IT’S A PRETTY GOOD BET THAT IF YOU CHECK OUT ANYONE’S ALBUM/CD COLLECTION OR PLAYLIST, THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT LARRY GOLDINGS HAS APPEARED ON.
ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC KEYBOARDISTS IN TODAY’S SCENE, HE’S GRACED THE ALBUMS OF JAMES TAYLOR (OF WHICH HE IS PART OF THE TOURING BAND), ROD STEWART, MICHAEL BUBLE’ AND OF COURSE TONS OF JAZZ RELEASES WITHT HE LIKES OF STEVE GADD AND HIS OWN DECADES LONG TRIO WITH BILL STEWART AND PETER BERNSTEIN.
AN ARTIST SO UBIQUITOUS TO THE LA SCENE SOMETIMES GETS TAKE FOR GRANTED, SO WE THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO CATCH UP WITH LARRY, WHOM I’VE SEEN PERFORM WITH HIS OWN BAND AS WELL WITH GADD, MADELEINE PEYROUX, JOHN SCOFIELD AND COUNTLESS OTHERS AT LOCAL VENUES.
AS EXPECTED, LARRY WAS GRACIOUS, ACCESSIBLE AND INSIGHTFUL, JUST LIKE HIS MUSIC.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM DAVE MCKENNA?
He was one of my first influences, growing up in Boston. I didn’t actually study with him, but his solo piano playing was a big influence on me.
I got addict to playing walking bass lines because of him; he was one of the masters of that. He also had a beautiful sound, and he swung real hard. But he was a unique piano player in that he was the master of the walking bass, and that certainly prepared me for later on when I got interested in the Hammond organ, because that’s one of the things that you do in an organ trio. You walk with your left hand and your feet.
I think that my fascination with being a bass player came from Dave McKenna
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“Usually, one of the common denominators, especially in pop music, for keyboard players, is that ‘less is more’”
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AS FAR AS TEACHERS, DID YOU FIND KEITH JARRETT AND RAN BLAKE, OR DID THEY FIND YOU?
I was studying in the Boson area with a guy named Peter Casino, and after 2-3 years, he said “I need to send you to somebody who’s going to open up some new doors for you”. He recommended Ran, who had taken over for Gunther Schuller as the head of the Third Stream Department at the New England Conservatory.
I was still going to high school, so I was going to Ran’s house.
Ran was and is a real lover of eclecticism, and believed that you could draw influence from all kinds of music. One of his things was to give me every week cassettes of a very eclectic mix of music for me to come and sing for him the next week.
I would have to memorize a Bud Powell solo, but also part of a Bartok theme or a Stevie Wonder tune. He really instilled this idea that one should really be listening to everything in order to find their own sound.
Keith Jarrett was and is one of my all time heroes. I met him because it was really my father, who can schmooze just about anybody.
My father was travelling to New York. He took a stab at what hotel Keith might be staying in when he was playing with a symphony orchestra in Saratoga, New York. He just called Keith on the phone, got his hotel and room number and ten minutes later there was a tentative date for my dad to bring me to meet Keith at his house in Oxford, New Jersey. That’s how the relationship started.
It was just three lessons over the course of a couple of years, but it definitely had a big influence on me, just being around him.
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“one should really be listening to everything in order to find their own sound”
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LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GLEAN FROM JARRETT?
One piece of advice that he gave that I really didn’t take at the time was for me to study with the strictest piano teacher that I could find.
I didn’t actually do that, but he had this book that he found in England. The purpose of the book was in the first volume give you a very simple four bar melody, and my challenge was to take as much time as I needed to compose the best ending to those four bars and complete the melody.
By Book Six, it was twelve tone, and getting much more musically complicated.
The point being, and the words he used were “this is what we’re trying to do in real time when improvising”. In other words, start an idea, and finish it in what sounds like the most inevitable way, as opposed to ‘predictable’
“Inevitable” is where, once you hear it, there couldn’t have been a better way or solution to end the phrase. He liked the idea of slowing down the process by way of composition. It gets you into that discipline of really thinking how best to start and finish an idea
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“One piece of advice that (Keith Jarrett) gave that I really didn’t take at the time was for me to study with the strictest piano teacher that I could find”
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WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM JACKIE BYARD?
Just by getting to know him a little bit and seeing a glimpse of his life I saw how he was a model for me. He straddled two extremes of playing. He could play stride piano as authentically as Fats Waller, but then in an avant garde context he could show me what to do. He had a language that was unique.
He was incredibly open as a musician, but the history of the music was important to him, too. Even when he was playing with Charlie Mingus, the roots of jazz were always in there. I love that hybrid of sounds, being attached to the past but looking to the future.
He also had a wonderful touch, and his ideas were fresh.
Even the exercises that he came up with were based on Jackie Byardisms. He was highly creative and highly spontaneous. He also had a wonderful sense of humor as well.
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“’Inevitable’ is where, once you hear it, there couldn’t have been a better way or solution to end the phrase”
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THE THIRD HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL PIANIST YOU LEARNED FROM WAS FRED HERSCH
Right before I moved to New York in 1986, my grandmother’s mother put me on the phone with my mother who said “You have a third cousin who lives in New York, and is a jazz pianist”. I said, “Ok, grandma, whatever”.
She said his name was Fred Hersch. I had never heard of him.
So it is interesting that we’re related. And I then ended up studying with him.
We focused a lot on solo piano, on touch and on sound. How to find one’s own sound
He was very opinionated and no nonsense. He was not one to flatter me; he was very real with me. It was a great experience.
He’s a master of piano at voice leading and making the piano sing. We actually did a two piano concert once. He’s one of my favorites, and a great composer as well.
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“I love that hybrid of sounds, being attached to the past but looking to the future”
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YOU BRING UP AN IMPORTANT POINT. IT SEEMS EASIER TO GET A PERSONAL TOUCH ON A PIANO AS TO A KEYBOARD, WHICH YOU ALSO PLAY. HOW DO YOU TRANSFER YOUR PIANO SOUND TO A MORE “IMPERSONAL” ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENT?
I was really into synthesizers as a kid, so I love to not just make music but to also just find sounds and find strange textures. I was a big Joe Zawinul / Weather Report fan, as well as Wendy Carlos and pop records that had interesting sounds. I love artists like Byork, people who are really stretching sounds so people as “what is that?”
I guess that goes into my love of movies that have interesting sonic production. It’s a fascinating world for me.
For me, the challenge with synthesizers is to make them breathe the way that Joe Zawinul did. He knew how to sculpt his sounds in a way that transcended that it was just electronics. A lot of that was just because he had a big heart, and understood harmony in such a way that he could really grab you with any instrument.
So,it’s pulling at the heartstrings with what I know about harmony and melody, and that can be done on anything. Also, to try to have good taste in the kinds of sounds that you use.
It’s important to take advantage of synthesizers and their ability to make you wonder what you’re hearing.
The Ran Blake experience made me very eclectic in my listening, so whatever instrument I’m on, I’m trying to transcend that instrument a little bit and find textures and colors.
I’m also at an arrangers frame of mind when I sit down at an instrument. A good arranger will think about the mood and fitting into that mood, whether I’m sitting at a Moog, organ or piano
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“the challenge with synthesizers is to make them breathe the way that Joe Zawinul did. He knew how to sculpt his sounds in a way that transcended that it was just electronicsIt’s important to take advantage of synthesizers and their ability to make you wonder what you’re hearing”
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WHAT CINEMATIC COMPOSERS ARE YOU DRAWN TO?
Randy Newman is a great film composer, and he comes from a great family of Hollywood royalty in that way.
Some of the old great ones like Bernard Herrmann (with Hitchcock), Nina Rota (who wrote for Fellini), Ennio Morricone and more contemporary people like Thomas Newman (also part of the Newman family). I got to work with him a couple of times which was a dream. I learned a lot from him.
I love John Bryan, Thomas Anderson, and Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead who has become a film composer and is very creative.
I like moods; I think that is much more interesting than just playing the chords and getting the job done. I like people who think more like composers and arrangers when they sit down
I like accompanying, so maybe the parallel to accompanying a musician is accompanying the film with sound.
I like sound, so if I didn’t go into music, I would have gone into that. I love sound.
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“I like moods; I think that is much more interesting than just playing the chords and getting the job done. I like people who think more like composers and arrangers when they sit down”
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WHEN YOU’RE PERFORMING WITH A JAMES TAYLOR, MADELEINE PEYROUX OR SIA, DO THEY TELL YOU WHAT THEY WANT FROM YOU OR DO THEY GIVE YOU FREE REIGN AND SAY “MAKE ME LOOK GOOD”?
Well, their objective is to have people make these great people sound even better. It depends on the artist.
James Taylor is a different experience because it is very much set in stone in terms of what the piano part should be. The challenge there is in finding those little moments where I can be Larry Goldings and not detract from what needs to happen for the song or lyric to be its best.
If I went into that situation feeling that I had a whole lot of freedom, then he’d have a lot to say. (chuckles)
On the other hand, he likes hiring jazz musicians because they do have the ability to take some chances and add some colors that be tasteful and not be out of the language of his music
As for Sia, I never worked “live” with her, but in the studio you try things-it’s very collaborative. She might have a vision as to what instrument I should play, whether it’s a keyboard, synth or piano. That’s just a process, and hopefully the producer will trust you to “go for it” and then from there we might have a discussion, such as “we like this direction that you took”.
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“(James Taylor) likes hiring jazz musicians because they do have the ability to take some chances and add some colors that be tasteful and not be out of the language of his music”
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Every situation is different.
When I went to record with John Mayer the first time. The song was “Gravity” and he had a really interesting directive after my first take, which was “Don’t spin the Leslie. I just want it to be a stationary sound. I don’t want it to be ‘over-organy’ or ‘overly gospely’ by spinning the Leslie speakers.”
I thought that was a cool comment, because organ players are always wanting to do that, since it’s just that sound.
But Mayer just wanted the static chords for color. And, when we got finished with it, I thought “He’s right”
Sometimes a song doesn’t need that extra gospel feeling, because it sounds a bit too cliché’d, but you want a hint of that sound.
That was interesting and it wasn’t something I would have done.
I like the collaborative aspect of working with different interesting artists, because they might come up with an idea that you didn’t have. That gets you to play differently.
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“I like the collaborative aspect of working with different interesting artists, because they might come up with an idea that you didn’t have. That gets you to play differently”
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HAVE YOU EVER HAD A RECORDING SESSION OR CONCERT THAT WAS LIKE A “BAPTISM BY FIRE”OR THAT YOU WERE OVER YOUR HEAD?
When I was younger I played with some experienced people where I thought “I’m just not there yet” in terms of chops or playing fast tempos, which is a thing that happens in the jazz world.
In the studio, I worked with Rickie Lee Jones, who is the type of artists who is not sure what she is searching for until she hears it. In one particular instance she didn’t find it with me.
I really wanted to please her, but it never really got there, and it was a drag, but that’s not that I’m being negative about it.
I saw Paul Simon rehearse his band once, and it was painful to watch in a way, as he was looking for something, which is part of the process that he needs to go through because he’s very specific and thoughtful. So, it might take a *long time to get to figure out what a certain section should be, because he needs to help his musicians find it.
That kind of gig is not for everyone , I can see how it can be frustrating, but with Paul Simon, the end is usually great. Everyone has their own process, and generally I’m open to being part of that process because I like to learn from people
A lot of those kind of gigs are not very player friendly; you don’t get to strut your stuff. It’s really about finding what’s right. Usually, one of the common denominators, especially in pop music, for keyboard players, is that “less is more”.
That’s been a very good lesson for me all around, because now I’m definitely of that mind as well, in most situations.
I think that people tend to play too much. Either too many notes, or they’re thinking about themselves more than how they are going to fit in to the bigger sound of the group.
Jazz players sometimes have that problem of “check out how much I know”. That’s not necessarily good for the music or even interesting for the audience. You’ve got to strike a balance there.
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“I think that people tend to play too much. Either too many notes, or they’re thinking about themselves more than how they are going to fit in to the bigger sound of the group”
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YOUR TRIO WITH BILL STEWART AND LARRY BERNSTEIN HAS BEEN LONGER THAN MANY MARRIAGES. WHAT KEEPS YOU TOGETHER AND WHAT KEEPS IT FRESH?
First, it’s not like we work together all year, every year.
When we do get together, there’s always a pretty good lag between tours.
Having said that, we are just really good friends, and we’re all very open to each other’s ideas. I don’t think we’re trying to fit into one typical “organ trio” sound, so we’re always open to trying new kinds of material. We all write for the band, and that’s fun.
A lot of it has to do with us all growing up in the New York scene together, and being good buddies. We’re always trying to change things up and keep it fresh. We haven’t gotten into any serious arguments (chuckles) about personal things or musical things.
It is one of the longest relationships, not just in organ groups, but in jazz groups. Don’t give up a good thing!
We don’t rehearse, either..
The only time that we rehearse is if we have a record and have some new material. But even then, if we have the opportunity, if we have the opportunity of touring with the music before we record, then we don’t need a rehearsal. ***We just go into the studio as if it’s a gig
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“It is one of the longest relationships, not just in organ groups, but in jazz groups. Don’t give up a good thing!”
