Jerry Goodman

Rock has relatively very few star violinists, and perhaps a 100 more or so of lesser know players: JERRY GOODMAN is one of those stars. His violin can be heard on more than fifty albums from artists ranging from Toots Thielemans to Hall & Oates to Styx. During GARY HUSBAND's FORCE MAJEURE UK tour in 2004, I asked GOODMAN to name his favourite violinist, he replied without hesitation nor any sign of embarrassment: "Me" (and be assure his reasons were good) - a few months later I aimed the same question at former KING CRIMSON's former violinist, DAVID CROSS and got the reply: "Jerry Goodman". (Dare I say:) the rock violinist's violinist.

GOODMAN is Chicago born and bred, taking up the violin as a boy, undergoing classical training. He showed a dexterity for a classical career but lacked the dedication to the field, finding the music unfulfilling. He first working as a roadie for a Chicago-based group with a good local reputation, who had recently changed their name from the EXCLUSIVES to the FLOCK. GOODMAN's inclusion in the line-up brought considerable depth and breadth to their brass rock sound, As a result Columbia Records gave them a contract, the eponymous titled album followed, with liner notes by JOHN MAYALL. An immediate cult favourite, the FLOCK was the first large-scale showcase for GOODMAN's playing. This was documented in 'Stamping Ground', a movie about the European rock festival scene. GOODMAN quit the FLOCK in 1970, and his entered first retreat from the music business by withdrawing to rural Wisconsin.

That is where JOHN MCLAUGHLIN found him in early 1971. MCLAUGHLIN had been searching for a violinist for some of his jazz rock projects. The guitarist's first choice had been JEAN LUC PONTY but concerns had been with potential problems with the Frenchman's immigration status - evidently with PONTY's tenure so soon after with FRANK ZAPPA, the problem was not to arise! Enquiries with the FLOCK had led MCLAUGHLIN to GOODMAN, who then participated in the recording of MCLAUGHLIN's solo album 'My Goal's Beyond'. Because of that, GOODMAN was invited to became a member of the original (Anglo/Irish/American) MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA. The fast cut and thrust of the interplay of violin, keyboards and guitar of GOODMAN, JAN HAMMER and JOHN MCLAUGHLIN respectively, was to mark the band out as something very special in the developing area of jazz rock, leading to head-lining tours and massive record sales. Through the three originally released MAHAVISHNU albums, 'The Inner Mounting Flame', 'Birds of Fire', and 'Between Nothingness and Eternity', GOODMAN achieved an international following with his mixture of folk, rock, classical, and jazz influences, played with assertiveness and lyricism. However, to the dismay of many fans MAHAVISHNU survived only until 1973, when it broke up amid much musical dissatisfaction and fractions forming in the band. The five original members left sessions for an unissued studio LP, and the so-called 'The Trident Studio Sessions' was released several decades later. Too, there are a mass of live recordings and at least one promise for release of a live album sometime in the first decade of the 21st Century! GOODMAN said MAHAVISHNU was driven by a "high energy really motivating all of us. In terms of my musical development, it was like on-the-job training. I was pretty much scuffling to figure out what we were playing as we were playing it. It was complicated stuff, and also, I was not the product of a jazz background."

As one of the fraction in MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA, GOODMAN and HAMMER soon came back together to record the album 'Like Children' (another album to be released remastered on CD around 2005 or 2006 or 2007..) on Nemperor/Atlantic Records. Then apart for some session work (e.g. again in collaboration with JAN HAMMER on RETURN TO FOREVER's drummer, LENNY WHITE's 'Big City' - another Nemperor release, now reissued on CD remastered by Wounded Bird Records), GOODMAN was not to be heard on record for nearly another decade. He has freely admitted he returned home "to bring up and be with his kids".

JERRY GOODMAN re-emerged in the mid-'80s with a contract for the new age-oriented Private Music label, with whom he released three albums. The first, 'On the Future of Aviation' was a real surprise, since the violin took second place to the synths. The second, 'Ariel' had more strings but musically it was in keeping with Private Music's then policy of new age/ambient music; there was little in the way of the aggressive attack previously heard on GOODMAN's albums of the late 60/early 70's. Almost inevitably a third album 'It's Alive' was released - including the audience pleaser 'The Perry Mason Theme'.

