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Dave Goldberg - Electric Guitarist 1922-69
English guitarist,
trombonist and composer. Jazz guitar pioneer. Band work
includes Ted Heath Band, Dizzy Reece's Sextet, Phil Seaman's
Quintet and Jack Parnell's ATV Orchestra. Extensive freelance work in
UK and US. Film work included playing and writing.
Dave Goldberg is believed to have died of an
overdose in 1969.
 Michael
Claxton: ....when
I was trying to decide between music and advertising I wrote to Steve
Race for advice and met him at the BBC a couple of times for a chat and
a cup of tea (!). He invited me to two of his recording sessions - this
would have been in 1965 - and I helped with handing out scores etc. The
guitarist was Dave Goldberg and boy was he good. At one point Steve Race
asked him - I don't remember exactly but something like 'Could you make
that Bbmin 7th with a flattened 11th a flattened 12th instead and Dave
said words to the effect, "Yes where would you like it?" and he played
four inversions up the neck in about two seconds. When I expressed my
admiration he just said the classic Carnegie Hall line - "Practice, man,
practice!"... I have the LPs somewhere in storage; 'Late Race' and
another one with film themes if I remember correctly.
Dave Goldberg with Grimshaw G5 Orca? C 1955
Dave Goldberg
Born in 1922 in Liverpool, Dave
Goldberg's family settled in Glasgow and he took up the guitar at the
age of fourteen. He was playing professionally in 1940 playing trombone
as well as guitar but later joined the RAF during the second world war
as a pilot instructor.
On demobilisation he joined Ted Heath playing
guitar only. He made several trips to the USA in the late 1940s and
worked with the Les Brown band, rejoining Ted Heath when he returned to
the UK. He was an early bebop pioneer and the flat he shared with fellow
guitarist Pete Chilver in central London was where many young musicians
gathered in 1949 to hear and discuss the bebop records beginning to come
from the USA.
Proof of his familiarity with the idiom can be found on
twelve inch 78 issued under the title "Melody Maker Columbia Jazz Rally"
recorded in June 1947. He sounds very much at home on Thrivin' on a
riff made at a time when most of our local musicians were still
playing in the swing style.
After a further spell in the US in the
early 1950s, (working under the name Dave Gilbert to help him obtain
work in Los Angeles), he returned to Britain in 1954 and worked with the
Dizzy Reece Sextet and the Phil Seamen Quintet in 1956.
He freelanced in
the USA, UK and Italy working on film soundtracks and with many small
jazz groups and dance bands before becoming a long-time member of Jack
Parnell's ATV Orchestra. Goldberg had worked with Parnell for several
years in the Ted Heath Orchestra in the 1940s. He died in 1969 at the
early age of 47.
There is some good video of him on the Stephane Grapelli double DVD also
a 1965 BBC Jazz 625 session on YouTube. Not much on CD as yet unfortunately.
Put on a Happy Face - With Dave Goldberg
From a 1965 TV appearance, here's
Benny Golson
leading a British all-star band, featuring Alan Branscombe on piano,
Dave Goldberg on guitar and Tubby Hayes on tenor, with sterling support
from Allan Ganley on drums. Also visible in the clip are
Jimmy Deuchar
and Stan Roderick in the trumpets, Keith Christie and
Ken Wray in the
trombones and Don Honeywill and Frank Reidy with
Bob Efford in the
reeds.
Believed to be Joe Harriott and Dave
Goldberg's last recording date, this is a rather muddled attempt at a symphony
with jazz soloists. Tom Lord's Jazz Discography gives the recording date as 1970
but this is incorrect. Simon Spillett (Saxophonist) points out that Dave
Goldberg died on August 21st, 1969 and that this recording was made on August
8th, a few days before that date, at Watford Town Hall...
Laurie Johnson with The
London Philharmonic Orchestra and The London Jazz Orchestra
- August 8th, 1969 (Synthesis - Columbia SLX 6412)
Stan Roderick, Derek Watkins, Kenny
Wheeler, Cliff Haines, Paul Tongay (tp), Don Lusher, Nat Peck, Bobby Lamb, Ray
Premru (tb), Joe Harriott, Roy Willox (as), Tony Coe, Tubby Hayes (ts), Harry
Klein (bs), Stan Tracey (p), Dave Goldberg (g), Dave Richmond (b-g), Lennie Bush
(b), Barry Morgan (d).
Prelude/Con Moto/Adagio/Allegro/Finale.
Gina Fratini had Irish parentage but was raised in Japan. Her
father, the Honourable Somerset Butler, was twin brother of the Earl of Carrick.
In 1947 Fratini attended the Royal College of Art in London and then joined the
Katherine Dunham dance group, assisting the costume and set designer,
John
Platt. She also designed clothes independently, and continued to produce private
commissions after she married jazz guitarist David Goldberg in 1954.
