Jeff Goldblum’s favourite jazz classics
Actor Jeff Goldblum is known for starring in some of the highest-grossing films of all time, including Jurassic Park and Independence Day. His acting career began in the 1970s with films like Annie Hall before gaining notoriety for his performances in pictures such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Fly.
The Pennsylvania native’s career took a dip after the success of the 1990s but saw a revival through his work with Wes Anderson and his films The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs. As well as having a passion for film, Goldblum also looks to be a music aficionado. As well as playing music himself, he is also a keen record collector and once named his favourite songs in a feature with Gentleman’s Journal.
Goldblum’s list is crammed full of jazz greats. He begins with ‘Blue Minor’ by Sonny Clark, which has been covered many times over the years, even by Goldblum himself. He said, “We play this one with our band. Sonny came from a small town near Pittsburgh, my hometown. The head is very hip, and by association, that makes us hip”.
Another widely-celebrated jazz standard that Goldblum admires is ‘Misty’, originally written by Erroll Garner in 1954, arriving as an instrumental on his album Contrasts. “Another hometown hero, Pittsburgh pianist Erroll Garner was one of my earliest exposures to jazz,” Goldblum said. “If you like octaves as much as I do, check out this tune!”
Jazz would be nothing, of course, without the legendary Miles Davis, and Goldblum includes the iconic trumpet player’s version of ‘My Funny Valentine’, at one point Chet Baker’s signature song. “At one time, this song was my morning alarm on one of those bedside CD players. I’ve never been the same since,” Goldblum said.
The jazz hits just keep on coming for Goldblum, with ‘Epistrophy’ by Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane also making an appearance. Goldblum said of the brilliant collaboration between the two jazz geniuses, “An epistrophe (Monk purposely spelt it wrong) is the repetition of phrases or words in a set of clauses, sentences, or poetic lines. It’s also a jazz tune that is very difficult to solo on, but clearly not for Monk and Coltrane.”
Good old Chet Baker also stakes his claim on Goldblum’s favourite songs list, too, with his take on the 1943 jazz standard ‘Let’s Get Lost’ cropping up for good measure. “Both Chet Baker’s voice and trumpet are clear, calm, raw and direct,” Goldblum said. “This is small combo cool jazz at its best. It’s a perfect anniversary song; trust me on this one”.
Jeff Goldblum’s favourite jazz classics:
- ‘Blue Minor’ – Sonny Clark
- ‘Misty’ – Erroll Garner
- ‘My Funny Valentine’ – Miles Davis
- ‘Epistrophy’ – Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane
- ‘Let’s Get Lost’ – Chet Baker
