Jeff Goldblum Decodes the Holiday Cheer of New Jazz Single ‘The Christmas Waltz’

Jeff Goldblum, known for his idiosyncratic performances in movies like Jurassic Park, The Fly ,and The Grand Budapest Hotel, is also a talented jazz pianist, even if he likes to say he’s just a “humble student” of the instrument. Since 2014, his band, the Mildred Schnitzer Orchestra, has performed live shows — including Glastonbury Festival — and released two albums. The second, I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This, features guest vocals from Fiona Apple and Miley Cyrus.

But it’s Goldblum himself singing on the group’s newest single, a holiday cover that dropped just in time for the season of cozy fires and good cheer: “The Christmas Waltz,” as he explained in a Rolling Stone on Twitch interview, is less known than standards like “Jingle Bells,” and was originally recorded by Frank Sinatra as a B-side to “White Christmas.” He puts his smooth, original spin on it, at the end improvising a slew of classic references to Yuletide classics including It’s a Wonderful Life and “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” And he revealed that the most obscure quotation — about “razzleberry dressing” — comes from Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carols.

Goldblum also discussed his Pittsburgh roots, showed off his fashion ensemble (the shirt was a gift from Gigi Hadid’s luxury knitwear brand Guest In Residence) and why the heck our magazine is named Rolling Stone to begin with. But good luck keeping up with his train of thought — this guy does not slow down.

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