Personnel:
Don Goldie (tp), Leo Wright (as, fl), Patti Bown, Eddie Higgins (p), Barry Galbraith, Fred Rundquist (g), Ben Tucker, Richard Evans (b), Ed Shaughnessy, Jimmy Cobb (d), Ray Barretto, Willie Rodriguez (perc), Manny Albam (arr)
Reference: FSRCD 1084
Bar code: 8427328610841
· Hard to find albums in Collector's Edition
· 2 Original LPs on 1 CD
· Original Cover Art & Liner Notes
· Complete Personnel Details
· Stereo Recordings
· Newly Remastered in 24-Bit
Bringing together two of his finest early sessions, this CD presents trumpeter Don Goldie in contrasting yet complementary settings. Trumpet Caliente, recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s legendary studio with Leo Wright, Patti Bown and Ray Barretto, highlights Goldie’s lyrical warmth and rhythmic fire, blending bop fluency with bossa nova grace. Brilliant, his first album as leader, captured in Chicago with Eddie Higgins and Jimmy Cobb, reveals a young trumpeter of astonishing technique, versatility, and big-hearted tone, steeped in the tradition of Armstrong yet forward-looking in conception. Together, these albums showcase Don Goldie as a singular voice—graceful, powerful, and unmistakably his own.
Trumpet Caliente
On Trumpet Caliente, Don Goldie leads a stellar group through a program that balances swing, ballads and bossa nova. His burnished tone, fluent phrasing and tasteful restraint shine on classics like I Hear a Rhapsody and Shiny Stockings, while his originals display both lyricism and drive. With incisive support from Leo Wright, Patti Bown, and Manny Albam’s deft arrangements, the album reveals Goldie’s blend of fiery trumpet and lyrical sensitivity—a “hot trumpet” that is also deeply musical.
Brilliant!
Marks Don Goldie’s first album under his own name, and it lives up to its title. Backed by Eddie Higgins, Richard Evans, Fred Rundquist and Miles Davis drummer Jimmy Cobb, Goldie demonstrates remarkable versatility—from Armstrong-inspired warmth to Gillespie-like agility—all unified by his rich, expressive sound. Whether on standards, blues, or his own compositions, Goldie plays with precision, soul, and swing, confirming his place as one of the most exciting trumpet voices of his generation.
Nights at the turntable
"Trumpeter Don Goldie (1930-95) is probably best remembered for his association with Jack Teagarden for he was a member of the trombonist’s last working group during 1959-63. However there was more to Goldie than being a technically skilled Dixieland player.
The son of trumpeter Harry “Goldie” Goldfield who played with Paul Whiteman for 15 years, he studied violin and piano before settling on the trumpet when he was ten. Goldie played with his father’s orchestra when he was 14, served in the Army during 1951-54, and had stints with Joe Mooney, Neal Hefti, Buddy Rich, and Gene Krupa before joining Teagarden. After the trombonist’s passing, the versatile trumpeter spent some time as a studio musician, eventually settled in Miami, and recorded 11 albums for his Jazz Forum label in the late 1970s, mostly in a quartet setting.
However during 1961-62 when he was still with Teagarden, Goldie recorded what were arguably his two finest albums. Reissued as part of Fresh Sound’s “Rare and Obscure Jazz Albums” series as Presenting Don Goldie, the single-CD has all of the music from those two sets. Trumpet Caliente features the Goldie in ensembles (a sextet and an octet) arranged by Manny Albam that also feature Leo Wright (a former member of Dizzy Gillespie’s group) on alto and flute. They perform two Goldie originals, the lesser-known “Nightingale,” and versions of “I Hear A Rhapsody,” “Shiny Stockings” and “There Will Never Be Another You.” Some of the performances utilize bossa-nova rhythms which were becoming popular at the time.
The second album, Brilliant, is Don Goldie at his very best. In a quintet also including pianist Eddie Higgins, guitarist Fred Rundquist, bassist Richard Evans, and drummer Jimmy Cobb, Goldie’s playing lives up to the album’s title. He rips through Raymond Scott’s “The Toy Trumpet,” and takes hot solos on such numbers as “Soon,” “Someday You’ll Be Sorry,” “Look Out For The Silver Lining,” and “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue.” His tone is impeccable, his solos are full of joy, and he makes the case for being considered one of the most underrated trumpeters of the era."
—Scott Yanow (December, 2022)
The Syncopated Times
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Just when you think you have heard all that’s out there… Fresh Sound Records continues to mine the vaults for wonderfully obscure jazz albums from the 50s and 60s. There are a handful that are…a handful!
Trumpeter Don Goldie has an old school vibrato and a tone akin to big band star Harry James or Al Hirt, although he puts it into a modern jazz atmosphere on these two early sixties sessions. From 1961, he’s with Eddie Higgins/p, Fred Rundquist/g, Richard Evans/b and Miles Davis member Jimmy Cobb/dr, for a glorious read of “Tis Autumn” and “I'll Be Around”, while a dash of New Orleans brings nostalgia on “Struttin With Some Barbecue” and “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans”. Next year, he’s with hard boppers Leo Wright/as-fl, Ben Tucker/b, Ray Barretto/cong, Barry Galbraith/g, Patti Brown/p, Ed Shaughnessy/dr and Willie Rodriguez/perc, playing some charts from Manny Albam. He fills the room with a hip swinger of “Shiny Stockings” and goes bel canto with Wright on “Nightingale”. Guys like this were made for ballads, and “I Hear A Rhapsody” and the lyrical “There Will Never Be Another You” has Goldie milking every note for what it’s worth. Old school made new."
—George W. Harris (October 20, 2025)
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