Aaron Goldberg is Between Two Worlds

Interview, News, From the Magazine, Aaron Goldberg

By Matthew Kassel I Mar. 6, 2019

Aaron Goldberg’s academic work might have influenced his music in more ways than he’s aware of, at least in a conceptual sense.
(Photo: Jack Vartoogian)

In April 2020, Goldberg’s planning to participate in a panel discussion and concert with Alan Bern, the klezmer accordionist, and Christopher Taylor, a professor of piano at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, both of whom have studied under Dennett. The event is a rare instance in which Goldberg will have the opportunity to bridge two seemingly divergent worlds.

For now, though, jazz is winning out over academia. Looking ahead, Goldberg said that listeners can expect more work with Parker and Penman, a collaboration he wants to explore in greater depth. (The trio has scheduled U.S. tour dates in March and April.) Goldberg also recently recorded an album with his other trio—a collective called Yes!—featuring bassist Omer Avital and drummer Ali Jackson. The record, a follow-up to a self-titled 2012 release, is set for a spring release. The pianist also will appear on a forthcoming album by Redman, and in 2019, he’s slated to tour with the saxophonist’s quartet.

Goldberg currently is developing several side projects, too. In one, he’s collaborating with a Palestinian qanun player. In another, he’s working with numerous Haitian musicians, an extension of the time he spent in Haiti leading free workshops in the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake. Additionally, Goldberg is active in many social and political causes. And on At The Edge Of The World, “Luaty,” one of two original compositions Goldberg wrote for the program, is a tribute to the Angolan rapper and activist Luaty Beirão, whom he considers a friend.

Goldberg’s dedication to social issues is just another instance in which he has managed, in ways that go beyond mere superficial engagement, to blend his commitment to jazz with his desire to be a well-rounded human being: “I get the sense that he’s an improviser in his life as much as he’s an improviser in his music,” Redman said. DB