Guitarist Jonathan Goldberger's diverse musical background encompasses composing for independent films, collaborating with contemporary jazz and rock artists, and leading his own projects. He has been featured on stage and in the studio with artists like Red Baraat, Jim Black, John Zorn, and Joe Russo.
Goldberger also composed memorable scores for films such as Trans and The Hawk is Dying. His 2018 album Visitors, a collaboration with JP Schlegelmilch and Jim Black, was named one of Rolling Stone's 20 Best Jazz Albums of the year.
Goldberger's latest project, the jazz-fusion quartet Selcouth Quartet, released their debut record in fall of 2023.
Jonathan uses a Linear Tube Audio MZ3 in his home hifi setup.
Learn more about Jonathan and his work at jonathangoldberger.com, IG: @jgoldberger and FB: @jonathangoldberger
“My MZ3 just brings so much depth and clarity to my system, it really is a joy to listen to. It is also great to be able to test my mixes and masters on a system that has all that detail and clarity without being at all clinical.”
How did you get started in music? Was there a moment or an experience that made you say, "I want to make music my career?"
I grew up in Florida in the 80s – a cultural void, a swamp, a place of heat and strip malls and mosquitoes. My way to escape it was to stay inside and listen to records, and play music with my friends – I loved the extended cuts from Pink Floyd, the Dead, Zeppelin. My older brother turned me onto Miles Davis’ Pangaea, which ended up being my bridge into “jazz” . Then I heard Bill Frisell’s Where in the World (after reading about him in a Guitar Player magazine): Those two artists really blew open what my 15 year-old-mind thought jazz and instrumental music could be. Once I got to college in Colorado, I got to play and hang with artists like Art Lande and Ron Miles, and it quickly became clear that music was going to be the only path forward.
Many guitarists have a signature sound or tone. How would you describe your own unique sonic fingerprint, and what elements contribute to its distinctiveness?
I’ve always been drawn to older guitars and amps – there just seems to be more personality in the sound. Lately though, i’m a little less particular - I’ve got a new Collings hollowbody electric that I love, as well as my parts-caster that I put together. I’ve always loved pedals and electronics that manipulate sound – but I like to treat them as separate instruments from the guitar, where you’re hearing a relatively pure guitar sound juxtaposed with mangled textures that sound nothing like guitar.
What’s an album that you worked on that you’re particularly proud of and why? Are you working on anything now - or recently completed - that you are excited about?
My trio record, Visitors, that I co-lead with JP Schelgelmilch. We recorded it in one day with drummer Jim Black at The Bunker in Williamsburg. It’s an organ/guitar/drums trio, but not in a Hammond B3 kinda way – JP mostly plays the Yamaha YC-30 organ - which is what Sun Ra, Terry Riley, and Miles played back in the 70’s. One reviewer described the album as King Crimson jamming with Sun Ra…which I loved.
Another one from 2022 is John Zorn’s Bagatelles Guitar Box Set with Jim Black’s quartet, which we recorded in this amazing countryside studio in Poland. It was a dream project for me – John and Jim have both always been huge inspirations. I moved to NYC after hearing those guys. And that scene—at places like the Knitting Factory back in the 90s—just incredible. And the other groups on the box set include Julian Lage, Marc Ribot, and other heavies - great company to be in!
Selcouth Quartet’s new self-titled album just came out that I'm very thrilled about. Joe Russo, Stuart Bogie, John Shaw, and I recorded at Floki Studios, way up in northern Iceland in 2023 – it’s a double LP – the music is killing, and the sonics are so deep and wide (courtesy of producer/engineer Dan Goodwin). I think the arctic landscape really comes through the music…we only had a few hours of light every day and the studio itself was covered in deep snow drifts, and right on the ocean full of ice. I’m so excited about the birth of this band – it’s a really magical chemistry – I feel so lucky to be playing with these incredible musicians. Joe is one of my oldest musical brothers and I can feel that subliminal connection with him that can be so rare. We’ll be on tour this year (playing Big Ears Festival in March) and hopefully back in the studio to make another record.
Can you share a memorable experience where you found musical inspiration in an unexpected place or situation?
I took a trip to Vietnam maybe 20 years ago – and on a whim brought my minidisc recorder to do field recordings for fun. I ended up with such an amazing sonic travelogue – street musicians, insects in the jungle that sounded like synths, indigenous folk music. I edited it down to about 20 minutes and a dj friend played it on WFMU.
What’s an album - whether you worked on it or not - you’ve found yourself listening to a lot lately?
Lately listening to a re-issue of Glenn Gould’s 1981 Goldberg Variations. It was one of the first all-digital recordings – obviously digital has come a long way since the early 80s. Fortunately the engineer had an analog tape machine running as backup, and they’ve re-issued that as an all analog recording for the 1st time on vinyl – sounds really incredible through my MZ3! Also – digging deep into the Jon Hassell discography lately. A favorite is Aka/Darbari/Java – interestingly, also an 80’s experimentation in early digital technology – but it still sounds so modern.
Away from your work in the studio and on stage, how do you typically engage with music? Do you sit and listen critically on a hifi system or is it more casual for pure enjoyment?
I’ve been making an effort to try to stay connected to how I fell in love with music and the act of listening. Obviously, to say that things have changed in the past 15 years - how humans listen to recorded music - is an major understatement. I try to find time and sit down and listen to full albums on a stereo that isn’t hooked up to a computer or tv. When I was a kid, I would play the same record or CD over and over for weeks at a time – I miss that kind of repetition – you could really get inside the music that way. We have millions of choices of music at our fingertips these days; it's so easy to become a victim to our own attention spans. I do very much enjoy well-recorded music – my MZ3 just brings so much depth and clarity to my system, it really is a joy to listen to. It is also great to be able to test my mixes and masters on a system that has all that detail and clarity without being at all clinical.