JERRY GOODMAN in more recent years has also worked on film music and scores: e.g. 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' (1988), scored Lily Tomlin's The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Universe (1991), 'The Truth About Cats and Dogs' and 'Waiting for Guffman' (both 1996), and 'Best in Show' (2000). He is the featured violinist on numerous film soundtracks, including Billy Crystal's 'Mr. Saturday Night' (1992). He has also been a member of the reformed DIXIE DREGS since the 1990s, releasing several albums. One of GOODMAN's old Chicago friends has suggested to me that he has deliberately set out to sharpen his profile through session work in the last decade, although being very selective in what he does. To this end GOODMAN has appeared on some DEREK SHERINIAN albums, and here interestingly in the company of ALLAN HOLDSWORTH. However, this has not been the first collaboration with HOLDSWORTH, that being the unreleased progressive rock album 'Neverwasneverwillbe'. GOODMAN's friend from the Chicago days, MARK GLEED has been endeavouring to put this album together for over a decade with contributions from friends, including GOODMAN and HOLDSWORTH, as a follow up to the 1986 album 'Soma'. The last major work with GOODMAN's authorative stamp across it, while playing in very good musical company, was with GARY HUSBAND's innovative FORCE MAJEURE, which alas toured only the UK twice in 2004 and 2005; fortunately the London 2004 show was recorded and released on DVD.

Discography:
As named artist or collaborator on album:

Jerry Goodman & Jan Hammer: Like Children (1974, Nemperor/Atlantic)
Jerry Goodman: Future Of Aviation (Private Music)
Jerry Goodman: Ariel (Private Music)
Jerry Goodman: It's Alive (Private Music)
Jerry Goodman, Steve Smith, etc. : The Stranger's Hand (1999, Tone Center Records)

As a founding member and part of MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA (all reissued on CD, remastered):

The Inner Mounting Flame (1971, CBS/Columbia)
Birds of Fire (1972, CBS/Columbia)
Between Nothingness and Eternity (1973, CBS/Columbia)
Best of Mahavishnu Orchestra (1980, CBS/Columbia)
The Lost Trident Sessions (1999, CBS/Columbia)

Other selected albums with Goodman as part of a band or occasional guest instrumentalist:

Flock: Flock (CBS/Columbia 1970)
John McLaughlin: My Goals Beyond (1971, Douglas)
Lenny White: Big City (1977 Nemperor records; CD remaster1999, Wounded Bird Records)
John McLaughlin: Electric Guitarist (1978, Columbia)
Various Artists: World of Private Music, Volume 1 (1985, Private Music)
Various Artists: World of Private Music, Volume 2 (1987, Private Music)
Sass Jordan: Racine (1992, MCA)
Tommy Emmanuel: Journey (1993, Sony - reissued as a twoforone CD in 2004 by Sony)
Richard Marx: Paid Vacation (1994, Capitol)
Los Caifanes: Nervio del Volcan (1994, RCA)
Dixie Dregs: Full Circle (1994, Capricorn)
Dixie Dregs: California Screaming (2000, Zebra)
Derek Sherinian: Inertia (2001, Inside Out)
Derek Sherinian: Black Utopia (2003, Inside Out)
Derek Sherinian: Mythology (2004, Inside Out)
Marc Klock Group: Marc Klock Group (2004, Fusion Studio)
Various Artists: Visions Of An Inner Mounting Apocalypse (2005, Tone Centre Records)
Gary Husband's Force Majeure: Live At The Queen Elizabeth Hall 2004 (2005, DVD, RSJ Groove Productions)
Neverwasneverwillbe (future released)

Dixie Dregs: Full Circle (1994, Capricorn)
Dixie Dregs: California Screaming (2000, Zebra)

OST:
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), The Truth About Cats and Dogs (1996), Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000)