Marcus Goldhaber

With 4 critically acclaimed CDs, Marcus Goldhaber has quickly become known for his songwriting as well as his intimate approach to straight-ahead Jazz. With a 4-star review, PEOPLE Magazine has said, “Goldhaber will have you giddy one moment and melancholy the next and loving every note.” Jazztimes has labeled Marcus as “Wonderfully imaginative,” while Jazziz says he is “exciting and fresh” and All About Jazz simply proclaims, [Marcus is] “like a plate full of comfort food.”

Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Marcus developed a passion for Jazz and the songs of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s alongside a 1928 Ivers & Pond upright piano, on which his mother casually played countless standards. Marcus currently performs in many of the greatest Jazz venues in NYC including: Iridium, The Kitano, The Metropolitan Room, The Cutting Room, Sweet Rhythm, Opia, The Friars Club, The Makor/Steinhardt Center, The Carnegie Club, Lenox Lounge and a guest spot with the legendary Les Paul. He has also performed concerts at NYC’s Worldwide Plaza, The AOL Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle and has maintained longer engagements at both the Benjamin Hotel and The Night Hotel.

Poised for breakout success, acclaimed NYC jazz vocalist-songwriter MARCUS GOLDHABER takes another considerable step forward with the Oct. 14, 2014 release of A LOVELY WAY TO SPEND AN EVENING (Fallen Apple Records/The Orchard) – the first album with major distribution behind this rapidly rising artist who JazzTimes says “rivals the jazz instincts of Chet Baker and John Pizzarelli.” The powerful, 12-track collection reintroduces some of Goldhaber’s favorite standards alongside five new originals, highlighting his artistic evolution from a “wonderfully imaginative” jazz interpreter to a wistfully undeniable composer & lyricist of modern standards, while remaining “exciting and fresh” (Jazziz) with every progression. Goldhaber has garnered tremendous critical acclaim as a recording artist, with PEOPLE Magazine saying the New Yorker with the youthfully carefree sweet tenor “will have you giddy one moment and melancholy the next and loving every note.”

Album highlights include Goldhaber originals “Somebody In Love” and the opening track, “As Long As I’m Falling In Love,” both produced by drum master Marcello Pellitteri (Kenny Barron, Jon Hendricks, Joe Henderson, Wynton Marsalis) at New York’s famed Avatar Studios. “Somebody in Love” is a New Orleans-inspired song featuring tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm taking the band to the swinging clubs of the 1950s. His solo is followed by an electric moment from guitarist John Hart. “As Long As I’m Falling in Love,” co-written with Goldhaber’s longtime pianist and musical director Jon Davis (Jaco Pastorius, Stan Getz) and also heard in the film Going Down in La-La Land, is about that moment of falling in love, “right at the beginning,” says Goldhaber, “when you know there’s no complication. It’s just that calm, easy, sort of saloon style blues feel that just says, ‘Everything’s good.’” A high mark is the album’s closing track, “Losin’ Your Appeal,” a swinging Goldhaber original showcasing a funkier sound and a sexy vibe. It was produced by Billy Jay Stein (Linda Eder, Spider-Man, Beautiful Broadway cast album) and features a marvelous horn section from top rock bands and the Broadway scene, with Stein on vintage Hammond B-3 and Wurlitzer organ.

“A lot of these songs have been inspired by moments in my life,” says Goldhaber. “That’s really where the joy lies for me. That’s the real passion that I have. It’s not about simply writing a song or hearing something that swings. It’s really about the connection.”

On Marcus’ debut CD, “The Moment After,” (Fallen Apple 2006), he teamed up with Jon Davis (piano), Paul Gabrielson (bass) and a tandem of Kyle Struve and Will Terrill on drums. The arrangements were intentionally simple with straight-ahead phrasing to showcase the beauty in these melodies and lyrics. PEOPLE Magazine highlighted Marcus’ “no frills approach” with a 3 star review, while JazzTimes declared Marcus “a solid saloon style balladeer.” This album went on to receive noteworthy press from Jazz Improv, Hot House Magazine, All About Jazz as well as aggressive international airplay including several featured spots by Jonathan Schwartz (WNYC & XM Radio). In November 2008, Marcus released “Take Me Anywhere” (Fallen Apple), introducing seven original compositions, co-written with Jon Davis. This record quickly became one of the top selling “Crossover Jazz” records on Cdbaby.com (in partnership with Amazon). Once again, Marcus teamed up with Jon Davis on piano, but this time with Martin Wind on bass and Marcello Pellitteri on drums. Guest spots included Lieven Venken on drums for “Look For The Silver Lining” and harmonica virtuoso, Hendrik Meurkens on the title track, “Take Me.” This record introduced Marcus as a songwriter and garnered him a 4 star review from PEOPLE Magazine and high acclaim as New York Magazine’s “Retro Pick.”

