Hollywood actor Jeff Goldblum signs record deal with Decca, “a fantastic jazz player”

Hollywood actor Jeff Goldblum – best known in Australia for his roles in the Jurassic Park franchise, Independence Day and The Grand Budapest Hotel – has signed a record deal with Decca Records.

Decca is distributed in Australia through Universal Music.

At 65, he will release his debut album later this year.

It would most likely be a live album recorded at the Capitol Building and co-produced by the well-known musician Larry Klein and Goldblum’s music director John Mastro.

Goldblum has been playing the piano since he was a child.

Over the past decades, he has played with his jazz band, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, at intimate venues in Los Angeles and at Café Carlyle in New York City.

Mildred Snitzer was a woman he knew growing up in Pittsburgh.

The casual mid-week 2½ hour music shows are a mix of his jazz playing on crowd-pleasing standards as ‘The ‘In’ Crowd’, ‘Nostalgia In Times Square’ and ‘Doxy’ and improvised comedy to locals and A-listers.

Last year, Decca UK executives spotted him accompanying soul-jazz star Gregory Porter on BBC’s Graham Norton Show and quickly flew to Los Angeles for a catch-up.

“I’m so happy to be in cahoots with the wonderful people at Decca, one of the coolest and most prestigious labels of all time,” says Goldblum.

The actor grew up listening to jazz at home, with his father regularly listening to Erroll Garner records.

He took classical piano lessons from a young age but quickly switched to jazz.

At the age of 15, he started playing in cocktail lounges in Pittsburgh.

Tom Lewis, director of A&R for Decca, said, “As far as I can tell, everyone loves Jeff Goldblum. It’s like a universal truth.

“We are delighted to welcome him to Decca.

“He’s a fantastic jazz pianist, a great bandleader and just about the loveliest man in the world.

“His love of jazz is infectious and whenever he plays he makes you feel very happy.

“If we can take Jeff’s music into people’s homes then we will be helping, in our own small way, to make the world a happier place.”

Upcoming, Goldblum will assume his role as Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.