Larry Goldings: I Will

Larry Goldings is best known as an organist with a particular gift for bass lines, as exhibited on high-profile releases such as the Grammy-winning Trio Beyond—Saudades with Jack DeJohnette and John Scofield (ECM, 2007). Nevertheless, he trained as a classical pianist and has stuck to the 88's for several recordings, including well-regarded work with Jim Hall and 1997's Awareness (Warner Brothers), with bassist Larry Grenadier and Paul Motian on drums. Arriving nearly three decades later, Golding's piano trio album I Will was recorded across two nights at Sam First, an intimate living room of a club located in Los Angeles near the LAX airport, and released on the club's record label in audiophile-quality sound on both vinyl LP and digital (with 2 bonus tracks) formats. Joining Goldings on the dates were bassist Karl McComas-Reichl, who is also a film composer and visual artist, and emerging drummer Christian Euman, who has performed and toured with Kurt Elling, Billy Childs, and Mike Moreno. The playing on I Will is fresh, the recorded sound beautiful, and the limited edition vinyl, cut by Bernie Grundman and pressed by Furnace Record Pressing in Virginia, is flawless.

The set opens with "Roach" a creeping 5/4 blues, inspired by titular drumming great Max Roach, which is a highlight here. Goldings maintains a left-hand ostinato while soloing with a straight-ahead blues feeling that slowly becomes more abstract and angular. Fittingly, the tune then becomes a feature for drummer Euman, who solos freely within the odd time signature before McComas-Reichl and Goldings bring back the step-wise, ascending theme. Gershwin's Porgy and Bess tune "It Ain't Necessarily So" begins with McComas-Reichl and Euman toying with the famous opening melody, breaking it apart into its constituents until the latter's swinging beat signals Golding to start the tune proper. The pianist's approach is refreshing, maintaining the through-line of the song while varying the harmony to create a more abstract picture. The trio vary their impeccable swing with double-time episodes and lots of dynamics, and Goldings ends the song with a sly quote of Chopin's funeral march. A similar overall approach is given to the title track, Paul McCartney's love song from The Beatles' "White Album." The Beatles, (Apple Records, 1968). Here, the alternately straightforward and fragmented feel is less successful, sounding at odds with the tune's underlying sweetness.

"Mambo Inn" an Afro-Cuban tune by pianist Mario Bauza benefits from Euman's inventive drumming, which is a consistent delight throughout the set. A solo spot midway through allows McComas-Reichl's capable bass to come to the fore, after which Golding takes his playing up a notch through a varied set of approaches, at one point delightfully quoting "Jeepers Creepers." "Embraceable You," along with the digital-only take on West Side Story's "Somewhere," is approached obliquely, bringing a welcome freshness to a standard tune that can feel overly familiar in less inventive hands. As it is throughout the album, it is clear here that Goldings' trio conception is one of partnership and generosity, rather than the piano taking the lead. The LP closes with folksinger Judee Sill's "Jesus Was a Cross Maker." Euman, on brushes, plays wonderfully, suggesting a straight-time folk-rock beat while adding enough variation to create a gentle sense of swing. McComas-Reichl again solos effectively while Goldings maintains a sparse gospel feel underneath.

Recently prompted to complete the sentence "I will. . ." Goldings replied ." . .play more piano, that's one." Based on this enjoyable live album, that is a welcome resolution.

Special mention should be made of the trend that the clubs Sam First and New York City's Smoke have initiated, where live gigs or studio sessions laid down following a successful stand are recorded for release on a bespoke label with high standards (see recent albums such as Devin Daniels Quintet's LesGo! (Sam First Records, 2024), review here; One for All: Big George (Smoke Session Records, 2025) and Eddie Henderson's: Witness to History (Smoke Sessions Records, 2024). This is an exciting new approach that is helping to revive the jazz record industry and capture the excitement of big-city jazz clubs for fans worldwide.