“Almost Love” is Marcus’ 3rd record on Fallen Apple and contains 13 original compositions (5 co-written with pianist/MD, Jon Davis). These songs walk through the moments from right before falling in love, the apprehension or anxiety of longing for someone, the all out care-free-swingin’ bliss of being in love, the perplexities of a relationship to the calm rediscovery of a love that has been there all along. This collection identifies Marcus’ style as a songwriter…some tunes jump and swing, some are more melancholy, while some connect with the listener, who is often unsure of the next step. On this album, Marcus had the honor of working with some of his favorite musicians in the world: Jon Davis (piano/MD), Martin Wind (bass) and Marcello Pellitteri (drums), who produced the project as well. There are several guest features: Joel Frahm (tenor/soprano sax), John Hart (acoustic/electric guitar), Erik Friedlander (cello), Joe Magnarelli (trumpet) and singer/songwriter, Lauren Kinhan of the New York Voices, who sings a duet with Marcus on “If I Knew Better.”

Marcus has had the privilege of performing with many fantastic musicians and connecting with audiences all over the world. He is ever grateful for his family’s constant love and support and especially for his late grandparents, who raised his mother with music so that she could do the same for him.

“Some of these songs have been inspired by moments in my life, but I also wanted to write from a place that is equal parts conviction and uncertainty,” says Marcus. “This album explores the paths from possibility to bliss … heartbreak to acceptance ... anxiety to anticipation ... and denial to rediscovery. Each tune tells its own story and sets its mood.”

Marcus Goldhaber Jazz Music

ALMOST LOVE identifies Marcus’ style as a songwriter…some tunes jump and swing and others are more melancholy, while certain songs connect with the listener often unsure of the next step. Marcus had the honor of working on this album with some of his favorite musicians in the world: Jon Davis (piano and musical director, who co-wrote five songs), Martin Wind (bass) and Marcello Pellitteri (drums), who produced the project as well. Extended personnel: Joel Frahm (tenor/soprano sax), John Hart (acoustic/electric guitar), Erik Friedlander (cello). Guest features: Joe Magnarelli (trumpet) and singer/songwriter Lauren Kinhan of the New York Voices, who sings a duet with Marcus on “If I Knew Better.”

Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Marcus developed a passion for jazz and the songs of the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s alongside a 1928 Ivers & Pond upright piano, on which his mother casually played countless standards. Marcus currently performs in many of the greatest jazz venues in NYC including: Iridium, The Kitano, The Metropolitan Room, The Cutting Room, Sweet Rhythm, Opia, The Friars Club, The Makor/Steinhardt Center, The Carnegie Club, Lenox Lounge and a guest spot with the legendary Les Paul. He also has performed concerts at NYC’s Worldwide Plaza and The AOL Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, and has maintained extended engagements at both the Benjamin Hotel and The Night Hotel. On Marcus’ 2006 debut CD, The Moment After, (Fallen Apple), he teamed with Jon Davis (piano), Paul Gabrielson (bass) and a tandem of Kyle Struve and Will Terrill on drums. The arrangements were intentionally simple with straight-ahead phrasing to showcase the beauty in the melodies and lyrics, prompting PEOPLE Magazine to highlight Marcus’ “no frills approach” with a three-star review, and JazzTimes to declare him“a solid saloon style balladeer.” This album also received noteworthy press from Jazz Improv, Hot House Magazine, and All About Jazz as well as several featured spots by Jonathan Schwartz (WNYC & Sirius XM Radio). Marcus followed his debut in late 2008 with Take Me Anywhere (Fallen Apple), which introduced seven original compositions co-written with Jon Davis, and quickly became one of the top selling “Crossover Jazz” records on CDbaby.com (in partnership with Amazon). Once again, Marcus teamed with Davis on piano, but this time with Martin Wind on bass and Marcello Pellitteri on drums. Guest spots included Lieven Venken on drums for “Look for the Silver Lining” and harmonica virtuoso, Hendrik Meurkens on the title track, “Take Me.” This record introduced Marcus as a songwriter and garnered him a four-star review from PEOPLE Magazine and high acclaim as New York Magazine’s “Retro Pick.”