Jeff Goldblum, Glasgow review: 'gleeful hamminess'
Goldblum’s goofy stage presence belies his ability as a seasoned musician, writes Fiona Shepherd
Jeff Goldblum & the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, Theatre Royal, Glasgow ★★★★
Don’t know anything about jazz but fancy catching a bit of Hollywood stardust? Actor/musician Jeff Goldblum’s first ever sojourn to Scotland killed two birds, as he sashayed onstage, radiating professional charm and a touch of scattiness to deliver a jazz primer on the art of solos, improvisation and musical conversation. His own intro, delivered with the house lights up, was suitably improvisatory and took in a quick lesson in Gaelic, crowd renditions of Loch Lomond and Flower of Scotland and a movie connections game which ran to about ten degrees of separation to himself.
It was an odd way to open a show but Goldblum got the audience onside right from the off before being joined by his five-piece Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, all able foils for Goldblum’s goofy stage presence, his gleeful hamminess almost masking his own feel and ability as a seasoned player. Riffing on a Count Basie lick, he improvised lyrics weaving together personal and Scottish references and positively revelled in his bandmates’ marshalling of the Plas Johnson number Grease Patrol.
Such deep cuts were sprinkled through a set of standards and quirky covers. Broadway performer Khailah Johnson was on hand to jazzify Loreen’s Eurovision-winning Tattoo and the Taylor Swift track Lover, with Goldblum throwing snippets of film themes into his solo. He was happy to exploit his Wicked connections, duetting with Johnson on original Wizard of Oz gem If I Only Had a Brain and delivering a wistful rather than powerhouse version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
A pacey run at Joe Henderson’s The Kicker still allowed plenty room for decoration from Graham Dechter’s dexterous guitar and Scott Gilman’s shrieking sax, while Art Blakey's Moanin’ took flight just before a brief curtain call of Defying Gravity, with Goldblum and cohorts straddling those contrasting musical worlds with ease and enthusiasm.
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