Dr. Emmett Goods
Black Eyed Sally’s
Hartford
Nov. 15, 2023
The trombone is not the first instrument I associate with jazz music. I’d seen trombones as part of ensembles, but I always thought of saxophones and trumpets as the lead instruments, the carriers of melodies.
Dr. Emmett Goods made sure I knew better as he performed at Black Eyed Sally’s.
It was the album release party for his debut album, Another Level. He was accompanied by Haneef Nelson on trumpet, John McKenna on tenor sax, Andrew Wilcox on piano, Matt Dwonszyk on bass and Jocelyn Pleasant on drums.
The night started off with an upbeat piece by Tommy Turrentine, the 1950s-era trumpeter, before moving into his original work. The first song off of his album that he played was “October Tune,” written for his mother. It was a mellow, melodic piece that painted the room orange with its sound, like the fall days it was inspired by. Dr. Goods’ trombone wasn’t the blaring brass instrument I’ve been accustomed to, but instead a sharp, highly precise shock of sound with a light touch.
I also had never associated the trombone with moving ballads. Dr. Goods performed Faith and Love, a song dedicated to the memory of his first wife who died from breast cancer. As I listened, it was as if I could hear the trombone singing, mouthing lyrics from its bell that I could hear in my mind.
Even though the song dealt with an unimaginable loss, Dr. Goods said the inspiration came from “a really good time in our lives.”
“We believed that as long as we had faith and love, we’d make it. And you know, we did.”
Black Eyed Sally’s was one of his wife’s favorite places. He met her when he was in Hartford, studying at the Hartt School of Music. His musical journey began decades before, though, as a child at his friend’s house. Dr. Goods was interested in playing drums, and his friend had a set.
“While I was banging away, my friend pulled out a trombone to make fart noises. I took it from him and was able to actually produce sounds, which impressed his father. He contacted his friend who was a band director, and I was a trombone player from then on.”
After a brief intermission, the night concluded with a jam session. The stage was slowly filled with young people jumping in and out of the songs, laughing and enjoying themselves. Among them was a young man who had his own trombone. I’ll keep an eye out for him in the future, and for the next time that Dr. Goods returns to his first wife’s favorite place.
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