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Gordon Goodwin

Even for a successful composer and arranger in Hollywood, Gordon Goodwin’s numbers are impressive: A 2006 GRAMMY Award for his Instrumental Arrangement of “Incredits” from the Pixar film The Incredibles, three Emmy Awards, and thirteen GRAMMY nominations.

Here’s another impressive number to add to the list: eighteen. As in the number of musicians in Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, one of the most exciting large jazz ensembles on the planet. Populated by L.A.’s finest players, the Big Phat Band takes the big band tradition into the new millennium with a contemporary, highly original sound featuring Goodwin’s witty, intricate, and hard-swinging compositions in a veritable grab bag of styles: swing, Latin, blues, classical, rock and more.

A steady, persistent audio diet of the giants of jazz, pop, rock and funk has nourished Goodwin’s being since childhood. Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Earth, Wind and Fire, and Tower of Power, among many others, filled the well for the music his band makes today. And like those other bands, Goodwin’s music is nothing less than astonishing when experienced live.

Goodwin’s ability to combine jazz excellence with any musical style makes his writing appealing to fans across the spectrum. That’s why both beboppers and headbangers dig Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band.

Established in 2000, the Big Phat Band’s debut recording, Swingin’ For The Fences (Silverline Records), featured guest artists Arturo Sandoval and Eddie Daniels. It made history as the first commercially available DVD-Audio title ever released and the first DVD-Audio title to receive two GRAMMY nominations.

The band’s second album, XXL (Silverline Records), was released on DVD-Audio and compact disc in 2003. Charting its first week, XXL garnered three GRAMMY nominations for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Best Instrumental Composition (“Hunting Wabbits”) and Best Instrumental Arrangement with Vocals (“Comes Love” with Brian McKnight and Take 6), while winning the Surround Sound Award for “Best Made for Surround Sound Title.” The list of guest artists matched the high quality of the first release and featured, among others, Johnny Mathis and the incomparable Michael Brecker.

The Big Phat Band’s third album, The Phat Pack (immergent Records), with guest stars Dianne Reeves, David Sanborn, Eddie Daniels and Take 6, received a GRAMMY nomination and spent 31 weeks on the Billboard jazz charts.

Released in September 2008, the Big Phat Band’s fourth recording, Act Your Age, far outsold every other big band record in its path. Produced by acclaimed guitarist Lee Ritenour, it featured a host of terrific guests including Patti Austin, Chick Corea, Dave Grusin and even Ritenour himself, plus a special appearance by the late pianist Art Tatum on a stunning performance that had jaws dropping right and left. The critically acclaimed Act Your Age garnered three GRAMMY nominations.

USAF Airmen of Note: Aim High/The 2024 Jazz Heritage Series

Read "Aim High/The 2024 Jazz Heritage Series" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
November 15, 2024

Aim High, recorded as part of the 2024 Jazz Heritage Series, is the forty-sixth album by the U.S. armed services' premier jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note, founded in 1950 to honor the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps dance band, which entertained the troops during World War II until Miller's untimely death in 1944. Those who have heard no more than one of those recordings would no doubt agree that any accolades aimed at the AON have ...

Album Review

Jeremy Cohen: Raymond Scott Reimagined

Read "Raymond Scott Reimagined" reviewed by Walter Atkins

by Walter Atkins
July 25, 2023

Raymond Scott Reimagined is an engaging collaborative project with Quartet San Francisco, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band and the Grammy winning acapella group Take 6 on two tracks. The album is a thoughtful and stylish interpretation of Raymond Scott's legacy. It is also interspersed with audio tidbits featuring Scott's singular musical approaches. The album kicks off with the enticing “Powerhouse," familiar to anyone who has watched a Warner Bros Looney Tunes cartoon. “Toy Trumpet" is a tasty composition ...

Album Review

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band: The Reset

Read "The Reset" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
December 16, 2021

Gordon Goodwin's dynamic Big Phat Band rumbles back onto the scene with The Reset, a somewhat less-than-big-phat album whose dual purpose, according to Goodwin, is to express hope and gratitude in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic and to honor one of Goodwin's mentors, the late Sammy Nestico. Goodwin calls the album an EP, whose twenty-eight minute playing time places it in roughly the same ballpark as a vinyl LP from the good old days before digital recording and streaming. ...

Take Five With...

Take Five with Gordon Goodwin

by AAJ Staff
October 21, 2021

Meet Gordon Goodwin Having amassed 21 Grammy nominations, four Grammy wins and three Emmy wins, Gordon Goodwin is one of the most decorated big band leaders in the 21st century. As the leader of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, an internationally renowned ensemble with a reputation as one of the most exciting in jazz, the BPB has released eight critically acclaimed records, including Life in the Bubble, (Telarc, 2014) which garnered four Grammy Nominations, and won the Grammy ...

