Published November 4, 2026
Back in 2019, while studying modern Hollywood, I came across one of Jeff Goldblum’s jazz albums. I thought it was pretty good, but it didn’t leave a strong enough impression to make me explore his music further.
Fast-forward to the Wicked era of press tours, and Cynthia Erivo shared on Instagram that she and Goldblum had recorded a duet of “If I Only Had a Brain” from The Wizard of Oz. The track appears on Goldblum’s newest album, Night Blooms, and I found myself captivated as I listened. Similar recommendations started popping up in my playlists, including several tracks from this earlier album, Still Blooming, and I was hooked.
Like Pink Martini, Goldblum honors the sounds of old Hollywood, modernizes them, and makes them his own, backed by his orchestra. Overall, their sound is like the most decadent dessert you could order at a fancy restaurant: luscious and luxurious, but, in this case, accessible. Listening to it feels like you’ve just received a palmful of pennies from heaven.
This is the first of what I hope will be many Jeff Goldblum albums in my vinyl collection.
First Impressions
A bright, vibrant album cover featuring a garden that evokes an essence of California living.
The piano acts as the soil in this garden, the very source of life that nourishes the beauty flourishing across the cover.
Looking closely at the plant life, I notice cacti, succulents, and an array of bright, colorful flowers. The textures and colors seem to be created with oil pastels mixed with watercolor, producing a perfectly complementary contrast between the soft and the gritty—much like life in LA.
A third texture enters the picture: a torn-paper effect that reveals a dotted pattern underneath. This tear acts like a gust of wind, welcoming a dove into the scene and adding a splash of divine inspiration.
Flipping the cover reveals a chaotic, nonsensical side of the garden. The garden has put on its green shoes and wandered somewhere new. The garden becomes less orderly, and the flowers grow even wilder. Circles scattered throughout the design hold various songbirds. Suddenly, it all comes together! I wonder: does this represent the psyche of the creatives who walk the earth? Are the flowers a reflection of their delightful chaos, while the birds represent those divine flashes of inspiration? I’ll let you decide.
Inside the slipcover, a drawing of Jeff Goldblum sits beside a thoughtful note addressed to all listeners. Reading it feels surprisingly personal. I’ll leave the details for you to discover yourself when you get your hands on the album.
Now, it’s time to step into Goldblum and his orchestra’s world of jazz and imagination.
Listening Experience
Prior to this, I had listened to recordings of this album on YouTube countless times, but hearing it on vinyl made me appreciate nuances you can’t quite experience anywhere else, except at a live performance.
Listening to Jeff Goldblum at the keys, you can almost hear the intentionality behind each note. Each note feels distinct and purposeful, making you appreciate the artistry even more. The same goes for everyone in the ensemble.
The album begins with a track so nostalgic, almost ethereal in how it transports you to a bygone era. Ariana Grande’s “I Don’t Know Why” was exactly why I wanted to buy this album on vinyl. Hearing her voice sing through my record player exceeded my expectations. I felt transported to World War II-era America, listening to special guests broadcast from what felt like a US military concert.
A similar vibe carries through Cynthia Erivo’s “We’ll Meet Again.” The lyrics evoke wartime America and the importance of holding on to optimism, hope, and love amid uncertainty and devastation. Erivo’s voice fits the song like a glove, and, like Grande, her vocal capabilities are outstanding.
This record also includes a few jazz instrumentals that transport you back in time. Listening to them during an Intentional Vinyl event a couple of weeks ago was fascinating for two reasons. First, I found myself playing the triangle peg game we bought at Cracker Barrel. Listening to the music while trying to become a genius at this game was surprisingly satisfying. Second, those instrumental pieces reminded me of something you might hear on a Charlie Brown special soundtrack, although my mom didn’t feel the same way. How curious! You’ll have to tell me what you thought when you heard these pieces.
Flipping the record takes us into the modern era. Scarlett Johansson’s “The Best Is Yet to Come” is suave, sensual, elegant, and expensive, just like modern-day LA. Maiya Sykes’s voice creates a similar effect, but with a splash of soul that makes her performance especially seductive. It’s interesting to hear how Goldblum almost duets with each soloist through his playing, creating a musical conversation between the vocals and the keys.
The album’s inner sleeve notes suggest that Goldblum and his Orchestra see themselves as constantly growing, still blooming, if you will. That is incredibly exciting because, when it comes to musicality, the sky’s the limit. Seeing that growth mindset in someone as famous as Jeff Goldblum is refreshing, and knowing the artists who perform alongside him share it is equally encouraging.
How boring would a garden be if everything stopped growing? How pretentious would we be if we knew everything? How boring would music be if it reached perfection and never changed? Perhaps perfection isn’t simply executing everything with absolute precision. Maybe perfection is when different elements come together in such a way that something magical happens.
The album ends with the cherry on top: Jeff Goldblum singing “Every Time We Say Goodbye.” His voice is charming and perfectly suited to the song, and ending the album this way reveals just how sentimental he is. It can be hard to say goodbye to creative adventures, and it’s always bittersweet when a performance ends, but that is precisely what makes room for new beginnings.
It’s good to embrace moments like this that make us cry a little. That’s one of the genre's beauties: it explores drama without becoming overly dramatic. It expresses emotion in a deeply human way while never losing its sense of romance.
I’m glad Jeff Goldblum is still blooming, and I cannot wait to listen to more of his vinyl releases with the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.