Album Review: Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra -'Night Bloom'
As if sunshine was music, Jeff Goldblum’s ‘Night Bloom’ is simply joyous.
Proving there is nothing he can’t do, Jeff Goldblum releases ‘Night Bloom’ and with it the world is a warmer, brighter and certainly jazzier place. His fifth offering, this is an album filled to burst with joy and heart and is exactly what we all need at the moment. Sensationally accompanied by longtime collaborators The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, Goldblum oozes charisma through a journey of some of the most iconic and well known tunes, often bringing a friend or two along for the ride. Goofy, gleeful, and impossible to not fall in love with, its a demonstration not only of his wicked ability as an artist but more so his love and passion for music and the community that it brings.
The album opens with ‘Misty’, a gorgeous jazz standard originally written and recorded by Erroll Garner. Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer’s arrangement is upbeat and punctuated by rich brass and lyrical piano. The first of the album’s many features, vocals by Melody Gardot have that timeless charm that transports listens straight to the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood. The phrasing and intonation is superb throughout and offer a fresh and exciting take on the track. The choice of this song, one which in content is so melancholy, as the first listen of the album is intriguing. It sets a tone that is whimsical, nostalgic and carries a kind of bittersweetness to it. Hard not to love.
Tapping into the Great American Songbook, Goldblum offers his interpretation of classic showtune ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’. Joined this time by surprise guest Charlie Puth, this track does away with the bold brass and percussion instead beginning with just piano and voice. Puth’s, as he always has been, is crystal clear and melodically precise. The chorus brings in some of the orchestra and swelling harmonies, deepening the sound and filling it with light and shade. The arrangement by Alex Frank is just so; enough that the track hits on all its marks but in a way that is understated. Cards are being held close to the chest, Goldblum has some tricks up his sleeve yet.
Hot off his wonderful performance as the Wizard of Oz, it would be scandalocious to not include some sort of nod to his time in the emerald city on the album. Fans are treated to not 1 but 2 back-to-back homages; ‘If I Only Had a Brain’ and ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, one of which seeing him reunited with co-star Cynthia Erivo. There’s a real, palpable joy that comes through on both tracks that echoes the fun and magic from the films-it’s evident how much the project meant to Goldblum. The tracks are a beautiful bookend to his time as the Wizard, immortalising it within his artistry forever.
‘Mean to Me’ sees another of Goldblum’s entourage, dodie, join the party. In addition to her feature on the album, she also opened up for the first of his UK shows last month in Wolverhampton - a night which was no doubt full of magic. ‘Mean to Me’ continues the feeling of the opening track; melancholy but delivered with such sweetness and heart that you almost forget what the lyrics are saying : ‘Dear it must be great fun to be mean to me. You shouldn’t, for why can’t you see what you mean to me?’. Kudos again has to be given to Alex Frank whose arrangement allows for the brass, which so often is an instrument of power and gusto, to sing.
A personal favourite emerges in ‘We’ll Meet Again’. Irony not lost, it sees the return of Cynthia Erivo. The orchestration has a brilliant stripped back, deconstructed quality to it. The syncopation of the instrumentals, Erivo’s conversational phrasing, it again highlights the talent and ability from everyone linked to the project to reinterpret songs as old as time. So many listeners will know Vera Lynn’s version of the track and will likely have strong opinions about how this one differs but the joy of jazz and indeed of artistry is the way two people can play a song and each find different stories for the music to tell.
The second half of the album closes with ‘The Late Night Session’. Across 4 tracks, the tone becomes more subdued, romantic and in some ways, carrying the magical mystery of night. Whilst all of the album would feel at home in a smoky jazz bar, this are the songs performed with that exact setting in mind. The section begins with ‘We’ll Meet Again’, followed by‘I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do)’, ‘Stella By Starlight’ and finally ‘The Best is Yet to Come’. For this movement, Goldblum is joined by a glittering lineup: Cynthia Erivo as mentioned before, Ariana Grande, Maiya Sykes and Scarlett Johansson. The love Goldblum has for his community is clear and its so heartwarming to be able to see all the people who have gone into this project. It truly takes a village.
Credit where credit is due, Goldblum on the few songs where he sings alone is a marvel. Particularly so on ‘As Time Goes By’, the richness to his voice will likely take many who were unaware of his musical prowess by surprise. On this album, its so abundantly clear that this is a man destined to be a showman. Listening to him alongside the orchestra, it can only be summarised as a person in their element. One can only hope that with this release, his talent and acclaim as an artist will be more widely recognised.
With the album release comes the album tour which annoyingly for many of us, is already well underway. The curtain has fallen on 4 out of the 5 UK and Ireland shows but the biggest and most hotly anticipated is yet to come. Goldblum and the Heritage Orchestra take on the iconic Royal Albert Hall on the 30th of June. Tickets, for now, are still available but likely to sell out. Tour continues later in the year across the pond for those able to make the pilgrimage.
Words by Kirsty-Ann Thomson
