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A highly regarded pianist,
Larry Goldings is an in-demand sideman and bandleader known for his balance of hard-swinging, harmonically nuanced post-bop and funky organ jazz. Emerging in the early '90s,
Goldings established himself as a premier soloist on the New York scene, often playing in his trio with guitarist
Peter Bernstein and drummer
Bill Stewart. He has issued a stream of highly regarded albums, including 1995's
Whatever It Takes, 2002's
Sweet Science, and 2007's Grammy-nominated Saudades with drummer
Jack DeJohnette and guitarist
John Scofield. He is a longtime touring member of
James Taylor's band, and has been sought out by a wide array of performers, including
Norah Jones,
Madeleine Peyroux,
Maceo Parker,
Sia,
Charlie Haden, and others.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1968,
Goldings took classical piano lessons until age 12, encouraged by his father, a classical aficionado. It was while in high school at Concord Academy that he became interested in jazz. Around this time, a friend of his father's introduced him to pianist
Dave McKenna, whose music had a profound influence on
Goldings. From there, he embarked on a deeper study of jazz, listening to artists like
Erroll Garner,
Oscar Peterson,
Red Garland, and
Bill Evans. He also sought out private lessons with pianists
Ran Blake and
Keith Jarrett.
After high school, he enrolled in the jazz program at New York's The New School, where he further honed his skills studying with
Jaki Byard and
Fred Hersch. It was during this period that he accompanied pianist
Roland Hanna to Copenhagen for a three-day series of private concerts, where he performed with
Sarah Vaughan,
Kenny Burrell,
Tommy Flanagan,
Hank Jones,
Harry "Sweets" Edison, and
Al Cohn. Also prior to graduating,
Goldings toured with singer
Jon Hendricks, an association that led to work with guitarist
Jim Hall.
Graduating in 1990, he began leading his own trio with guitarist
Peter Bernstein and drummer
Bill Stewart, playing regularly at Augie's Jazz Bar (later named Smoke). In 1991, he made his debut as a leader with Intimacy of the Blues, which featured his trio along with guest saxophonist
David "Fathead" Newman. A second trio effort,
Light Blue, appeared a year later, followed by the bossa nova-tinged organ session Caminhos Cruzados, which included several tracks with saxophonist
Joshua Redman.
In 1995,
Goldings signed with Warner Bros. and released two highly regarded organ-centric albums, starting with
Whatever It Takes. A funky, hard-bop-leaning date, it featured his trio with
Bernstein and
Stewart along with guest spots from saxophonists
Maceo Parker,
David Sanborn, and
Redman, as well as trombonist
Fred Wesley. Released in 1996,
Big Stuff showcased a similar sound, and found the pianist joined by
Bernstein, veteran drummer
Idris Muhammad, and guitarist
Kurt Rosenwinkel. For his final Warner Bros. album, 1997's
Awareness,
Goldings shifted back to piano, working with longtime
Keith Jarrett associates bassist
Larry Grenadier and drummer
Paul Motian.
Goldings then moved to Palmetto, issuing the trio album
As One with
Bernstein and
Stewart. Several more albums followed for the indie label, including the Hammond organ-soaked
Sweet Science and 2006's aptly named
Quartet with trumpeter/cornetist
John Sneider, bassist
Ben Allison, and drummer
Matt Wilson.
Also during this period, he joined drummer
Jack DeJohnette and guitarist
John Scofield for a live 2004 concert at London's Queen Elizabeth's Hall. Released as Saudades in 2006, it earned
Goldings a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Jazz Album of the Year. In 2010, he joined the Dutch
Metropole Orkest for two albums, When Larry Met Harry with saxophonist
Harry Allen and
Scenes from a Dream with
Peter Erskine and
Chris Minh Doky.
The solo piano album
In My Room followed in 2011. That same year, he rejoined
Bernstein and
Stewart for the concert album Live at Smalls. The trio were also together for 2014's Ramshackle Serenade. He then guested with
Ron Carter,
Gerry Gibbs, and
Kenny Barron on
We're Back. In 2017, he joined
John Mayer on the singer/songwriter's The Search for Everything tour, and returned a year later with his own trio album,
Toy Tunes, with
Bernstein and
Stewart. ~ Matt Collar