Andrew Gould, First things First Review

Andrew Gould is a native New Yorker, a saxophonist and composer that grew up cutting his teeth in the New York jazz scene. Gould is a graduate of both Manhattan School of Music and SUNY Purchase. Gould is an endorsing artist with Yanagisawa Saxophones, D’Addario Reeds, and Silverstein Ligatures and has just released his debut album as a leader titled, First things First. A collection of ten Gould compositions based on his experiences living and working as a professional saxophonist in New York City. Gould is joined by, Steven Feifke on piano and Fender Rhodes, Marco Panascia on acoustic bass, electric bass and Jake Goldbas on drums and percussion. Also, several guest artists appear on the project: Ioana Vintu sings on “On a Darker Moon,” and Scott Wendholt plays trumpet on “Rickshaw” and “Mumbo Jumbo.” The music covers a wide variety of styles, including: straight ahead jazz, funk and R&B with modern electric sounds and reflects the versatility and flexibility of the musicians. The compositions are thought-provoking, and the playing is fantastic, these cats can play! That’s the short of it!