Decca's Tom Lewis and Laura Monks have saluted Jeff Goldblum for introducing jazz to new audiences, with the Hollywood legend about to celebrate his highest-charting album to date.
Still Blooming, the 72-year-old American's fourth studio album with The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, dropped on April 25 in the wake of his performance with his longtime band at the London Palladium last week.
A collection of jazz standards including the single I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do), which features Goldblum's Wicked co-star Ariana Grande, the star-laden LP was No.6 in Wednesday's midweeks (Updated post interview: Still Blooming debuted at No.10 in Friday's chart, a new peak for Goldblum). The record's guest list also includes Cynthia Erivo, Maiya Sykes and Scarlett Johansson.
Goldblum has been hitting the promotional trail hard in support, even opening his own boutique, pop-up store at Spiritland in London's King’s Cross on Monday, having recently unveiled his first merchandise line.
The A-list actor previously peaked at No.26 with his 2018 debut The Capitol Studios Sessions (24,684 sales, OCC) and at No.20 with I Shouldn't Be Telling You This (12,854 sales), both released via Decca.
Here, the label's co-presidents Lewis and Monks are joined by commercial director Benedict Curran to tell Music Week how Jeff Goldblum's charisma, talent and work ethic helped conjure up his biggest chart success yet...
People say, 'Don't meet your heroes.' I would say, 'Do meet Jeff Goldblum,' because when you meet him, he is everything you expect him to be and more
Laura Monks
Jeff is an A-list actor, how were you able to get such buy-in from him in terms of promotion?
Tom Lewis: "He would say that he was a musician and a jazzer before he was an actor, so this is his absolute love. He talked about how he first came across an Errol Garner record and then a Thelonious Monk record. He was introduced to jazz by his parents right at the start of his teenage years, so it has been an absolutely fundamental part of his life. He's doing it because he loves it, and I think we have an opportunity to get to bits of Jeff that other people don't get to because he loves it so much."
Laura Monks: "This is absolutely a passion project for him. Obviously, people know him predominantly as an actor, but he has always been committed to a love of music and that absolutely shines through. He has committed to this project. That man has been the busiest I have seen of many an artist. He has not come in as an A-list celebrity and said, 'I've got one hour for you.' He's done a whole week of activity for us now and he always puts his all into it."
Benedict Curran: "I think also, because he's used to doing these long Hollywood press junkets where sometimes they're travelling around the world for a month or two, he's used to selling a movie, so this really comes naturally to him."
How impressed have you been with his work rate and commitment?
BC: "Hugely. He's been getting up at 6.30am, going straight to the BBC and doing radio interviews, then coming into YouTube and playing for them on their 20th birthday, and then going to another round of interviews, doing some content and coming to the office and seeing the staff."
TL: "It's like that line in Juno where she says, 'You're the coolest person I've ever met and you don't even try.' And he goes, 'I try really hard actually.' It looks like it's a breeze, but he works incredibly hard. You can see he's listening and constantly working out what he needs to say and do. He's a fascinating guy."
LM: "People say, 'Don't meet your heroes.' I would say, 'Do meet Jeff Goldblum,' because when you meet him, he is everything you expect him to be and more. What album are we on now? Album four – and every time we've met him, he's been the same. It's not a veneer, it is truly who he is. He is an absolute joy."
TL: "He came into the office and we had a cake to celebrate the release of the record. At one point we thought we weren't going to get around to the cake, because he wanted to talk to everybody and get a complete understanding of the different aspects of the label so he could thank everyone, but also so he could understand the business."
Jeff can take jazz to places that it might not necessarily always reach in terms of mainstream media coverage... He's a Trojan horse of jazz
Tom Lewis
Why was it important he was able to devote so much time to it?
TL: "Because Jeff can take jazz to places that it might not necessarily always reach in terms of mainstream media coverage, or even to audiences that might know him through his films. He's a Trojan horse of jazz."
