The New York drummer has been playing gigs since he was 11 years old, starting with weekly appearances alongside Roberta Flack’s pianist Harry Whitaker at an Italian restaurant.
A few years later, Goold started performing every week at Small's Jazz Club with his father Ned Goold, a saxophonist whose credits include working in the bands of Harry Connick Jr. and organist Jack McDuff.
Goold studied communications and focused on collegiate track and field at Temple University, and then transferred to the Berklee College of Music.
Moving back to New York City at the age of 19, Goold played at every opportunity and sustained himself by teaching. He went on to receive a full scholarship from the Juilliard School.
Goold has performed with a wide variety of acts, from vocalists like Jon Hendricks, Johnny O'Neal and Andy Bey to Wynton Marsalis's Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and vibraphonist Steve Nelson. He has also collaborated with rappers Cam’Ron, Talib Kweli and Ghostface Killah.
To honor his mother's Haitian roots, Goold volunteers every year with the nonprofit group Experience Ayiti, an organization that brings Haitian-American and New York City musicians to the island to help empower Haitians through aid, master classes and concerts.
Goold's debut album "Rhythm in Contrast" features his original compositions, reflecting his experience in New York City. Released in February, the recording mixes the influences of hard bop, hip hop, New Orleans and the Caribbean.
"I like a lot of styles of music," Goold stated in a press release. "And I think they all have equal ability to give that 'goosebumps' feeling. And when you mix them together, you can convey that to other people and lift them up."
Listen for "Gettin' Out Blues" from Charles Goold's "Rhythm in Contrast" on KNKX's Midday and Evening Jazz programs.
