Jeff Goldblum: From Acting On Screen To Playing Jazz at the Carlyle

Most know Jeff Goldblum from his roles in Jurassic Park, Independence Day, or The Fly -- or more recently, in Wes Anderson's film, The Grand Budapest Hotel. However, unless you're familiar with the Los Angeles jazz scene, Goldblum's long-time hobby may come as a surprise: The actor, now 61 years old, has been playing jazz in front of audiences every week since the 1990s. Before beginning his acting career, Goldblum started piano at an early age. By 15, he was setting up gigs as a pianist at cocktail bars around Pittsburgh.  

Inspired by Woody Allen's weekly gigs at New York City's Café Carlyle, Goldblum is now making his New York debut this week for a series of shows at the same café. Goldblum performs alongside his band, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, which features guitarist John Storie, bassist Tim Emmons, Zane Musa on tenor saxophone and Kenny Elliott on drums. Mixing standards and a few originals, Goldblum's shows are known to stray from a setlist, with sets mostly improvised in a jam-session style.

In a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Goldblum tells us how he came to this music, and shows off his piano chops in the Soundcheck studio with his jazz orchestra.

Watch Jeff Goldblum sing lyrics to the Jurassic Park theme song on Late Night with Seth Meyers. 

For more photos, visit Soundcheck's Tumblr page.

Interview Highlights

Jeff Goldblum on the origin of the band's name, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra:

There was a real Mildred Snitzer, I’m from Pittsburgh and my parents had this friend named Mildred Snitzer. She was very nice, lived to be over 100. She had a very steady, conscientious exercise regime. But one time we were playing the Playboy Jazz Festival some years ago and for the first time… they said "What do you call yourselves?" So I just made that up.

On playing piano and playing in public:

I’m a humble student of these great great teachers. And I do something on the piano. I’ve played piano here and there. I talk and I sing. Since I was a kid in Pittsburgh, our parents gave us lessons. After a few years trying to avoid the lessons, he gave me a piece of Alley Cat and I thought "Wow syncopations, and these chords, I really like. I’m going to practice until I really get it." I went to New York, always wanted to be an actor. But I kept a piano in my apartment. I tried to do some musicals on stage, snuck it into some movies and 15 to 20 years ago I started to play out and about like this.

On the playfulness of his band:

We’re really a bunch of degenerates standing around a barrel lit on fire. That’s really the kind of music that we make. That’s our album cover. We’re like hobos. I’m bringing down the level of these guys. I’m trying to degrade them as much as I can. I like playing, I like playing music. I like the playful part of music, I like the playful part of jazz. We have a playful time together. They have transformed my play life, and yeah, we play with the audience. It’s always surprising and spontaneous and jazz-spirited. These guys take care of it. They've devoted their lives to music and are masters and so we just play.

On playing with Woody Allen:

I did a little part in a movie of his -- Annie Hall. I had one line in that movie. I haven't seen him since then, except to see him about ten years ago. He plays every Monday night at the Carlyle. But then the other night Tim Emmons and I saw him just before we started this, we went to see him last Monday the opening night of the Carlyle season. We sat right there next to the bandstand, we got to talking to the lovely bandleader and he said, "Hey, maybe once Woody comes out maybe you guys would want to sit in." And we said "Yeah, maybe so." He proceeds to come in, and in the middle he said, "Alright do you guys want to come up?" So we did and we played a few songs with him. It was a big thrill for me I loved it to pieces.

On playing at his own wedding:

It was Emily's idea. I realized I hadn't gone to many weddings in my life, and I’m a non-traditionalist. So we’re going to have a small little thing. I've heard some bad music at all the weddings, and I thought I'm going to want to kill myself if something like that occurs. We're going to fool around and play some music.

On the difference between Los Angeles crowds and New York crowds:

We’ve only done two shows here. But I've mentioned it during the show how they seem different. The Carlyle crowd is a particular crowd, I’m sure if you go to another neighborhood and parts you would find different kinds of New Yorkers. We play little games with them, and read some openings of books. They were so smart last night. Two words from Pride and Prejudice and they knew it. Maybe I'm just a dummy but I was impressed. Dickens they jumped right on.