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Larry Goldings

Lawrence Sam "Larry" Goldings (born August 28, 1968) is an American jazz keyboardist and composer. His music has explored elements of funk, blues, and fusion. Goldings has a comedic alter ego known as Hans Groiner.[1]

Life and career

Goldings was born in Boston. His father was a classical music enthusiast, and Goldings studied classical piano until the age of twelve.[2] Through his father he met pianist Dave McKenna and studied with pianists Ran Blake and Keith Jarrett.[2] Among his other influences were and Bill Evans, Red Garland, Erroll Garner, and Oscar Peterson.[2] He studied at The New School with Fred Hersch and Jaki Byard.[2] In college he performed with Roland Hanna and Jon Hendricks.[2] A collaboration lasting almost three years with jazz guitarist Jim Hall followed.

After receiving his degree, he led a trio with guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Bill Stewart.[2] His debut album Intimacy of the Blues was released in 1991.[2] Over the course of his career, he has worked with Joshua Redman, Maceo Parker, Idris Muhammad, Kurt Rosenwinkel, David Sanborn, Ben Allison, Matt Wilson, Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, and John Mayer[2]

Record producers he has worked with include Russ Titelman, Larry Klein, Steve Jordan, Tommy LiPuma, Dave Grusin, Joe Henry, Blake Mills, Mike Viola, and T Bone Burnett. One of Goldings' first collaborations with Larry Klein includes the Madeleine Peyroux recording of Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love" with Goldings on Wurlitzer piano, pump organ, Hammond B3 organ, celeste, and piano solo.

Goldings is known for his gifts as a bass player on the Hammond organ, integral to his collaboration with Michael Brecker and Pat Metheny on Time is of the Essence and evident in the Pat Metheny composition "Extradition" during their 1999–2000 world tour. James Taylor's One Man Band 2007 live album and world tour draws heavily on Goldings' bass playing abilities, making the one man band concept possible. The album and tour also include Goldings' composition "School Song". Larry Goldings' Hammond organ is heard on John Mayer's song "Gravity", on the Grammy award-winning album, Continuum.

In 2007, Larry Goldings, Jack DeJohnette and John Scofield received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Album Individual or Group for their live album, Trio Beyond – Saudades. In 2017, Goldings with the Steve Gadd Band received a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Way Back Home.

In 2012 and 2013, Goldings was chosen to participate in both the Sundance Institute Documentary Film and Sundance Feature Film Composer Fellowship Programs. At the Documentary Film Lab in Sundance, Utah, Goldings scored scenes from filmmaker Johanna Hamilton's "1971". Goldings continued to work with the Sundance Institute in 2013, at the feature film lab held for the first time at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County. There he collaborated with filmmaker Pamela Romanowsky, scoring scenes from her film The Adderall Diaries. Goldings' advisors in that program included noted film composers Mark Isham, Heitor Pereira, Harry Gregson-Williams, and Thomas Newman.

Style and influences

Goldings' melodic style of organ playing has often been compared to that of Larry Young. On organ Goldings cites as his first inspirations the solo piano style of Dave McKenna "who walks his own bass lines better than anyone" and Billy Preston accompanying Aretha Franklin on "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Other musical influences cited by Goldings include the Wes Montgomery records which feature Mel Rhyne and Jimmy Smith; Shirley Scott; Chester Thompson; Joe Zawinul; and Jack McDuff. Goldings' 1990s collaborations with Maceo Parker provided an authentic understanding of the language of funk music, and the voicings and rhythmic comping on the Hammond B3 organ as passed down by James Brown to Parker.

Awards and honors

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Main sources:[7][8]

As sideman

With Peter Bernstein

With Till Brönner

With Chris Minh Doky

With Sia

With Robben Ford

With Steve Gadd

With Melody Gardot

With Jesse Harris

With Jim Hall

With Colin Hay

With Adam Levy

With John Mayer

With Jessica Molaskey

With James Moody

With Maceo Parker

With Rebecca Pidgeon

With Madeleine Peyroux

With John Pizzarelli

With Tim Ries

With Lee Ritenour

With John Scofield

With Mark Sholtez

With Bill Stewart

With Curtis Stigers

With Dave Stryker

With James Taylor

With Matt Wilson

With Lazlo Bane

With Pomplamoose

With others

Film and TV credits

References

  1. ^ Jarenwattananon, Patrick (20 February 2012). "The Man Who Makes Monk Better". NPR Jazz. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Collar, Matt. "Larry Goldings Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  3. ^ Simmons, Greg (January 30, 2011). "Larry Goldings and Harry Allen: When Larry Met Harry". AllAboutJazz. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "Live at Smalls". AllMusic.
  5. ^ "Ramshackle Serenade - Peter Bernstein, Peter Bernstein, Larry Goldings, Bill Stewart | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  6. ^ "Toy Tunes". AllMusic.
  7. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1996). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (3rd ed.). Penguin. p. 508. ISBN 978-0-14-051368-4.
  8. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. pp. 564–565. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.

External links