates since 1985 and have always shared a special musical bond which is evident on this, their labor of love CD. In 1990, Janey and Randy recorded a CD for MCA Records called A Starlight Christmas. It was a various artists CD and included guest artists such as Patti LaBelle and Kenny G.. Janey and Randy wrote and produced the entire CD and Janey was the featured artist on half of the CD. Your Favorite Christmas CD is a re-creation of eight of those memorable songs, as well as four new holiday gems. “Aint No Time For Diets” was an original holiday song finalist in the 2006 Just Plain Folks” awards competition. Most recently, Your Favorite Christmas CD received two wonderful reviews in December of 2008 Wow! Janey Clewer and Randy Waldman are the real deal. Ms. Clewer penned a note apologizing for the late arrival due to only recently hearing about Christmasreviews.com. But it is I who should apologize, for only just now hearing about Clewer and Waldman. Their piano-accompanied pop would be the envy of Karen Carpenter if she were alive today. She not only has the pipes and he the keys, but they bring their own songbook to the party. As promised on the cover, these really are all your favorite Christmas songs you've NEVER heard before. I could gush all night, but I couldn't say it any better than that. If you like girl-next-door vocalists singing their hearts out with evocative piano accompaniment, then you've found the one. …reviewed by Richard Banks at Christmasreviews.com A verse from one of Janey Clewer’s songs captures the raison d’être of my radio program: “Christmas songs are like a footprint in the snow_They leave impressions on our hearts that won't let go _How we love the sound of those haunting melodies _So once a year we all sing the songs that stir our memories” Her CD with Randy Waldman is entitled “Your Favorite Christmas CD”, but it is entirely composed of new songs. Janey is responsible for all of the lyrics, and either she or Randy wrote the music. And what those songs are is a wonderful ornament box full of slightly jazzy, generally laid back ballads with words that capture much of what we feel at this time of year—particularly if we are lucky enough to be deeply in love. This CD is just one big under the mistletoe encounter! …reviewed by Gerry Grzyb, A.K.A. Dr. Christmas, for the Dr. Christmas radio shows on 90.3 WRST-FM www.wrst.org To follow are the bios of Janey and Randy so you can understand their depth of talent and experience. Randy Waldman Beginning at the age of 5, Randy's future was already set in stone. While all the other children his age were out playing baseball, running around and doing what kids do at that age, Randy was sitting at the piano. From the minute he woke up in the morning, when he came home for lunch, and from the time he came home from school, he did nothing but sit at the piano and play. At the age of 12, Randy was hired for his 1st professional job, demonstrating pianos at a music store, and from there starting getting hired playing at parties. After getting through 3 years of high school, Randy was already a very busy musician, playing for shows, backing up singers and all types of musical jobs. At that point he told his parents that he wanted to quit high school, because it was taking up to much time and getting in the way of his career. After much bargaining, his parent struck up a deal with Randy, his high school principle and the head of music at Northwestern University. If Northwestern would let Randy play in there collage jazz band for the next year, Randy agreed to finish high school....which was not easy, since Randy only showed up for his music classes and not much more, much to the dismay of his gym teacher, geography teacher, English teacher .....and all of the rest. Somehow with the help of his persuasive father, and an understanding High School principle, Randy received his high school diploma...never to look back. Just after finishing high school, at the age of 21, he was hired to go on tour as the pianist for Frank Sinatra. Not a bad first gig! Shortly after that Randy was hired to tour with The Letterman and that brought Randy out to the west coast, at which point he decided that this was his new home, and he was officially a Los Angeles citizen. Within the 1st year moving to LA, Randy was hired to tour with various artists, starting with Minnie Ripperton, Lou Rawls, Paul Anka, and then George Benson. Randy toured with Benson for seven years as his pianist, conductor and arranger. The word started to spread about Randy in the LA studio scene, and he was beginning to get more and more calls to do session work on various records and movie soundtracks. Randy finally made an end to his touring so he could devoted all of his time to doing sessions. What followed were ten years of non stop session work...doing records, movies, TV, jingles, song writing and arranging. Some records that Randy's talents can be heard on are: Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Vanessa Williams, Patti LaBelle and Michael Jackson. A few of his motion picture soundtrack credits include: Forrest Gump, Roger Rabbit, Hoffa, Back to the Future, Bodyguard, Father of the Bride and Beetlejuice. Randy was nominated for "Best Vocal Arrangement for the song Code Of Ethics that he co-wrote for the Manhattan Transfer. He also co-arranged and performed on the hit song "Somewhere" for Barbra Streisand, which won a Grammy award for Best Arrangement. Randy was also voted Most Valuable Player during this time, and was nominated Most Valuable Player three other times by NARRAS. Randy has produced artists such as Bobby Caldwell, Patti LaBelle, Kenny G, The Stylistics and Mary Wilson and he has done numerous orchestra arrangements for the team Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis, Ray Charles, Bonnie Raitt, Nancy Wilson, Gladys Knight, David Foster, Phil Ramone, etc. Randy has recorded 3 solo albums including, "Wigged Out," "Unreel" and "Timing Is Everything" Visit him at his web site jazzpilot.com You guessed it, Randy is also an accomplished pilot and helicopter instructor! Janey Clewer Singer-songwriter, Janey Clewer, began her love affair with music from the early age of three when she received from Santa a toy piano. While finding her way effortlessly around the piano, she enjoyed singing with her mother, often taking the harmony part. At age five, she treasured her new real piano and began her classical studies with Virginia Reinecke. Her training on piano continued seriously until the age of 17. All the while she sang and composed for