Go Home l Press

"Over the last two decades the Bay Area's Ben Goldberg has had few rivals as one of
the most vibrant, flexible, and inventive clarinetists in jazz and improvised
music. From his membership in the pan-stylistic collective Tin Hat to rigorous
sideman work with pianist Myra Melford or guitarist Nels Cline, he's able to adapt
his playing perfectly to each given context without surrendering his personality
as a tough sonic explorer. For the album Go Home Goldberg reached back even
further, writing a blues-imbued set of tunes heavy on rhythm and elegant
simplicity... With drummer Scott Amendola and seven-string guitarist Charlie
Hunter both laying down fat grooves and contructing lithe armatures, Goldberg and
trumpeter Ron Miles shape beautiful, sometimes pensive meolodies out front, much
of them marked by ebullient contrapuntal generosity. While Goldberg's rmearkable
control and compositional logic have always shaped even his most extreme playing,
the music on Go Home reperesents some of his most accessible and joyful work, but
like everything he undertakes there's an unabashed undercurrent of deep
consideration." **** — Peter Margasak, Downbeat

"On clarinetist Ben Goldberg’s quartet disc sans bass “Go Home,” the opening tune
“Tgo” has the kind of ensemble counterpoint you might have heard a half century
ago on the West Coast with Jimmy Giuffre and Shorty Rogers, but with neo-New
Orleans second line drumming from Scott Amendola and, strangest and best of all,
the minimalist rockish burn of Charlie Hunter on seven-string guitar. If it sounds
as if it’s too much to put into the blender, it all comes out deliciously. The
whole disc turns into so much contrapuntal invention that it’s almost a statement
on counterpoint’s return to jazz." — Jeff Simon, Buffalo News

"The instrumentation is unique, with Goldberg’s airy clarinet showing influences of
Steve Lacy's exploratory soprano saxophone style. His sound also has deep roots in
klezmer music, with some New Orleans Dixieland thrown in for good measure.
Hunter’s raw guitar work -- his gutsy, rock-blues sound -- is strangely compatible
with the more polished sounds of Goldberg and Miles. Amendola’s driving drums
propels the group with his effective, low-down beat. Hunter’s phenomenal ability
to carry challenging bass lines, while at the same time punctuating the songs with
his own special brand of blues-drenched chords and raucous lead lines, sets this
music apart. The groove Amendola and Hunter maintain is infectious and allows
Goldberg and Miles the freedom to weave their brass and reed sounds into a magical
patois that crosses multiple genres of influence in marvelous and inspired ways."
— Ralph A. Miriello, Notes On Jazz

"This disc rocks, which is not something normally said about sets led by a
clarinetist... The appeal of Go Home is due, in large part, to the smooth old
world atmosphere of the clarinet and trumpet, underlain by the slightly ragged,
sometimes grungy rock moods laid down by Hunter and Amendola—a traditional
approach mixing it up with a forward-leaning raw energy that results in a lively
and sometimes tempestuous marriage." — Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

"A generous leader, Goldberg provides his sidemen with ample solo space,
contributing his own statements with a rich sense of melody that encompasses a
range of lyrical conventions, an approach mirrored by Miles, whose dulcet tone and
economic phrasing provides the session's quieter tunes with a regal austerity.
Buoyed by the enthusiastic contributions of his fellow artists, Go Home is a
strong debut for Goldberg's newest venture and his most agreeable release to date."
— Troy Collins, All About Jazz

“The band creates music that is cozy and spacious, pungent and perfumed, virtuosic, sophisticated and pleasingly raw.” — The Boston Globe

“A searching ensemble that welcomes lyrical improvisation while embracing the groove.
—The New Yorker

“Go Home speaks to a fascinating creative journey that has taken Goldberg from the esoteric realms of the avant-garde to the simple pleasures of syncopation and melody.” — Metro Santa Cruz

All About Jazz interview with Ben Goldberg