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West Coast jazz drummer
Bill Goodwin is known for his subtle, assured style as both a sideman and leader of his own groups. An in-demand player since his emergence in the early 1960s,
Goodwin has played with a bevy of luminaries, including
Gary Burton,
Hal Galper, and
Keith Jarrett. He was also a longtime member of
Phil Woods' group, with whom he won several Grammy Awards.
Goodwin has also played on varied sessions with
Stanley Clarke,
Mose Allison, and
Tom Waits. As a leader, he has issued a handful of small group dates, including 1989's
No Method, 1994's
Three Is a Crowd, and 2017's At the Lafayette Bar.
Born in 1942 in Los Angeles,
Goodwin grew up in an entertainment family the son of Bill Goodwin, announcer and actor on the classic Burns & Allen radio and television programs. Interested in music, he started out on piano at age five and saxophone at age 12. However, by his teens
Goodwin was also a talented drummer, having taught himself how to play after discovering the music of West Coast jazz drummer
Shelly Manne. He was soon playing gigs and made his professional debut at 17 with saxophonist
Charles Lloyd. More work followed, including stints with
Mike Melvoin,
Bud Shank,
Frank Rosolino,
Art Pepper,
Paul Horn, and
Gabor Szabo. He was also a regular with
Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars. In the latter half of the '60s,
Goodwin backed pianist
George Shearing, and even found himself on disparate sessions with
Jefferson Airplane,
Steve Allen, and
Mose Allison.
Goodwin's playing continued to evolve in a more progressive direction in the early '70s through affiliations with vibraphonist
Gary Burton, which brought him to the East Coast. Japanese pianist
Toshiko Akiyoshi and tenor saxophonist
Stan Getz were other playing partners, the latter artist particularly pushy with a cutting-edge direction in this period. There was also still plenty of straight-ahead jazz work from the drummer, including sessions with Chuck Israels' National Jazz Ensemble, as well as tenor saxophonists
Al Cohn and
Zoot Sims. In the mid-'70s,
Goodwin formed a close association with saxophonist
Phil Woods, contributing to albums like the Grammy-winning Live from the Showboat, and the Grammy-nominated New Phil Woods Album and
Song for Sisyphus. He continued to augment the straight-ahead bop drumming with his talents for backing vocalists, performing with
Bob Dorough on the animated Schoolhouse Rock recordings, as well as
the Manhattan Transfer.
Goodwin also began touring and recording with
Tom Waits, appearing on the acclaimed singer/songwriter's classic live album
Nighthawks at the Diner.
In the late '70s, the drummer began leading his own groups and made his debut with 1981's Solar Energy, playing alongside guitarist
John Scofield, pianist
Bill Dobbins, bassist
Steve Swallow, and drummer
Steve Gilmore. He followed up with 1988's aptly titled quartet album
Dave Liebman Steve Gilmore Bill Goodwin Play the Music of Cole Porter. A year later, he joined pianist
Hal Galper and bassist
Billy Peterson for
No Method. Around this time,
Goodwin also established himself as a producer, working on more albums with altoist
Woods, as well as projects for
Keith Jarrett,
Tom Harrell, and others. In 1994, he paired with guitarist
Vic Juris and organist Craig Kastelnik for the trio album
Three Is a Crowd.
For 2013's Raise Four,
Goodwin collaborated with saxophonist
Adam Niewood, pianist
Pat Bianchi, and bassist
Chris Higgins.
Niewood was also on board for the drummer's 2017 live album At the Lafayette Bar. Two years later, he returned with Trio, featuring his group with pianist
Jon Ballantyne and bassist
Evan Gregor. ~ Matt Collar