Jazz
Gordon Goodwin - Executive Producer, Horn, Liner Notes, Piano, Producer, Soloist, Woodwind
Alexander Iles - Trombone
Andy Martin - Soloist, Trombone
Arturo Sandoval - Soloist
Bernie Dresel - Drums, Percussion
Bill Liston - Woodwind
Bill Ricenbach - Trombone
Brandon Fields - Soloist
Carl Verheyen - Guitar, Soloist
Craig Ware - Trombone
Dan Higgins - Soloist, Woodwind
Dan Savant - Producer, Trumpet
Dave Stone - Bass (Acoustic)
Dennis Farias - Trumpet
Eddie Daniels - Soloist
Eric Marienthal - Horn, Soloist
Gary Grant - Trumpet
Grant Geissman - Guitar
Greg Huckins - Woodwind
Gregg Bissonette - Drums
James Harrah - Guitar
Jannelle Guillot - Voices
Jerry Hey - Trumpet
Jim Cox - Piano
John Pena - Bass (Electric)
Larry Hall - Horn, Trumpet
Luis Conte - Percussion
Sal Lozano - Horn, Woodwind
Stephen Holtman - Horn, Trombone
Steve Hoffman - Horn
Tom Ranier - Piano, Soloist
Wayne Bergeron - Horn, Trumpet
* A.J. Lara - Assistant, Photography, Production Assistant
* Anna Rambo - Direction, Executive Producer
* Barry Goldberg - Engineer
* Chuck Ybarra - Graphic Design
* Claus Trelby - Engineer, Mixing, Technical Supervisor
* Dann Thompson - Engineer
* Gary Lux - Mastering, Mixing
* Jeff Nicholson - Photography
* Jeri Latka - Photography
* John Trickett - Executive Producer
* Jon Baker - Engineer, Producer
* Julie Baxter - Assistant, Production Assistant
* Ken Caillat - Executive Producer
* Leo Rossi - Executive Producer
* Marty Christensen - Engineer
* Melinda Pepler - Production Coordination
* Tim Stroh - Engineer
* Tommy Vicari - Engineer, Mixing
* Victor Hall - Art Direction, Design, Layout Design
* Victor McCoy - Engineer
After World War II, big bands became the exception instead of the rule in jazz. The main factor has been economics -- paying 18 or 20 musicians is a challenge. Many artists would like to record big band projects, but they don't have the budget for it. Composer/arranger/pianist Gordon Goodwin, however, did fulfill that ambition in 2000, when he assembled the Big Phat Band and recorded Swingin' for the Fences. The list of players is nothing to be ashamed of; among the soloists are trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, clarinetist Eddie Daniels, and alto saxman Eric Marienthal. Despite having such talent on board, nothing remarkable occurs. Nonetheless, the material is generally competent. Bop is prominent on this CD, and Goodwin's Big Phat Band also gets into Afro-Cuban jazz ("Mueva los Huesos"), Brazilian jazz ("Samba del Gringo"), and jazz-funk ("There's the Rub"). Meanwhile, the opener, "Sing Sang Sung," is a swing ditty that is obviously based on Louie Prima's "Sing Sing Sing," which was a major hit for Benny Goodman in the 1930s. Will Swingin' for the Fences go down in history as a big-band classic? No, but it's an adequate effort that has its moments.
---Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Gordon Goodwin
Active Decades: '80s, '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Big Band, Christmas, Swing, Soundtracks, Holiday
Saxophonist, keyboardist, and bandleader Gordon Goodwin appeared on albums by Louie Bellson and Gil Scott-Heron in the late '70s prior to the release of his debut solo album, Close to the Edge, on Nova in 1983. He continued to work primarily as a sideman, as well as increasingly as an arranger and orchestrator during the rest of the '80s, the '90s, and the early 2000s, with appearances on albums by the Tom Kubis Big Band, Grant Geissman, Perri, Miles Osland, Michael Crawford, Mark MancinaTrevor Rabin, Dennis Bono, Simone, and Dan SavantMike Watts, also serving as conductor on such soundtrack albums as Armageddon, Enemy of the State, and Gone in 60 Seconds. In 2000, he organized Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, an 18-piece big band, to record Swingin' for the Fences, released by Immergent Records. His primary income may have come from his arrangements, orchestrations, conducting, and occasional playing on soundtracks (including The Majestic, The One, and Spy Kids 2), but his heart was with his Big Phat Band, which followed up Swingin' for the Fences on September 23, 2003, with XXL, an eclectic effort bringing in rock and pop influences as well as humor and featuring as guest stars Take 6 and Johnny Mathis.
Goodwin won a Grammy Award for his instrumental arrangement of the track "Incredits" on the soundtrack of the 2004 film The Incredibles; the same year, he served as an orchestrator on the film National Treasure. The third album by the Big Phat Band, The Phat Pack, was released on June 13, 2006. Guests included Dianne Reeves and David Sanborn, and the album reached the Billboard jazz chart, selling more than 15,000 copies in its first two years of release, a substantial amount for a big-band jazz record. Later in the year, Goodwin combined his two major musical activities when the Big Phat Band performed the musical score for the animated holiday film Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas, also released on a soundtrack album. In 2007, Goodwin wrote the music for Dogs, the Musical and conducted the score for the film Snakes on a Plane. He also served as orchestrator and conductor on the 2008 film Get Smart. The fourth Big Phat Band album, Act Your Age, appeared on September 1, 2008, featuring guest stars including Chick Corea, Dave Grusin, Patti Austin, Nathan East, and Lee Ritenour (who produced the disc).
---William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide |
