Episode 19: Gil Goldstein

11/13/14 • 82 min

Gil Goldstein is an arranger, composer, educator, pianist and accordionist. He has arranged projects for artists including Michael Brecker, Esperanza Spalding, Boz Scaggs, Michael Franks, Dave Sanborn, Chris Botti, The Manhattan Transfer, Paul Simon, and Pat Metheny, and produced projects for Bobby McFerrin, Jane Monheit, Mike Stern, Jim Hall and Randy Brecker...and more.

His book, The Jazz Composers Companion, is in its third edition.

Gil’s meeting and subsequent work with Gil Evans had a profound effect on his professional trajectory. Goldstein would become the piano player in Gil Evans band for the final years of Evans career, and when Gil Evans passed away, it was Gil Goldstein who kept the flame alive as the musical director of the band.

This is an extremely deep conversation. The first half is an overview of Gil’s early development and career, and the second half is a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in arranging. Gil explains how he thinks about arranging, specifically the importance of the overtone series, the fibonacci sequence, and ultimately the idea of the “universal musical mind”. He says, “You have an intimate relationship that is not coming from your brain – your choices are so organic that you almost don’t have a choice. Your soul tells you that this is the next phrase...as you do that you’re somehow tuning in to what nature tells us from the overtone series.”

Gil really delivered some of his knowledge, wisdom and musical world view in this conversation, and in sharing that, he shared some of the deeper truth about who is as well.

Stream it here or download it from the iTunes Music Store.

www.gilgoldstein.us

His book, The Jazz Composers Companion, is in its third edition.

Gil really delivered some of his knowledge, wisdom and musical world view in this conversation, and in sharing that, he shared some of the deeper truth about who is as well.

Stream it here or download it from the iTunes Music Store.

www.gilgoldstein.us

Previous Episode

Episode 18: Jon Batiste

Jon Batiste is one of the most exciting young jazz performers around, so it was no surprise to see him on the Colbert Report earlier this year, leading his band (Stay Human) and the entire audience (including Colbert) in a parade out of the studio and into the streets of New York.

Born in Kenner, Louisiana into a musical family, Jon started performing as a young boy - singing and playing drums with his family band. He describes his childhood as a kind of duality between his normal suburban life, and the exposure to live music that he got with his family band. “It was like: You see the people out there. We’re doing a show so when it’s your turn I want you to give it all you’ve got.”

Jon’s solo project encapsulates his approach. After recording a couple of traditional piano jazz records in the mid 2000s – when he was still only in his late teens and early 20s – he started to look for new ways to reach his audience and connect with people. He says he wanted to put the music “in life” – so you have this experience with music that you’ll never forget.

He refers to this as “Social Music”. He says, “I think that Social Music isn’t a genre. It’s an approach and an evolution of music. This is where we are. It’s not something I constructed. I’m basically articulating what I think everybody feels already.”

This interview was very transformative for me personally. I like Jon Batiste so much, the way he plays, the way he carries himself, his sense of personal style and his overall conception. He’s still in his 20s but he’s so aware of the tradition and his place within it, and so optimistic about the power of music in the world. I just can’t stop thinking about our conversation.

Stream below or download from iTunes.

Next Episode

Episode 20: Jacob Collier

Jacob Collier is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and youtube sensation. He’s primarily known for a series of music videos that he posts online, in which he creates ingenious arrangements of songs by composers ranging from Jerome Kern to Stevie Wonder.

In the videos, he records himself singing elaborate and ingenious harmonies, and films himself singing each of the parts, dressed in a slightly different shirt and hairstyle. There’s something very sweet and almost naïve about the visual presentation – it’s definitely homegrown and handmade, but the music is so sophisticated, so hip, so smart and at the same time, so beautiful, that the combination of the visual presentation and the music delivers a massive punch.

Our conversation feels like a document of a brilliant artist, still early in his development. At only 20 years old, he’s already beyond most musical minds I’ve come across. But he’s also still totally curious, filled with an enormous amount of wonder and enthusiasm for new ideas, musical or otherwise.

Here he talks about his personal approach to learning, music and harmony, what makes a groove work, the role of technology for him and his generation, and handling early cyber-fame.

http://www.jacobcollier.co.uk

Stream it here or download it from the iTunes Music Store.