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WHAT FUTURE GOALS DO YOU HAVE?
As much as I love the trio and all of my road work, one of my goals is to find a way to not travel as much and do more in town writing with song writers and with film, visual projects or other collaborations that require me to be more at home.
I’ve been on the road since I was 18, so it gets old, and I get old! (chuckles)
It’s also more costly now, and I get into bad habits when I go on the road, and I come back spent. That takes a toll on you, so I’m trying to find alternatives to the pace in which I’ve been on.
That’s one of my goals.
My other goal is to just get better as a pianist. I want to go back to a technique teacher and figure out some problems that I have.
I stopped practicing, and I don’t think that I’m getting any worse, but I’m not getting better.
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“We don’t need a rehearsal. We just go into the studio as if it’s a gig”
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WHEN IS HANS GROINER GOING TO START PLAYING IN TOWN?
That’s a good question.
There’s a video that my good friend Liz is editing right now, which was back from the Blue Whale before the pandemic and I had a three camera crew shoot a gig on the first set and the second set being a live masterclass with Hans. That will maybe be the next thing that people see.
I was actually asked by Sam First Bar if Hans would do a Christmas show. I was on the road when he called and was sort of mood where I just wanted to get home and not play anymore music.
I’m not a comedian; I think that I am sometimes, but I’m really not when it comes down to a whole night of Hans being entertaining. I just get afraid that it’s going to fail. So, I’m not sure right now.
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“Jazz players sometimes have that problem of “check out how much I know”. That’s not necessarily good for the music or even interesting for the audience. You’ve got to strike a balance there”
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WHAT MUSICIAN WOULD YOU PAY $1000 TO SEE PERFORM AND WHY?
Bach.
WHO IN WORLD HISTORY WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIT DOWN WITH FOR AN EVENING AND PICK HIS OR HER BRAIN?
Bach would be tough, because I don’t speak German.
I’ve had the opportunity to do that with some amazing people…
I’d love to talk with Miles, John Coltrane, and certainly Richard Strauss. There are so many.
ARE THERE ANY BOOKS YOU”VE READ THAT REALLY INFLUENCED YOU?
Yes, The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, the Stephen Mitchell translation is great and very applicable for artists and what they are trying to do, and for life in general.
I like the Eastern thinking ones. Another one is Zen and the Art of Archery
DO YOU THINK YOUR ATTRACTED TO EASTERN THOUGHT BECAUSE IT CAN BE LIKE “JUDAISM WITHOUT THE GUILT”?
(chuckles) It’s not so much the guilt is as much as there is in Catholicism.
WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST JOY?
My kids.
ANY UPCOMING GIGS IN LA?
I’m doing some things with Rachel and Vilray. Rachel Price, sounds kind of like Doris Day, and her partner plays guitar. It’s with Melinda Sullivan, the tap dancer that I’ve played with-that also gives me a lot of joy. She’s joyous person to watch and to play with. It’s old school jazz that is really joyous.
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“Everyone has their own process, and generally I’m open to being part of that process because I like to learn from people”
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WHEN YOU’RE DOING THINGS WITH GUYS LIKE STEVE GADD, DO YOU EVER THINK TO YOURSELF “I’M PLAYING WITH MY HEROES”?
I do that often. When I’m playing with Steve, I think of all of these records that I love, particularly those pop and jazz records. That’s one thing I miss about being in the digital age, because back then you could scour the liner notes to see who’s playing on your favorite records.To think about all of the things that Steve’s been on that I was into, and now knowing and playing with him is a great honor.
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“That’s one thing I miss about being in the digital age, because back then you could scour the liner notes to see who’s playing on your favorite records.To think about all of the things that Steve’s been on that I was into, and now knowing and playing with him is a great honor”
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LARRY GOLDINGS PERSONIFIES THE LA JAZZ SCENE. IF HE LIVED IN SOME PLACE LIKE NEW YORK, THEY’D MAKE A STATUE IN HONOR OF HIM FOR HIS IMPORTANCE TO THE MUSIC. BUT HERE IN LA LA LAND, HE JUST FITS IN TO DO HIS JOB OF CREATING MUSIC THAT PLEASE BOTH FELLOW MUSICIANS AND FANS OF ACOUSTIC ART. HE’S EASY TO FIND IN THE LA SCENE WITH HIS OWN BAND OR SUPPORTING AN ARTIST, BUT DON’T LET THAT BE AN EXCUSE TO TAKE HIM FOR GRANTED; HE’S ONE OF THE FOUNDATIONS OF WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT JAZZ.