Search - Dave Frishberg, Jim Goodwin :: Double Play

Don't Miss This One

John C. Graham | toronto, ontario Canada | 02/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Double Play" was released when Arbors Records was still in its infancy and really didn't make a lot of noise at the time. When I first heard it, back in the mid-nineties, I remember thinking how great Jim Goodwin's cornet sounded. It was kind of a slip and slide slurring sound that seemed to approximate notes, more like a human voice than anything else. It was the furthest thing from the polished, precise and dark hued tone of Ruby Braff, the much loved(now missed)cornet player who, by the way, left a legacy of remarkable duet recordings with some of the best piano players in jazz history(Ellis Larkins, Ralph Sutton, Dick Hyman, a/o).

Anyway, I still love this recording. Frishberg's playing(no singing on this disc)is busy in the best kind of way. His formidable technique and creative musical ideas seem endless. With Jim Goodwin(who should record more)he's found the perfect sparring partner. The tempos vary from medium slow to breakneck. Each and every time I play it I am amazed at just how great it is.

Seriously recommended to traditional jazz lovers everywhere.



EDIT June 25/09 There is a disc on Dan Barrett's Blueswing label of The Sunset Music Co. Live In Dusseldorf 1979 featuring Jim Goodwin on cornet. It's a nice New Orleans(sort of)trad band doing numbers like The Sheik of Araby and Do What Ory Say. There is a great rough and loose feel to the band and the performance is excellent. Jim is in fine form, his playing-both lead and soloing-is one of the highlights of this disc. Total Time: 71:43"