This Friday, on the eve of their first ever UK live show, Hollywood icon Jeff Goldblum, and his long-time band The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, celebrated hitting the top spot of the UK Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart with their debut album, ‘The Capitol Studios Sessions’. The album was released on November 9.
On hearing the news of his No.1 record Goldblum commented,
“Excelsior!! I’m happy as a clam!”
Goldblum has been playing the piano all his life and performing with his jazz band for the past 30 years, but it was only when he accompanied soul-jazz star Gregory Porter on BBC’s Graham Norton Show last year that the actor’s distinctive style and natural feel for the piano caught the attention of Decca record executives, who suggested he make an album.
Tom Lewis, Director of A&R for Decca says,
“It has been so exciting reading people’s comments on social media as they discover Jeff’s brilliant, life-affirming album. This record immediately brings a smile to your face, and there are lots of people who need that right now. For a start we’ve decided to bike a complimentary copy over to No.10!”
Jeff and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra played their first official London gig, which proved to be the hottest ticket in town. Selling out in minutes, it was one of four shows (with an extra performance added due to high demand) at Cadogan Hall and Ronnie Scott’s as part of the London Jazz Festival, with additional live dates in Paris and Berlin.
The atmosphere and energy of these shows is captured perfectly on the record. Produced by Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Madeleine Peyroux), ‘The Capitol Studios Sessions’ is the realization of this idea: jazz and standards presented in a manner that dares to be high-spirited and to make you feel good. Along with Irish superstar Imelda May, American singer Hayley Reinhart and comedian Sarah Silverman on guest vocals, Goldblum and his band deliver the feel and the swing, and they make it fun, funny, and familiar. Those are words not often associated with jazz, though they still can be, and today with this No.1 album, we are reminded of that.
You can see Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra tonight in Paris at Le Trianon, in Berlin, on Wednesday 21 November, at Admiralspalast, and Thursday, November 22, at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, where they are now performing two shows, as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival.
Lisa caught Jeff and the band at London’s Rough Trade East on Friday evening, where they performed live in store some of the tracks from the album, as well as a meet and greet and signing after the show. Check out the video here:
You can find out more about Jeff Goldblum online from Decca, and on his social media accounts – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