Jack Parnell and his Quartet -
July 29th, 1946 (Decca)
Reg Owen (cl), Ralph Sharon (p), Dave Goldberg (g),
Jack Fallon (b), Jack Parnell (d).
Dave Goldberg was a great guitar player. Unfortunately like other UK players
such as Pete Chilver, Jack Llewelyn, Eric Ford, Ernie Sheer, Ike Isaacs, Brian
Dayley, Judd Proctor, Roland Shaw, to name a few, not very well known outside of
the UK.
 One night
Django was visiting the flat on Charing Cross Road which
Pete Chilver and Dave
Goldberg shared at the time. The three of them were jamming and generally
having a great time, but the noise was upsetting their neighbour. He was a
burly fellow who had no love of jazz whatsoever. He banged on the door and
shouted at them to "keep that f***ing racket down" Dave Goldberg (who was
bigger than Pete) was despatched to the door. He opened it and said to the
man, "don't you realise, that was Django Reinhardt is playing?" to
which the response was " I don't care if it's the f***ing King playing". The
words vary slightly depending on which account you read, but the gist is
accurate. David Chilver
Stork Club Band
Charlie Short Bass, Martin Aston Drums, Ralph Sharon Piano, Doreen Henry
Vocals, Dave Goldberg Guitar with Glasses, Harry Klein Alto, Harry Roche
Trombone, Ronnie Scott Tenor
Melody Maker Columbia Jazz Rally:
Frank
Weir, Carl Barriteau, cl; Bertie King, Harry Hayes, as; Tommy Whittle ts;
Ralph Sharon, p; Dave Goldberg, g; Jack Collier, b; Jock Cummins, d.
London, June 29, 1947
The Grappelli DVD featuring Goldberg is called A life
in the Jazz Century. It is still available from the producers I think, I will
try to find a link. It is a double DVD with the second part showing Stephan
playing with several musicians including all the Django film. The group with
Dave Goldberg on guitar has George Shearing on
piano and Ray Ellington on drums and Coleridge Goode
on Bass, they play several numbers. http://www.musiconearth.co.uk/jazz_music_dvd/index.htm
Dave Goldberg also played the trombone and was a good
arranger. He was a
teacher in Ivor Mairants Central School of Dance Music along
with Roy Plummer, Bert Weedon and
Ike Isaacs in the early '50's and
also played with the Ivor Mairants Guitar group.
What a pity there is not much Dave Golberg on CD, he made a lot of recordings as a
group member and session musician.
He also played with Geraldo and Jack Parnell
of course. - Bob B
I've a great interest in all jazz guitarists and have realised that there
are loads of first class, world class actually, guys that are just not well
known, Dave Goldberg and many many more. As a kid, maybe around 1960, I
watched Dave Goldberg playing solo on the BBC programme, Tonight - with
presenters Cliff Michelmore, Kenneth Allsop, Fyfe Robertson, on at 6pm-ish every
night; sometimes they had Rory McEwan or Robin Hall & Jimmy McGregor but a few
times Dave Goldberg - I remember him being asked what he would play and he said
" A Little Blues"; I thought that was the title but now I realise he meant
'just a little blues'. I'd just got interested in the guitar but was
already liking subtler stuff and I tried to remember/copy what he did, which I
do remember was in Bb, because I thought how odd, why not E, D, G, A ? etc like
you do when you're learning. I think he was playing a blonde Guild. I saw the
Grappelli dvd the other day and it reminded what a great jazzer he was.
Regards John D.
Melody Maker Jazz
Polls - Guitar
1957 Guitar
1. Ken Sykora (1923 votes)
2. Dave Goldberg (1234)
5. Ivor Mairants (410)
6. Ike Isaacs (324)
10. Cedric West (40)
11. Roy Plummer (31)
1958 Guitar
1. Ken Sykora (49.4%)
4. Dave Goldberg (6.7)
5. Ike Isaacs (6.4)
6 Ivor Mairants (4.2)
10. Roy Plummer (0.7)
1959 Guitar
1. Dave Goldberg (28.0%)
3. Ken Sykora (22.5)
4. Ike Isaacs (6.8)
8. Ivor Mairants(2.2)
1962
1. Dave Goldberg
2. Diz
Disley
3. Ken Sykora
4. Bert Weedon
5. Dennis Newey
6. Ike Isaacs
7. Bill Bramwell
8. George Kish/Judd Proctor
9 Tony Pitts
1965
1. Ernest Ranglin
2. Dave Goldberg
3. Diz
Disley
4. Alexis Korner
1966
1. Dave Goldberg
2. Ernest Ranglin
3. Diz
Disley
4. Alexis Korner
5. Terry Smith
One of the guitarists on your web site who I saw was Dave Goldberg, who
did very occasional jazz gigs in London in between his session work. I saw him
with Phil Seaman just before he died - he was great. - Nick Powell
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PAUL
VERNON CHESTER
