Chinwag explores classic American repertoire (Eubie Blake, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Thelonious Monk) via free improvisation, spontaneous composition.
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(L-R): Larry Goldings and John Sneider as photographed by David Poe
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Larry
Goldings & John Sneider | “Laugh Clown Laugh”
A 30 year long friendship between musicians is not
necessary to make intimate, creative music together, but it certainly doesn’t
hurt.
Chinwag, the first duo record by Grammy®-nominated
pianist Larry Goldings and trumpeter
John Sneider, is just such a
project; a debut three decades in the making. It might seem like a simple
undertaking — a small format album of piano and trumpet — but under the hood
there is a lot more going on than meets the eyes (or ears).
The project was still taking shape even up to the
final moments of recording, “We already had all this material amassed and then
we decided to do the old tune ‘Laugh Clown Laugh,’” says Sneider. “We did it in one take. A lot of the
stuff on the record is one take. We decided to just play some tunes for fun.
“Laugh Clown Laugh,” featuring Goldings
on pocket piano, Wing upright and organ, became the opening track on Chinwag
and sets the tone for the project. “It's got all the elements of the record, and
it instantly tells you that it's gonna be different. I wanted to make that
point in the beginning,” says Goldings.
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Chinwag,
which literally means “a conversation between friends,” is the most recent
expression of the long and ongoing friendship between Goldings and Sneider.
Massachusetts natives of the same generation, both grew up with a love of bebop
and electronic music. By the time they began playing together on the early 90s
New York music scene — working regularly at clubs like Augie’s and the Village Gate
— each had become a devotee of hard bop and had developed a common musical
language.
“We go way back,” says Goldings. “John was
certainly the first great trumpet player I ever played with regularly.” Today Goldings, who eventually moved to Los
Angeles, has become one of the most iconic keyboard players of his generation,
due in large part to his diversity and flexibility both on stage and in the
studio. Sneider has also spent his
fair share of time in recording studios and on stages and in recent years has
been releasing regular hard bop statements, including 2021’s The
Scrapper which also featured Goldings
on organ.
Goldings and Sneider
flirted with the idea of making a duet record for years. On Goldings’ 2009 Quartet record, for
example, they played a haunting duo version of “We Shall Overcome”, and before that, on Curtis Stigers’ 2005 album I Think It’s Going To Rain Today,
they recorded a duo version of the title track. In fact, it was during the Stigers recording sessions that the
idea of doing a full fledged duet project first appeared. As Goldings explains, “The impetus of us
playing duo came out of that experience.”
Chinwag by friends of 30 years, Larry Goldings & John Sneider, is
out now. Goldings and Sneider are available for interviews. Contact Josh
Bloom at Fanatic for
more information.
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Larry Goldings & John Sneider
Chinwag
Out Now
(Sticky Mack Records)
Streaming Link:
Track Listing:
02. The Great Zamboni (L. Goldings)
04. Love Will Find A Way (E. Blake)
06. Hesitation Blues (W.C Handy)
07. Diary Of A Lost Girl (L. Goldings, J. Sneider)
08. In Walked Bud (B. Powell)
09. Beautiful Dreamer (S. Foster)
10. Sepia (J. Sneider)
11. Salad Days (L. Goldings)
12. Berkshire Dawn (L. Goldings)
13. Chinwag (L. Goldings, J. Sneider)
14. Briar Rose (J. Sneider)
15. Napoleon Contest (L. Goldings, J. Sneider)
16. If I Loved You (Rodgers & Hammerstein)
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Larry
Goldings & John Sneider | Links
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Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact
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