The Larry Goldings Trio: Moonbird

MOONBIRD, the debut release of The Larry Goldings Trio on the adventurous independent label, Palmetto, features six superbly-crafted tunes that pull out all the stops. Larry Goldings, considered by many to be one of today’s premiere jazz organists, pianists and composers, shares a splendid musical rapport with Peter Bernstein on guitar and Bill Stewart on drums, cymbals and gongs. Perhaps the sweetest part of this set is the lyrical, soulful and sophisticated Hammond B-3 improvisations on the title track, “Moonbird,” and “Woodstock.” Goldings offers his audience balanced, inspired solos that flow along in a conversational manner with Peter Bernstein’s guitar and Bill Stewart’s potent backbeats. On “Moonbird,” Stewart opens with a straight-ahead charge that segues into Bernstein’s lyrical guitar solo. Goldings’ head-nodding solo is spontaneous, expressive and fluid with his quest for melody and harmony fulfilled. “Woodstock,” the Joni Mitchell classic, is given a new arrangement with Stewart’s gongs opening and subtlely conveying his tone of voice throughout the piece. Goldings, again on the Hammond B-3 brilliantly displays his years of keyboard originality, bringing the song back to life for a new generation. Peter Bernstein provides effective agile chord progressions that solidify the foundation for Goldings solo passages. The individual performances within the organ trio are stellar and indicative of why Goldings and Bernstein are considered two of the most important voices to emerge on their respective instruments in the past decade. The jazz organist, as an equal partner with the jazz drummer and the jazz guitarist provides an emphatic sound on their set. MOONBIRD is a resolute, yet spontaneous display of The Larry Goldings Trio’s musical abilities and compositional integrity. A must have for the jazz organist enthusiast.

PERSONNEL: Larry Golding, Hammond B-3 Organ; Peter Bernstein, Guitar; Bill Stewart, Drums, Cymbals, gongs.

TRACKS: Crawdaddy, Moonbird, Woodstock, Christine, Empty Oceans, Xoloft, Comfort Zone, I Think It's Going Today