LM: "This campaign has felt like a step change, because he committed to social media. We have seen huge increases off the back of some very well crafted content, whether it be when we teased Scarlett Johansson's track right at the beginning, or when we teased Ariana Grande and Cynthia's collaborations with pictures of the Wicked dolls..."
BC: "The team actually flew out to Florence and we had a fashion photographer shoot Jeff in his new merch range in collaboration with [streetwear brand] Brain Dead. Jeff was shot lounging on a bed or on a balcony with an ice cream in the Town Square and this high-end fashion shoot was also an opportunity to capture Jeff in candid moments, being cheeky and silly, and that was what ended up becoming the bulk of the teaser content."
LM: "He's had several moments of virality, be it on TikTok or on Instagram in the campaign. One of those was around this thing, 'Jeffirmations', which ended up on Radio 1 as part of his conversation with Scott Mills. So we had commitment to talking to his fans, commitment to creating content, commitment pre, commitment during, and I'm sure he'll still be talking about this record in months to come as well."
Does it feel like Jeff has now established himself as a music artist, as well as actor?
LM: "I think this album campaign has been the first where, in a broader sense of audience, it's clicked – that it's not a gimmick, he genuinely has a passion for music and is a very good jazz musician. As with most artists, it's taken time to really connect. But with this campaign, it has felt very much like it's connected with a broader audience."
In what ways has Decca helped in that respect? What pitfalls have you managed to avoid?
TL: "His primary calling is acting so he needs to prioritise that. There are massive chunks of the year that will disappear because of his commitment to Wicked or other movies he's making or promoting, so we need to respect that. But actually, the relationship we've got is really close, trusting and honest, so we are able to say to him that we are talking about a record that is predominantly jazz and will go into the jazz charts and – if we're lucky – it will make a big impact in the pop charts. But equally it's coming from what is a niche musical space, so we can't just roll out huge budgets. Everything has to work within the context of a jazz record – and he understands that."
LM: "And that's why we're four albums in. Many celebrities don't get to four albums; they have their little fun and it's nice, but it doesn't turn into a long career. Jeff is committed to jazz."
Because of Wicked, Ariana's fans now look at Jeff as an uncle kind of figure in pop culture, and want to support him
Benedict Curran
What does this album's success say about jazz's growth in the UK?
LM: "Jeff doesn't take himself too seriously. He's very serious about his love of jazz, but he presents it in a way that is very open and accessible. The issue in the past has been people being too serious, too articulate and too intelligent about jazz, therefore it's felt elitist. Jeff is like the ultimate soft sell."
TL: "It's interesting because I think it suggests that, when jazz gets an opportunity to be heard within a mainstream or broader audience context, people love it. When it breaks through, it really connects – especially this stuff that Jeff's doing, because these are incredible, timeless songs that he's re-presenting and reintroducing to people. Jeff was was singing every jazz standard that he knew on the set of Wicked, and at one point Ariana said, 'That was the song my grandfather sang to me, I should record it.' He would say he was just being very honest, but there was a bit of stealth going on on the set of Wicked. But it was interesting that she knew that song and she wanted to sing it, and now her audiences are hearing these songs as well."
How would you sum up the Wicked effect?
TL: "Extraordinary, because it was the biggest movie of last year and is likely to be the biggest of this year. Jeff, like he is in so many things, is uniquely Jeff in the movie and so his charm has reached an entirely new audience. We did the first record after Thor: Ragnarok, where he'd become known to a whole new audience in his own very distinctive way. You can't underestimate that his general, global profile is extraordinary."
BC: "He talks about how he sneaks music into some of his movies because he's got this profound love for it. I think there's a bit of him playing the piano in The Fly and a little musical cameo that he does in Thor: Ragnarok. And obviously, Wicked is a musical. I think that placed him within the wider context."
To what extent have these high profile collaborations brought new ears to his jazz work?
