When I grow up I want to be like Jeff Goldblum. There is no guy who is more cool than him, and in his old age he is not only betting on giving himself away and liking himself like no one else, but also on doing what he really wants. And above, do it well. We can’t think of any other way of looking at it, judging by that trio of jobs that the American actor and now interpreter has been signing since 2018, where at old age he seems completely determined to leave a legacy of the most fun and dignified in the world. of jazz. He does it on tiptoe and with respect, since he well knows that he is nobody to come and reinvent anything in this honorable profession and at this point. But with that care, good vibes and also talent, why not say it, the end result is always the same: a collection of easy listening songs, ideal for setting the mood for the thickest mornings and degreasing the lowest spirits.
“Plays Well With Others” (Decca, 2021), the six-song EP with which Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra give continuity to their already distant second album, “I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This” (Decca, 2019), it is not a job that will change anyone’s life, nor is it the greatest display of brilliance that its creator has displayed to date (which, in the humble opinion of the undersigned here, would undoubtedly reside in his debut, “The Capitol Studios Sessions”, where the guest list is to go to one’s pot). However, the unquestionable good work of Goldblum is also added here by the participation of a not inconsiderable list of great names and the most diverse with which together the task of entertaining, moving, suggesting, and even making people fall in love is achieved with approval.
With fanfares and rolls, Goldblum and his band create from the first minute the perfect situational climate to imagine ourselves inside a crowded cocktail bar from the 70s, where relaxed luxury and a bit of allowed vice come together between chords of cool jazz and swing(“A Baptist Beat”). The lights are dimmed, the tumult drops its decibels and a hard spotlight hits Kelly Clarkson directly, responsible for giving voice to a sinuous, sensual and elegant revision of the classic “Don’t Fence Me In”, originally signed by Cole Porter, which progressively and instrumentally evolves from Horace Silver’s “Strollin’” into a kind of delicious medley. From the iconic and award-winning voice of Clarkson we take a generational leap into the present and future of vocal jazz at the hands of Mattiel Brown, head of the power-pop project Mattiel, who precisely on his album “Georgia Gothic” (Heavenly, 22) they made eyes at Jeff Goldblum himself, dedicating a song of the same name to him, whose glove did not hesitate for a second to pick up the aforementioned, inviting her to participate in this new work. On this occasion, Brown leaves bedroom rock aside and dresses up to give shape to a serious and deep version of “Moon River” of Mancini, there is nothing.
Shortly after, Brown leaves the stage and a section of tropical winds, with airs of bossa nova and exotic space age, alerts us to a change in the direction of the menu (“In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning”)an indisputable sign that Rodrigo Amarante is climbing the stairs and seeks to bring out his crooner side, getting into the skin of Tony Bennett in “I Wanna Be Around”. The party can only end on a high, and as master of ceremonies, Goldblum is committed to putting the lines of the standard on the lips of the legend Freda Payne “Lazy Afternoon”, with which to pour the water into the wine and wait for the sparkling candles on the tables to finish consuming. People get up from their seats, brandish their coats and head for the exit while a saxophone solo offers a few last passionate notes that are intermingled with the clinking noise of glasses clinking together on the tray of a waiter who picks up and the vestiges of another great night signed by Goldblum and company.