“What A Friend” – Elder Randall Ogans, Sr.

“What A Friend”
Elder Randall Ogans, Sr.
From the CD, What A Friend (2020)
https://elderrandalloganssr.hearnow.com/

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

Elder Randall Ogans, Sr.’s arrangement of “What A Friend” is like chicken soup for the soul. The jazz-infused instrumental is the title track from his debut gospel jazz CD, on which son Dorian is a featured musician and co-producer.

“What A Friend” opens with the lull of an acoustic piano, shaping each note of the melody into a reminder of the solace we and the generations before us have found in the 19th-century hymn. Ogans’ arrangement then blossoms into a full-bodied smooth instrumental, replete with electric piano, organ, pads, and percussion.

The track was recorded at Ogans’ own Alpha 7 Ministries Studios in Roseville, CA.