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Album Review

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band: Act Your Age

Read "Act Your Age" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
December 13, 2008

Band leader, composer and instrumentalist Gordon Goodwin takes his 18-piece Big Phat Band to another level, producing a rare CD/DVD set and garnishing a heap of praise from critics and the Grammy folks alike. Act Your Age is one heck of an album, having received three 2008 Grammy nominations for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Best Instrumental Composition (Goodwin's “Hit The Ground Running"), and Best Instrumental Arrangement (Goodwin's arrangement of “Yesterdays"). This makes for a total of 11 nominations, and ...

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Album Review

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band: The Phat Pack

Read "The Phat Pack" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
August 2, 2006

The suave and irrepressible Rat Pack, whose urbane image was shrewdly nurtured for so many years by Ol' Blue Eyes, meistersinger Frank Sinatra himself, is no longer with us. Luckily, we have as partial solace The Phat Pack, the convivial third recording by jack-of-all-trades Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. Goodwin bows respectfully to his illustrious predecessors by reprising two songs closely associated with members of the Rodent Gang, Sinatra's “It Was a Very Good Year" and Sammy Davis Jr.'s “Too ...

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Album Review

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band: XXL

by Russell Moon
November 12, 2003

We still have a few weeks before he hear Auld Lang Syne, but I'm going to vote early. I hold in my hands the Album of the Year.

XXL is the Big Phat Band's second album. Its first, Swingin' For the Fences, was nominated for two Grammys two years ago. Composer/arranger Gordon Goodwin has won three Emmys for his work on cartoons. He formed the band as a studio unit, but it now performs twice a month in the Los ...

Recording

‘Raymond Scott Reimagined,’ The Unprecedented Musical Journey Featuring Quartet San Francisco, Gordon Goodwin & Take 6 Is Available Now

Source: 1888 Media
July 21, 2023

Violinjazz Recordings, the label of acclaimed Grammy-nominated musician Jeremy Cohen, principal violinist and founder of Classical Crossover specialists Quartet San Francisco, has announced the release of ‘Raymond Scott Reimagined,’ an unprecedented new collaboration teaming Quartet San Francisco with accomplished Grammy/Emmy Award-winning composer/producer/arranger Gordon Goodwin and revered Grammy-winning a cappella group Take 6. The thrilling 14-track collection, which includes Goodwin’s fresh arrangements of eight Scott classics, including mainstays “Powerhouse,” “Twilight in Turkey,” “Huckleberry Duck,” “The Quintette Goes to a Dance” and ...
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Festival

Grammy/Emmy Winning Composer Gordon Goodwin Makes Feature Film Debut In 'knights Of Swing' + Hollywood Bowl Jazz Fest June 26

Source: 1888 Media
May 20, 2022

Multiple Grammy/Emmy Award winning composer/arranger Gordon Goodwin has added actor to his storied resume with a spirited cameo as “Mr. Hughes,” the lead judge presiding over the California Battle of the Bands in the jazz-driven period piece, 'Knights of Swing,’ a late 40s era coming-of-age journey that follows the challenges,disappointments and successes of six high school boys, and the girls who join them to form a really swingin’ big band. Goodwin relished the opportunity, “I have worked in film for ...
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Recording

4-Time Grammy Winner Gordon Goodwin Returns With New 5-Song Ep

Source: 1888 Media
October 22, 2021

Multiple Grammy/Emmy Award winner Gordon Goodwin returns to forefront of adventurous compositions and modern jazz with The Reset, an urgent and topical 5-song EP, a bold foray into the intersection of composition and improvisation, a futuristic excursion brimming with purpose and cursive. From the 7-minute title track, which seems to channel the ethos of Chick Corea’s Return to Forever, while unleashing its inner Dream Theater, to the funky sass and sizzle of “Six Feet Away,” one thing is inherently certain, ...
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Music Industry

Casting New Lives Signs Gordon Goodwin and The Big Phat Band

Source: Michael Ricci
January 25, 2011

Casting New Lives is pleased to announce that we now represent Gordon Goodwin and his Big Phat Band! “We are honored to represent an artist of Gordon's stature," said Brinka Rauh of CNL. Gordon and the Big Phat Band have a new CD being release in April on Concord Jazz. CNL will be booking Gordon's national tour to coincide with the album release. Gordon Goodwin is an Emmy and Grammy winning composer and is leader of the acclaimed Big Phat ...
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Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Four from Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
April 11, 2010

It's been a while since we've highlighted any big band clips for this weekly feature, and so today let's take a look at some videos of pianist, saxophonist and arranger/composer Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, who are coming to town to play next Saturday, April 17 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center as part of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival.Formed in 2000 and based in Los Angeles, the 17-piece ...
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Recording

Gordon Goodwin: Big Band’S Pied Piper

Source: Boss Sounds
December 1, 2008

As leader of the 18-piece Big Phat Band, Grammy- and three-time Emmy-winning bandleader-composer-arranger-instrumentalist-conductor-instructor Gordon Goodwin is Big Band’s Pied Piper at the wave of a new tradition. With an energy that’s palpable and infectious, he’s connecting with a young audience that’s clamoring for more.

