Bill Goodwin: In and Out of the Control Room

Throughout the history of jazz, there have been many renowned drummers. Think of Cozy Cole, Gene Krupa, Max Roach, and Jack DeJohnette. A name known to many, but not all, is Bill Goodwin. In brief, for over 50 years, he has toured as the drummer and recorded with, among so many others, Tony Bennett, George Shearing, Gary Burton, Tom Waits, Jefferson Airplane (!), and, of course, Phil Woods. He does concerts and festivals all over the world while being, for over 20 years, a professor in the percussion/drum department of a New Jersey State University.

The list of musicians that Goodwin has accompanied is so extensive and legendary that a whole page of 8-point type could not contain everyone. Not only the exalted benefit by his association; he regularly plays at jam sessions with young players and talented amateurs. This piece is not one of the many about Bill Goodwin's status as a player but about his career as a record producer.

The record producer, for those that do not know, is the person in charge of everything needed to make the recording. That person chooses, or approves, the musicians and the music to be recorded. They set the time, place, and remuneration to the musicians for the recording. Often, the producer has a hand in setting the arrangements, choosing the take to be pressed, and advising the musicians on tempo, feel, and the statement the recording makes. Choosing the engineer in the recording booth and thus the sound of the record, the guests allowed, and securing refreshments are the responsibility of the producer. When all is said and done, the producer raises the money and spends the money. That contribution is as much a part of the recording process as the players.

Early on, as he was a recording musician, Goodwin began to think he could function as the producer. He learned about microphone choices and placement, personnel and material choices, business machinations, technical issues, and dealing with the emotional needs of various creative personalities. Being a musician himself, there were very few of 'us vs. them' vibes present in many recording sessions. Working with legendary producers such as Teo Macero on the East Coast and Bob Thiele on the West Coast gave him inspiration for and guidance on recording excellence.

Being interested in the recording process and being friendly, and not suffering from acute shyness, he picked the brain of anyone and everyone who was making it happen. Before moving East, Goodwin and Art Pepper used to visit Lester Koenig at his LA studio recording for Contemporary Records. Art Pepper, who, but for his well-documented legal troubles and stints of incarceration, may very well have rivaled Phil Woods as one of Charlie Parker's successors. Contemporary Records was a favorite of Goodwin, and the opportunity to be in their studios was a great boon to him.

From observing Lester recording all kinds of jazz and later asking questions, Goodwin learned the ins and outs of the studio. Important was both the hardware (mikes, tapes, etc.) and software (people skills) needed to make a recording sound the way they wanted, with everyone walking away happy. Bill Goodwin's first recording with Phil Woods was with Phil's producer at the time, Norman Schwartz. Norman was an accountant and began by telling Goodwin what he was doing wrong as a drummer. That was only one of his faults as a producer, including embezzlement, it later came out, and following a difficult recording session for all, Norman was summarily fired by Phil.

A few months later, Bill Goodwin's first producing gig was recorded live at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas, a well-known beer hall. Armadillo World presented a variety of acts: Western swing one night, avant-garde jazz the next, then Phil Woods for one night, and Johnny Cash on the weekend. It also housed a full recording studio, and in 1975, Goodwin negotiated a good deal to record two sets of the Phil Woods Quartet. It was recorded with multiple microphones direct to a two-track tape, which was what he took as his master tape. He found a local studio where he could edit the tape and prepared it for release.

Set 1, named Phil Woods Quartet Live, was sold to the Clean Cuts record company for $7,500, and Set 2, named More Live, sold to Adelphi Records for $8,000. His bandmates thought he was a genius for getting them that much money for about a $900 investment. Both records were Grammy-nominated, and More Live won the Grammy for best performance by a group. With the Grammy win, his name as a producer was bandied about. He made a deal with Island Records for two jazz albums for "some even more interesting money." One of those records, At The Vanguard by the Phil Woods Quartet, also won a Grammy.

At this point in his life, Bill was living in the area of Pennsylvania known as The Poconos. This area, since the late 19th century, had been, and still was, a popular resort destination. Many musicians, including many prominent jazz musicians (Phil Woods, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Urbie Green, Bob Dorough, etc.), came to live near the resort hotels because of the steady work offered in the various bands at the hotels while still being within easy driving distance of New York City.

There was a place known as The Shawnee Inn, which was owned and operated by the bandleader and entrepreneur-extraordinaire Fred Waring (of The Pennsylvanians). He had a tremendously successful hit with the Christmas song "The Little Drummer Boy." The Shawnee Inn, operating to this day, boasted a hotel, a golf course, a mountain for skiing, dining halls, pubs, swimming in the Delaware River, and a ballroom/showroom. It had an old, deconsecrated church on site made into a 200-seat theater for summer stock shows, from where at one time Fred Waring's live radio broadcasts originated. Fred Waring retained publishing rights to all his music and had in-house publishing.

Part of the publishing operation, located at little off-site in a large building called The Castle Inn, was a record label known as Omnisound Jazz, which Goodwin, with some friends and family, was able to purchase. He became the "president and janitor" of the company. With so many great musicians in the area, there was a plethora of choices regarding records to be made. Along with Phil Woods, Bob Dorough, Lew Tabackin, and many other assorted players and friends, that label also recorded some music that became nationally known.

