Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Goldman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m from Norwalk, CT. I attended the Berklee College of Music from ’93-’98, earning a dual major degree in jazz composition & film composing. After finishing up at Berklee, I drove across country to Los Angeles to pursue film composing. While here, I would go to many film sessions, but at the time, the film industry was moving towards more sample-based instruments, and I wanted to compose for live instruments. So, I was a bit disheartened by that. A spot opened up at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (which is the top jazz performance-based program for college musicians in the world). I auditioned for Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, and they accepted me into the program. Part of the program was that they would pay for a master’s degree, and at the time, the institute was located at USC. I ended getting my master’s and completing my tenure with the institute in 2000 after doing a 2-week tour of Egypt with Herbie Hancock.
After graduating I got a job at the LA County High School for the arts being the director of jazz, which I would hold for 14 years working with some of the best high school musicians in the country. At the same time, I started adjunct instructing at USC in the jazz department.
In 2003, I auditioned for legendary producer David Foster as he was putting together a touring band for Michael Bublé. I got the gig and toured with Bublé for a little over a year. While on the road with him, I would begin writing arrangements of songs that we would perform with the band. I ended up leaving the band as I got engaged, and my teaching was really picking up at USC. I stayed in contact with Bublé and the band and continued to write arrangements.
Now that I was home, I decided to focus on producing music. I learned how to produce music, and in 2016, my friend Alan Chang asked if I would be interested in writing some original music for Bublé. We wrote 2 songs together, one that would be the lead single on the album Nobody But Me. The album was Grammy-nominated and Juno Award-winning. I am currently still producing and writing for Bublé, and recently, we won a Grammy for the latest album, Higher. I also produced his most recent #1 hit on Billboards Adult Contemporary music chart, Let It Snow.
I am now the chair of the jazz studies department at USC (I have been teaching there for 22 years), and I am writing and producing a lot of music. I recently started a podcast called The G Note Podcast, which is geared towards giving advice and strategies to musicians on helping them navigate the music industry.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
LOL…It’s never a smooth road. I can bullet point some of these:
– On my way out to LA I drove across the country and totaled my car. After spending 3 months at a friends and overstaying my welcome I ended up moving to a pretty depressing studio apartment where at one point I only had 3 quarters in my back account. So, climbing out from having no money was challenging.
– Deciding to leave the Bublé band was a challenge. I was engaged and I had to make a decision between staying with Bublé who was becoming a huge celebrity or being a present husband and start8ing a family… I chose the latter.
– The financial meltdown in 2008 was extremely difficult as my wife and I had bought a home and all of a sudden, my job was reduced to half time, and we almost lost our house…which was going to be awful with having one kid and another on the way.
– The music industry, in general, is relentless and can be soul-sucking.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a music producer, songwriter, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and engineer. I am most known for producing and writing music for Michael Bublé.
I am most proud of my family but if we are talking about work, I would say I am most proud of the level of music I am able to create.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I listened to A LOT of music! I listened to a lot of soccer podcasts lol, but that doesn’t help me with my work.
I have written a book called “The Goldman Method,” which is a jazz improvisation book.
I host my own podcast called “The G Note Podcast.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jasongoldmanmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spicygmusic/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC226sH2BPMyAN5XkOp_a4bg