the thrill of it and joined her first pop band at age 15. Janey played keyboards and sang on weekends at local night spots until she decided to enter renowned Indiana University's School Of Music where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Voice, studying with Grammy Award winning Wagnerian soprano Eileen Farrell of the Metropolitan Opera. While attending I. U., she appeared regularly in a 9-piece show band and at various clubs with a jazz trio singing pop and jazz favorites as well as her own compositions. Two of her performing highlights during her I. U. years were when she opened for Mercer Ellington and the Duke Ellington Orchestra and for Maynard Ferguson and his Orchestra. One month after graduating, Janey moved to New York and began freelancing as a singer at various clubs. Shortly afterward, she began a nine year association with Julio Iglesias, with whom she performed all over the world as backup singer and featured vocalist. Among the performances she regards as most special are an appearance at the White House before President and Mrs. Reagan. Janey did not go unnoticed singing with Julio. It was because of her featured duets that she performed SRO (standing room only) for eight nights as a solo act in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. In between her solo and touring commitments, Janey moved to Los Angeles where she honed her skills as a songwriter and session singer. She did session work for records, film, television and commercials. She has performed and recorded with such stars as Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, Elton John, Luther Vandross, Patti LaBelle, Peter Cetera, Michael Bolton, Vanessa Williams, Harry Connick, Jr., Cher, Kenny G., Nick Lachey, George Benson, Olivia Newton-John and Mel Torme. On television, she has appeared on The Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, The Arsenio Hall Show, The Late Show with Joan Rivers, and has performed for many soap operas and sitcoms. She also served as Music Director, vocalist and keyboardist for Into The Night Starring Rick Dees. Her singing credits also include films such as; The Net, Aladdin, Species, City Slickers Two, Batman, and countless commercials such as McDonalds, Levis, Honda and Mercedes-Benz. As a songwriter, she has written many songs for both her own recordings and for others. Her first CD, released on MCA Records was A Starlight Christmas. Janey wrote or co-wrote and co-produced the entire CD with her partner Randy Waldman. She was also a featured vocalist on half of the CD. Guest stars include Patti LaBelle and Kenny G, among others. Additionally, Patti Labelle's Christmas CD, This Christmas, includes two of Janey's songs "Twas Love" and "I'm Christmasing With You". " 'Twas Love" was her single. Both "Twas Love" and "I'm Christmasing With You" have been included on several compilation CDs. Janey also has three solo CDs that have enjoyed successful releases, particularly in Japan: Janey, Call Me Romantic and When Stars Collide Well-known musicians such as Richard Marx, Peter Cetera, Eric Carmen, Bill Champlin and Timothy Noble sing backgrounds or duets with her. In 1999, she released her compilation CD entitled Kiss By Kiss and in 2001 she released an instrumental CD One On One with her husband, guitarist Bruce Gaitsch with Janey on piano. Other artists who have recorded Janey's songs include French singing sensation Lara Fabian. Lara recorded "Je T'Appartiens" on her CD Pure which to date has sold 3 million copies in France alone. "Je T'Appartiens" is also included on Lara Fabian Live and Lara Fabian’s Box Set. In August of 2001, Lara recorded another song co-written with Janey entitled "Bambina" for her CD Nue. In the summer of 2002, it was included in Lara's limited edition digipak single "Aimer Deja." "The Last Words You Said", co-written with Richard Marx, was recorded by Sarah Brightman for her CD Eden. This song is also included on The Very Best Of 1990-2000 Sarah Brightman. Other artists to record Janey's songs and instrumentals are renowned producer, guitarist Jay Graydon, singer-songwriter Bill Champlin (member of Chicago), Wendy Moten, Randy Waldman and Bruce Gaitsch. Janey's English adaptation "After The Rain" for the 2002 EUROVISION 4th place song winner "Il Faut du Temps", was released in the summer of 2002 by French BMG artist, Sandrine Francois, on her Maxi CD. Olivia Newton-John recorded a duet with Richard Marx that Janey wrote with Richard Marx, entitled "Never Far Away". It was released in Australia in November of 2002 on her CD, Olivia 2. Lara Fabian recorded “Bambina” for her new live acoustic CD entitled En Toute Inimite. “Bambina” was the first single for the CD released October 2003 in Canada on Disques Equinoxes and in France on Polydor (Universal). The album reached #6 on the Billboard France chart. In December of 2003, Janey and Randy recorded and released Your Favorite Christmas CD, a jazz/pop Christmas classic that contains all your favorite Christmas songs you've never heard before. “Aint No Time For Diets” was an original holiday song finalist in the 2006 Just Plain Folks” awards competition. Most recently, Your Favorite Christmas CD has two wonderful reviews received in 2008. One can be found at christmasreviews.com The other was done by Dr. Christmas who does an annual Christmas show on 90.3 WRST radio that is podcast worldwide. In Feb. of 2004, Janey had the honor of singing background vocals on the one of the last songs recorded by Ray Charles. It is a duet with Gladys Knight for his last CD Genius Loves Company called “ Heaven Help Us All” which won the Grammy for best gospel performance in 2005. Janey’s self-produced 4th solo CD entitled Perfume features 13 intoxicating songs and the unbelievable musicianship of the renowned drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, (Sting, Faith Hill, etc.) pianist, arranger Randy Waldman, (Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, etc.) saxophonist Dave Boruff, (David Foster, George Benson, etc.) and guitarist Bruce Gaitsch. (Madonna, Richard Marx, etc.) Perfume was released December 25th 2004 in Japan on Cool Sound and is available here, through CDbaby. Besides developing her Broadway show idea and composing songs for it, as well as writing with and for a variety of artists, accomplished and new. Janey has a new solo CD she intends to pre-release in a limited pressing in January 2009 called “Fallen For Brazil”. Janey resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband Bruce and daughter Samantha. Please visit her at janeyclewer.com