Richie Goods & The Goods Project: "My Left Hand Man - A Tribute to Mulgrew Miller"
Rating: *****
The consummate bassist’s third album as a bandleader, "My Left Hand Man," is a tribute to Goods’ late mentor Mulgrew Miller. Over the course of ten fresh takes of ten compositions by jazz luminary Miller , Goods achieves a clean, cohesive and unified sound wrought with thoughtful interplay from this large ensemble thanks to his mindful arrangements and the talented personnel that he carefully selected.
The album features Goods on acoustic and electric bass, along with Lil John Roberts on the drums. Mulgrew’s vacant piano bench is shared on this tribute by two remarkable pianists, Shedrick Mitchell and Mike King. The release features the guitarwork of Tariqh Akoni and David Rosenthal. A slew of notable artists make guest appearances on this release, including vocalist Jean Baylor, vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu, percussionist Danny Sadownick among others. Richie will be performing in Washington DC, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia to support this release.
According to Goods, “Mulgrew is the person that really put me on the scene and helped me establish a name for myself. It was a real learning experience playing with him.” The bassist toured and recorded with Miller for nine fruitful years. Goods’ tenure with Miller spurred a career that would eventually see the bass player performing with the likes of Alicia Keys, Common, Chris Botti, Whitney Houston and the Headhunters to name a few. As Goods recalls, “Mulgrew would often introduce me as his left hand man because the left hand on the piano is the hand that plays the bass, so I acted as his left hand man.” Thus spurred the name for this release.
Through his funk and R&B infused arrangements of Miller’s tunes, Goods aims to bring these compositions into the present day and educate listeners about the late pianist’s eclectic tastes and musical versatility. “[Mulgrew] was one of the most nonjudgmental, beautiful people I have ever known,” Goods remarks, “He was also a special kind of musician that had a very open mind, more open than a lot of people knew. Although people thought of Mulgrew as only a ‘straight-ahead’ jazz player, he used to play gospel music as well as R&B.” On My Left Hand Man, There’s a successful updating, or contemporary sensibility here that lifts Mulgrew Miller’s enduring, sturdy compositions into the modern milieu with absolutely no sense of pandering or diluting of the late pianist’s original compositional intent.
The first track on My Left Hand Man, “Eastern Joy Dance” sets the tone for the release. Departing from the tune’s traditional clave, this arrangement celebrates the marriage of jazz and funk with a driving groove adorned with bright guitar comping and the cohesion of the steadfast rhythm section made up of Goods and drummer Lil John Roberts, which can undoubtedly be referred to as ‘in the pocket’! The ensemble takes turns masterfully improvising over the harmony laid out by composer Mulgrew Miller. “Second Thoughts” tells a more sensual tale. The guitar melody, doubled by Jean Baylor’s stunning voice, gently floats over the tender musings of a fender rhodes. The laid-back, contemplative track “The Sage” features a beautifully lyrical solo from bandleader Richie Goods performed on the upright bass.
“Song For Darnell” is a fine feature for guitarist David Rosenthal, someone Goods has come to rely on for his varietal approach. The track features a stellar string arrangement by jazz messenger Geoff Keezer with Felix Umansky on the cello and Amy Schroeder on violin and viola. The string arrangement of this piece adds a cinematic quality to amplify the haunting refrains of Mulgrew’s composition for his son.
“The idea of a Mulgrew Miller tribute record was actually my mom’s suggestion, remarked the bassist, “I thought about it and at first I didn’t think it would fit into what I do with my band, but then I started listening to a ton of Mulgrew Miller music and realized there was so much of his music that would fit into what I do with my band if I just tweak some of the grooves.” And tweak he does, though never losing focus of Mulgrew Miller’s deeply sophisticated, original musical intent.
Music is the fulfillment of Richie’s destiny – it’s in his DNA. The youngest person ever inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame, bassist Richie Goods got an early start playing in church and clubs while still attending Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts High School. After graduating from the prestigious jazz program at Berklee College of Music, Richie moved to New York City, where he studied under jazz legends Ron Carter and Ray Brown.
Richie credits jazz luminary Mulgrew Miller for helping him hone his jazz skills early in his career. Richie toured and recorded with Mulgrew for nine years. That opportunity brought Richie to the attention of many in the jazz community and afforded him the opportunity to record and tour with a variety of jazz and popular artists ranging from the Headhunters, Lenny White, Louis Hayes and the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band, Milt Jackson, Russell Malone, Vincent Herring, the Manhattan Transfer and Walter Beasley to Brian McKnight, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera.
Richie’s lengthy discography also includes Grammy award-winning and platinum albums of Alicia Keys and Common. Richie most recently toured with Grammy-winning trumpeter, Chris Botti.
When not on tour, he can be found in his Westchester, NY studio, producing records for his company, RichMan Music, Inc. His first solo project with his fusion/funk band, “Richie Goods and Nuclear Fusion, Live at the Zinc Bar” and his latest release, “Three Rivers” received critical acclaim. Richie is busier and more excited than ever, touring and working on a new recording which will feature more of his acoustic bass work.
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