BC: "On Spotify, we worked with Ariana's team to pitch the track. Ariana has something like 104 million followers on Spotify, so when that track was released it went into 104 million personalised playlists and we saw the streams absolutely explode. It's by far and away, Jeff's fastest streamed track. But because of Wicked, I think Ariana's fans now look at Jeff as an uncle kind of figure in pop culture, and want to support him."
LM: "The friendships created on the set of Wicked appear to be valid and sincere. Everything that Jeff has done has been because they want to work with each other. None of this has been label call ups, strong arming it, it's all just been for the love of it."
TL: "It's incredible for jazz. He's a brilliant ambassador for jazz, but I think his other element which is extraordinary is every single person he encounters falls in love with him because he makes you feel so special."
Having Scarlett Johansson on the album can't hurt, either. That seems like quite the A&R undertaking?
TL: "They were at a launch party for the Wes Anderson movie Isle Of Dogs [2018] and got to talk about their shared love of these great songs. That's where it started – it comes from Jeff."
Wicked has been a brilliant route to Jeff being in pop culture in this year
Laura Monks
Did Wicked's release determine this campaign?
LM: "I don't think it did. We would have been putting this record out regardless. Wicked has been a brilliant route to Jeff being in pop culture in this year. But Jeff has had such an illustrious career and there is so much love for him that I feel we would have been in a really great position with this campaign regardless. The connections with Cynthia and Ariana are just the icing on top."
TL: "The only thing we had to do is fit in with the promotional obligations that a movie of Wicked's scale asks of Jeff. The timing meant that we followed Wicked, that's all."
Will the release of Wicked 2 later this year present you with another huge campaign moment?
TL: "As far as he's concerned, he's got the entire jazz repertoire waiting to be explored. So Jeff will keep going for as long as Jeff can keep going. There are definitely more recordings to be released that are in the vault already. There are some amazing duets sitting waiting to be revealed and plans to record. But, again, he'll go into the Wicked campaign soon and we'll lose him for a bit, but then I hope next year we'll see more of it."
BC: "And the merch range that we put out has very much got a spring/summer vibe to it, so there may be an autumn/winter range to come later."
Is there more UK touring on the horizon?
TL: "Wherever he can, he will put on shows. He will be hopefully back in the autumn in London and then he's got some US tour dates. He's just done an amazing night at the Palladium. He's so generous, he namechecks us all in everything he does. Everybody smiles when Jeff enters the room."
LM: "It's not run in the same way as a touring pop artist. His musical director and music manager are always looking at every opportunity they can fit in around what Jeff does in the acting sphere. He has a brilliant band called the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra and it does feel like a partnership. It would have been easy for him over the years to just say, 'It's me, Jeff Goldblum, and I'm going to have some session musicians come and play with me,' but he's not done that. He's got a respected group of musicians that he has a brilliant method of working with."
BC: "He venerates them on stage. He says, 'I'm just a humble guy who likes to play a bit of jazz piano.' He plays himself down and always plays up his bandmates."
TL: "Jeff Goldblum And The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra were doing LA residencies way before we were on the scene. And in all likelihood, they will be continuing way after whatever comes. He just loves doing it."
Finally, how is Decca feeling as we approach the midway point of 2025?
LM: "We're feeling incredibly positive. We have a thriving roster of artists from across many genres, all doing things in their very unique style. When it comes to Decca Classics, we have classical excellence. There is a very exciting superstar, Yunchan Lim, doing some incredible things, right through to Jeff at the other end of the spectrum. It's a very fun label to be in day-to-day, because no day is the same."
TL: "If you look at this week, we've had Yunchan Lim making this extraordinary, history-making performance at the Carnegie Hall in New York. We had Jeff Goldblum launching his own pop-up, with queues around the block. We've got Aurora playing Wembley Arena on Saturday. We've got Andrea Bocelli, the world's greatest classical voice, performing two nights at The O2. We've got Arooj Aftab over here. We've got Jon Batiste on The Piano TV show. We're incredibly proud of the diversity of the roster: they're all unique in their own ways and give us this opportunity to tell stories in so many different ways. So Decca feels good."
