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Pat Metheny (with whom Gil Goldstein studied at the University of Miami between 1972 and 1973) once nicknamed him the Zelig of Jazz (a nod to Leonard Zelig, fictional chameleon character invented and played by Woody Allen in 1983). This particular comparison is hardly surprising, as he is considered specialist in any role in music he happens to take on.
Gil Goldstein
Gil Goldstein was born in 1950 in Baltimore. He received his musical education at the Berklee College of Music. He started as an accordionist and is now a recognized piano player, music producer, film music composer, as well as professor at the New York University. He has four Grammy Awards to his name, three of them for his work on Michael Brecker's and Randy Brecker's compositions. In total Goldstein recorded 8 solo albums, most of which feature recognized international artists from outside of the United States. Two most splendid examples are Zebra Coast (1992) with the masters of Flamenco Carles Benavente (bass guitar) and Jorge Pardo (flute and saxophone) as well as Infinite Love (1993) with brazilian guitarists Romero Lubambo and Toninho Horta.
In the late 1970s he performed, among others, with Pat Martino, Billy Cobham, Ray Barretto and Lee Konitz. In the mid 1980s the great Jim Hall invited him to work with his quartet and in 1993 it was Goldstein who produced the memorable Metheny/Hall recording Something Special. Suddenly, the instrumentalist Goldstein became an equally eminent arranger and producer. The long list of celebrities for whom he arranged music includes the already mentioned Sting and Chris Botti, as well as David Sanborn, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau and Manhattan Transfer. As a turning point in his musical career and life he considers the rencontre with Gil Evans. They worked together from 1982 until Evans’ death in 1988. In the 1990s Goldstein began composing music for film. Among movies featuring his soundtracks are Radio Inside (1994), I Love You, I Love You Not (1997) and Simply Irresistible (1999). Goldstein still remains a sought after accordionist: it is his accordion that can be heard in Frida (2002).
gilgoldstein.us
Photo: John Abbott