As the New York Times wrote: “An excited throng of students treated these jazz musicians like pop stars, screaming their approval.” Part of that adoration stems from their familiarity with Goodwin’s compositions as a staple of ...
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Recording

Art Tatum is Front Man in New L.A. Big Band Album

Source: All About Jazz
October 4, 2008

Pianist Art Tatum was once described as “the greatest soloist in jazz history, regardless of instrument." He passed away in 1956, the year before stereo recordings. Imagine being able to collaborate with Tatum today, to have him as the front man for your big band in new arrangements and recordings. This was the dream of bandleader Gordon Goodwin, realized with his big band in their new album, “Act Your Age," available September 30. Gordon Goodwin hosting the “Live at The ...
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Performance / Tour

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Cooks at the Bakery

Source: All About Jazz
May 24, 2008

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band at The Jazz Bakery Tuesday May 27th

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, an 18-piece jazz ensemble, celebrates and personifies the best of the big band tradition with a very contemporary and original sound. Through the writing genius of Gordon Goodwin, SRO audiences have enjoyed one of the most craftsman-like hard swinging large jazz ensembles comprised of L.A.'s finest musicians. Gordon's witty and insightful arrangements propel the listener on a journey through a myriad of styles: ...
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Performance / Tour

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band at the Jazz Bakery

Source: All About Jazz
May 12, 2008

Big Phat Band at The Jazz Bakery May 27th

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Music Industry

Be Featured on Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band's Next Record

Source: All About Jazz
March 10, 2007

Grammy winning artist Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band are showing just how much they love their fans by inviting them to perform on their next album by way of a talent search called The Big Phat Jam (www.bigphatjam.com). The talent search, launching March 19, will feature fans competing with other contestants for eight weeks to see who has the best jazz improvisational skills. Additionally, a special vocal category will give fans an opportunity to sing with the band. ...
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“The Big Phat Band provides potent testimony to the sheer exhilaration of big band jazz…a combination of crisp accuracy and fiery soloing.” (Don Heckman, LA Times.)

Big Phat Band Review
Comprised mostly of little-known but highly capable West Coast studio musicians ex-Chuck Mangione guitarist Grant Geissman was the most recognizable name the Big Phat Band delivered Goodwin’s charts with unflagging energy and an appropriately professional polish. Trombonist Andy Martin and tenor saxophonist Brian Scanlon stood out among the soloists; trumpeter Rick Sorenson skillfully supplied the high note work; and drummer Bernie Dresel proved adept at powering the 18-member ensemble through a variety of grooves.

As for Goodwin, his piano playing was mostly setup and punctuation, though he did show off some nice chops during one brief solo on “Swinging For The Fences” (an extended reimagining of “Sweet Georgia Brown”), and even picked up a tenor sax for a swinging chorus on “Count Bubba’s Revenge”.

As a composer/arranger, he seems still in the process of assimilating his various influences, but nevertheless is capable of some inventive and colorful writing - one standout example being the sax section feature that opened “Hunting Wabbits,” a tribute to the Warner Brothers cartoon scores that featured the music of composer Carl Stalling. "High Maintenance" was an effective concert opener, the sort of chart that used to be called a "flag waver," and "El Macho Muchacho" was a piquant cross-border blend of salsa, samba and country guitar licks from Geissman.

Goodwin also did a nice job expanding his slight theme for the film Attack of The Killer Tomatoes into a full-length big band piece, morphing it into an evocative minor-key blues. Less successful was a superfluous cover version of “Play That Funky Music,” which seemed to exist mostly to give alto saxophonist Sal Lozano a chance to show off a frantic pastiche of Dave Sanborn and Maceo Parker licks.

Overall, the Big Phat Band is a slick outfit that puts on an entertaining show, and other jazz groups might even learn a bit from their presentational style. Goodwin is an engaging MC, informal without getting smarmy, and the band’s entrance in particular was a lot of fun: the rhythm section set up a vamp, over which Goodwin introduced the rest of musicians as they ran on stage one by one, almost like announcing the starting lineup at a sporting event.
(St. Louis Jazz Notes.)

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