Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Larry Goldings: Quartet

161

Larry Goldings: Quartet

By

View read count
Larry Goldings: Quartet
In the span of his relatively young career, Larry Goldings has run the gamut of styles from mainstream jazz to R&B, sonic explorations, and pop. With Quartet, he stays for the most part within the mainstream. But even within that mode, the record is unusual and unique for the eclectic blend of Goldings' interests and influences. Sticking primarily to the piano (Goldings is most well-known for his organ chops), he includes tunes by everyone from Björk and Monk to Gabriel Fauré. He even throws in a traditional American folk song, explaining, "In the past few years I have delved into such a wide variety of music that denying those influences in the making of this record would have been dishonest.

Goldings' bandmates (Ben Allison, bass; John Sneider, trumpet and cornet; Matt Wilson, drums) share his diverse interests and adapt themselves skilfully to the different situations he sets up. Sneider in particular plays beautifully, at times resembling Terrence Blanchard, at others resembling Miles Davis during his electric period, but always sounding fresh and new. Wilson adds unique colors to the mix as well, not necessarily keeping conventional time.

In fact, some of the more subtle pieces on the record, including "Singsong, "Cocoon and others, are influenced by Miles' In A Silent Way, with layers of music converging to give the illusion of a greater whole. Goldings' playing is as original and lyrical as usual. He never overplays, much of the time laying back and merely adding color to Sneider's notes. His rhythm work is simply outstanding.

The only complaint one may have about this latest record is that it lacks long and developed solos or songs. Most of the tunes clock in below four minutes, not allowing this band to really stretch out. This is a shame, as the players' chops are significant. But it is a small price to pay.

The emphasis here is not so much on improvisation as it is on composition and exploration. Goldings and his band create a coherent whole, which is no easy task considering the diversity of material. The pace is never pushed too hard, but many of the tunes swing subtly. Quartet is another significant addition to Goldings' already formidable catalogue, cementing his reputation as one of the true virtuosos on his instrument. Highly recommended.

Track Listing

Singsong; Au Bord de L'eau; Valsinha; The Wedding; Hesitation Blues; Jackie-ing; Dario and Bario; A Dream About Jaki Byard; Cocoon; Hidalgo; Denouement; We Shall Overcome.

Personnel

Larry Goldings
organ, Hammond B3

Larry Goldings: piano, electric piano, organ, harmonium, accordion; John Sneider: trumpet, cornet; Ben Allison: bass; Matt Wilson: drums, percussion; Madeleine Peyroux: vocal (5).

Album information

Title: Quartet | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Palmetto Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Larry Goldings Concerts


Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.