Jeff Goldblum, jazz titan

[AndyV]

Not.

I found this interesting and at times amusing on several levels. It's great that a celebrity of Goldblum's notoriety is bringing attention to jazz music and displays genuine passion for it but personally, I find it hard to get past his mugging and general "Jeff Goldblumness" to appreciate what he's actually playing. The point about facile muscle memory vs really, truly playing what you hear is a good one. We guitarists are notoriously guilty of playing rote pattern phrases that don't breathe.

[Doctor Jeff]

It's like the joke about the talking dog.

"What's amazing is not what he says, but that he can talk at all."

Or maybe the punchline was "I shoulda said DiMaggio?"

[Doctor Jeff]

This might be an excuse for a discussion of actors who play music and musicians who act. Guess I'll start my own thread...

[Ukena]

This might be an excuse for a discussion of actors who play music and musicians who act. Guess I'll start my own thread...

That'll be a long list...

[jameslovestal]

I like Jeff Goldblum and find this persona entertaining so his "mugging" doesn't bug me. I have seen him live here in La La Land (Los Angeles, CA, USA), and enjoy his playing. As noted, anything that brings attention to jazz music and musicianship is helpful in keeping this genre from being left to only musicians.

[Doctor Jeff]

I agree that anything bringing attention to jazz and making it “cool” is a good thing.

Jazz wasn’t “invented” just for virtuosos and savants who knew 40,000 chords. It was the blues, dance music, ragtime music…the purpose was to make you feel GOOD.

Normal humans played jazz back when it was the preeminent musical form, and we shouldn’t let it be restricted to the pros, as defined by a small elite of snobs. That will be a sure ticket to oblivion.

[AndyV]

Yep. With the exception of fast be-bop, you really don't need incredible chops to play much of the jazz cannon, you just need to know the chords, the melody have a feel for the rhythm and phrasing common to the genre, and a passion to express yourself in this idiom. Goldblum expresses joy when playing the music and that's great optics for jazz.

[mr. beaumont]

Truth is, if you condensed every piano player in the world into 100 people, maybe 1 person would be an actual pro, and maybe 2-3 people would be able to play a jazz tune with any facility.

[Doctor Jeff]

Truth is, if you condensed every piano player in the world into 100 people, maybe 1 person would be an actual pro, and maybe 2-3 people would be able to play a jazz tune with any facility.

But 90 of them could play Musicbox Dancer or Moonlight Sonata at half-speed...

I'm just practicing to the point I could play the piano solo on I'm Waiting for the Man.

[mr. beaumont]

But 90 of them could play Musicbox Dancer or Moonlight Sonata at half-speed...

I'm just practicing to the point I could play the piano solo on I'm Waiting for the Man.

Or the left hand of Heart and Soul. With their right hand.

[Marinero]

Not.

I found this interesting and at times amusing on several levels. It's great that a celebrity of Goldblum's notoriety is bringing attention to jazz music and displays genuine passion for it but personally, I find it hard to get past his mugging and general "Jeff Goldblumness" to appreciate what he's actually playing. The point about facile muscle memory vs really, truly playing what you hear is a good one. We guitarists are notoriously guilty of playing rote pattern phrases that don't breathe.

The narrator is a C.F.I. . . . . Complete F---K--G Idiot! And, if Jeff doesn't clown . . . then we must assume he wants us to take him seriously.
Marinero

[Litterick]

The answer to the question, "Is he any good" is: he is Jeff Goldblum and you are some guy on YouTube in an awful dun shirt.

I will not watch the video.