Dave Frishberg, the pianist (and songwriter of "I'm Hip," "Peel Me A Grape," "My Attorney Bernie"), wanted to sing and perform his own songs. One of the two albums he made for Omnisound was shown and featured on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Due to being undercapitalized, the company folded up its tent after a few years. After disposing of and distributing as equitably as possible the musical material, Bill Goodwin remained, at least in reputation, the (former) president of the Omnisound Jazz record company.

Rather than being a drummer interested in producing, he was now the Grammy-winning president of a record company who was also an in- demand drummer. After all the records he produced—four or five a year from 1976 until 2024—there is no 'Bill Goodwin sound.' Everyone Phil Spector produced, from The Ronettes to John Lennon, had that 'Phil Spector Wall of Sound.' Or Gordon Jenkins, of Sinatra fame, gave everyone that lush string sound he used so effectively on "It Was a Very Good Year." Goodwin, it seems, in reviewing his catalog, strived to have everyone sound as much like themselves as he could control.

Nevertheless, he became better known, and this raised profile led to some exciting and interesting opportunities. Being known as a drummer also brought into the conversation his producing skills, which led to some classic recordings. One of those was the meeting of the Phil Woods Quintet with Dizzy Gillespie. Dizzy was one, along with Charlie 'Bird' Parker, of the originators of BeBop. Phil knew Dizzy well after traveling with him in 1956 to the Middle East on a tour the State Department sponsored. The Quintet had not played with Dizzy. That made this session especially exciting for Goodwin, as he not only produced but also got to be the drummer on the recording.

Everyone, drummer/producer included, played with intensity and sensitivity, especially on "Love For Sale," with the fugue-like interplay between Dizzy's trumpet and Tom Harmon's flugelhorn. Bill played and produced an unusual group called The Cosmic Brotherhood. The group was the rhythm section of woodwind player Paul Horn, who has recorded in the Taj Mahal in India, the Great Pyramid in Egypt, and in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC. In the group were three sitar players, one of whom was the leader, Bill Plummer. Also playing were Carol Kaye from The Wrecking Crew on bass and Tom Scott, from the Rolling Stone's tour, also in The Wrecking Crew. It has been described as a trippy Indian beat with white-boy rapping from 1967.

Many musicians may have the desire and the skills to produce or to play on a recording. But the vast difference in the needs of doing either lends itself to great difficulty in the studio, so while there are some, not too many players are producers simultaneously. Switching from the analytical part of the brain (twisting dials) to the creative part of the brain (making music) is too great of a leap for most. Bill Goodwin never had that problem. He played and produced over 20 recordings with the various assemblages of Phil Woods, along with countless other sessions with other musicians where he did both.

Keith Jarrett Trio is a 2024 project, but it was done with little current input from Bill Goodwin. In 1994, Keith Jarrett was returning to the Poconos area after a big world tour, including the famous recordings at Köln. He lived nearby in New Jersey, and an evening at the Deer Head Inn, where he had played for decades, was planned. Goodwin received a call from Jarrett. They knew each other for many years, and Goodwin, knowing about the planned evening, thought when he received the call he was being asked to play drums. Instead, Keith Jarrett was calling to ask if Paul Motian could borrow his drum set.

Bill Goodwin graciously gave his permission for Bill Evans' longtime drummer to use his equipment. As Jarrett's friend, he offered to record it to preserve the moment. The recordings were so exciting they decided to release them. At that time, only one set was released, with some plans to release the rest later. Life intervened, and the subsequent release was forgotten. Since Keith Jarrett's touring schedule in 2024 is on hold, he got the idea to release this material that Bill Goodwin recorded 25 years ago.

Billy Hart of The Billy Hart Quartet, along with his work with Herbie Hancock and Art Farmer, was a natural choice for Goodwin for the dual drummers album Sound On Sound, done in 2022. That is the same year Hart received the NEA Jazz Master award. They spent months choosing and deciding on the right personnel and the right material for the recording. With two propulsive yet collaborative drummers, this recording almost redefines rhythm. This is another example of Goodwin playing, producing, and co-leading the band.

If it was easy, everyone would do it. A player he did not record was the drummer and owner of the club, The Manne Hole. Shelly Manne was a great drummer (and a better friend), and Goodwin is greatly disappointed to have not recorded him. As a young teenager, Goodwin saw The Man With The Golden Arm in a theater and heard the soundtrack. The movie opens with a completely black screen, and we hear the tssst dit da tssst dit da tssst dit da of Shelly Manne's hi-hat cymbals. Goodwin knew at that moment he wanted to be a drummer. He describes it as a full-blown epiphany, and he never wavered from that. The main character in this movie is a drummer, and Shelly Manne, off screen, did all the drum work. Goodwin listened intently throughout the film.

Probably not coincidentally, a few years later, Goodwin was now trained and experienced enough to seek serious musical employment, and he met Shelly Manne at the club. Shelly Manne did well for Bill Goodwin, schooling him about the music business and helping with good connections. He also kindly functioned as a mentor and father figure to Goodwin. Shelly Manne gave Bill Goodwin a good start to capitalize on his early experience with playing and recording with Charles Lloyd, Leroy Vinnegar, and Gary Peacock.

Bill Goodwin has had a longer career than most musicians of any genre, and his tenure in the grueling world of jazz touring makes it truly remarkable. His skills as a drummer, leader, producer, and educator are still strong, but he has been backing off from some work lately. At 82, he is not as mobile as before. He does no touring, still teaches, and does gigs "if it's someone I want to play with." He is still open to record producing gigs. Bill Goodwin's extensive full discography is available many places for those who need more.

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