Plays Well With Others Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra

• 1A Baptist Beat04:07
• 2Don't Fence Me In / Strollin'03:56
• 3Moon River05:03
• 4In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning03:11
• 5I Wanna Be Around04:54
• 6Lazy Afternoon05:03
• Total Runtime26:14

Info for Plays Well With Others

Jeff Goldblum's two successful Decca albums from 2018 and 2019 have proven that he not only refines Hollywood blockbusters, but can also shine as a swinging jazz pianist. On his latest EP "Plays Well With Others" he can not only be heard again with his cool Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, but has also invited interesting guest singers once again. Mattiel Brown from the indie rock duo Mattiel can be heard on "Moon River", the American Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson on "Don't Fence Me In", the Brazilian singer-songwriter Rodrigo Amarante sweetens the relaxed song "I Wanna Be Around" and soul/jazz legend Freda Payne peppers the sensual track "Lazy Afternoon". On the two instrumentals of the EP, Jeff Goldblum can let off steam all the more as a pianist.

There is no stopping Jeff Goldblum and his inimitable style, especially when it comes to something as close to his heart as playing the piano. Goldblum especially loves to accompany, punctuate, converse musically with friends and fellow music-makers, and so is in his element on this new release for 2023.

Entitled ‘Plays Well With Others’, and released on Decca on 24th March, Goldblum together with his long-time band, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, delivers sheer joy with his idiosyncratic take on a collection of standards that, for Jeff, are amongst the best songs ever written. Here, the actor yet again brings his on-screen charisma and eccentricities to the keys, with a groove that is totally unique.

With all tracks newly arranged by The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra themselves, Jeff is, as the EP title suggests, joined by an array of talented, and unexpected, guest singers, all as thrilled to be accompanied by Jeff as he is to accompany them.

Jeff describes the experience of making the EP, “The experience of collaborating with these fantastic singers has made me feel that I have revealed myself to myself, and has left me utterly drenched and purged.”

The winter gloom of January 2023 will be much improved with the release of Goldblum’s first single from the EP, ‘Moon River’, featuring vocalist Mattiel Brown of the indie-rock duo, Mattiel. This unusual collaboration in fact comes as no surprise, with the small clue of Brown’s own band’s song, ‘Jeff Goldblum’, in which she sings about meeting a Goldblum look-alike in the bathroom. The band, Mattiel, has also been known to have Jeff’s face projected onto the stage at gigs. There was no question this meeting of musical minds had to take place, and Mattiel flew out to LA to record vocals while Jeff and band were working on the record.

Mattiel Brown says, “I’m thrilled to be working with a like-minded artist of Jeff Goldblum’s incomparable calibre. I couldn’t have imagined this outcome from penning some lyrics about an old boyfriend, but the stars seem to have aligned themselves.”

This offering sets the bar high, but the rest of the EP does not disappoint, as our star accompanist is also joined by multi-million-selling and award-winning singer Kelly Clarkson for Cole Porter’s 1930s classic, ‘Don’t Fence Me In’. And what better choice for the opening words, “Wildcat Kelly..”, beautifully delivered by Clarkson. This should also come as no surprise as Jeff actually put the idea to Kelly on camera, as a guest on her TV show, and even suggested the track. She said yes there and then! And they remained true to their word.

Next up is Brazilian singer-songwriter Rodrigo Amarante who, having been admired by Jeff and the band from afar, joins them for the laid back 1962 song ‘I Wanna Be Around’. Then the remarkable voice of Freda Payne – who has performed with Jeff and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra in the past – features on the alluring ‘Lazy Afternoon’. This arrangement is perfect for their friend and brings the record to a suitably relaxed close, with all the haziness we hear about in the song.

In between numbers from the starring vocalists, Jeff and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra look after things with a couple of instrumental tracks. To open the record, Jeff greets us with an effortless and inviting piano intro to the swinging sax-led tune, ‘A Baptist Beat’ (by Hank Mobley). The listener is later treated to a lilting bossa nova version of the 1950s song ‘In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning’, serving as a half-way point in the EP, and showcasing yet more dazzling solo moments from this brilliant band, with Goldblum bringing everyone together, in the way only he can.

Jeff Goldblum, piano
Joe Bagg, Hammond organ
Alex Frank, bass
John Storie, guitar
Kenneth Elliott, drums
James King, saxophone, flute
Scott Gilman, saxophone
Kelly Clarkson, vocals (track 2)
Mattiel Brown, vocals (track 3)
Rodrigo Amarante, vocals (track 5)
Freda Payne, vocals (track 6)

Recorded at The Hobby Shop Studios, Los Angeles CA, United States, in 2022

Jeff Goldblum
is quite simply, Hollywood royalty. Not only has he appeared in some of the biggest and most ground-breaking films of all time, but he is also known to appear in a variety of indie projects much closer to his heart. For his contribution to the world of acting, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2018. He also directed the Acadamey Award winning short film Little Surprises and taught acting at Playhouse West with Robert Carnegie.

Goldblum has featured in some of the biggest franchises of all time- The Fly in 1986, which propelled him into the spotlight and earned him a Saturn Award for Best Actor, Jurassic park and its follow up sequels, one of the most ambitious and incredible franchises of its time, and Independence Day in 1996, one of the biggest box office draws of all time and its sequel a decade later. Away from the silver screen, Goldblum has featured as the voice of the iMac and iBook commercials for Apple and created his own theatre company, The Fire Dept. In 2018, a 25 ft statue of Goldblum was unveiled in London to celebrate 25 years of Jurassic park. The following year, Disney announced the show The World According To Jeff Goldblum on its streaming service.

Aside from acting, Goldblum is an accomplished musician- he has a jazz band, Jeff Goldblum And The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, that he plays with most Wednesday nights at the Rockwell Club in Los Angeles. In 2018, he was signed by Decca Records and produced his debut studio album, The Capitol Studios Sessions. A year later, this was followed by I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This. He was so successful, he even appeared at Glastonbury music festival in the UK in 2019.

This album contains no booklet.