Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America is pleased to announce that multiple Grammy and Emmy-award winning American pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and conductor Gordon Goodwin will be joining the 1898 Jazz Orchestra as guest bandleader for the 2015 National Convention!
When not scoring for some of the most memorable and remarkable films being made today, Gordon’s latest mainstream project would certainly be as the bandleader of the Big Phat Band.
What do others have to say about Gordon?
“Listening to Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, I was immediately taken by Gordon’s contemporary musical viewpoint, the dynamics of his “Big Phat Band,” its bevy of superb soloists, and the exhilaration of its sound.”
– Quincy Jones
“The Big Phat Band provides potent testimony to the sheer exhilaration of big band jazz…a combination of crisp accuracy and fiery soloing.”
– Los Angeles Times
“Gordon Goodwin has extended the possibilities of all the different kinds of music (all good) that can be played by a big band. The magnificent Big Phat Band and its multi-talented leader, Gordon, stretch the envelope even further.”
– Johnny Mandel
“Trying to describe the towering talents of Gordon Goodwin is one of my most frustrating but little secret pleasures. He is a gifted and creative pianist, an explosive and ‘haul ass’, ‘kick butt,’ sax player, an arranger of absolutely no limit of musical styles and composer of some of the best (and cleverly titled) compositions ever. He is a man of exquisite musical taste. I am truly blessed to have him in my life.”
– Johnny Mathis
“Whenever I hear your music, I get the sudden urge to retire!”
– Sammy Nestico
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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.
Check out Gordon’s GRAMMY Award winning scoring of “Incredits” from the Pixar film The Incredibles.
With his first big band chart being written at the age of 13, it was no surprise to anyone that Gordon Goodwin would go on to great and prolific success in the world of modern jazz. His position at the forefront of the 18-piece Big Phat Band, one of the most innovative and versatile collectives of the past thirty years, speaks reams about his seemingly limitless talents as an instrumentalist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader.
Gordon performing with his Big Phat Band
“Every time we make a record or play a show, we’re trying to tap into that fundamental, universal rhythm of big band music that seems to transcend the generations.”
– Gordon Goodwin on performing jazz
Over the past few decades, Goodwin has composed, arranged and/or conducted for a host of artists, including Ray Charles, Christina Aguilera, Natalie Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme and Quincy Jones. On the big screen, his scoring and orchestration can be heard on dozens of films such as The Majestic, Glory Road, National Treasure, Remember the Titans, Armageddon, Star Trek: Nemesis, The Incredibles, Hot Rod, Get Smart, Snakes on a Plane, Race to Witch Mountain, Coach Carter, Bad Boys II, Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds, the classic cult film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, and Enemy of the State.
The Big Phat Band
Under Gordon’s direction and leadership, the Big Phat Band released Swingin’ for the Fences, the band’s debut recording, in 2000. The album featured guest artist Arturo Sandoval and Eddie Daniels and made history as the first commercially available DVD-Audio title ever released, as well as the first DVD-Audio title to receive two Grammy nominations.
XXL, the Big Phat Band’s followup recording in 2003, featured a series of high-profile guest artists, including Mathis, Michael Brecker, vocalist Brian McKnight and Take 6. The album garnered three GRAMMY nominations and won the Surround Sound Award for Best Made for Surround Sound Title.
The 2008 release of The Phat Pack featured performances by Dianne Reeves, David Sanborn, Eddie Daniels and Take 6. The Phat Band received another GRAMMY nomination and spent 31 weeks on the Billboard jazz charts.
Act Your Age, released in 2008, far outsold every other big band record in its path. Nominated for three GRAMMYs, the album featured a host of guests, including Patti Austin, Chick Corea, Dave Grusin, and Art Tatum.
Goodwin and the Big Phat Band joined the Telarc label for the 2011 release of That’s How We Roll, which included 10 original compositions by Goodwin and a GRAMMY-winning rendition of the Gershwin classic, “Rhapsody in Blue. Special guests on Roll include Gerald Albright, Dave Koz, Marcus Miller, and Take 6.
“The musical philosophy of the Big Phat Band has, from the beginning, pushed back at these kinds of limits. This is a band made up of a group of musicians with diverse interests, and wide skill sets, and we have always strove to break down barriers between musical styles.”
Goodwin’s latest opus with The Big Phat Band is Life in the Bubble, released in May 2014. Often rollicking and upbeat, yet occasionally reserved and contemplative, Life in the Bubble explores the sense of isolation that has emerged in the digital age of immediate access to unlimited amounts information.
