Swingin' For The Fences Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band

• 1Sing Sang Sung05:35
• 2Count Bubba07:33
• 3Samba Del Gringo06:59
• 4Bach 2 Part Invention in D Minor07:50
• 5I Remember05:49
• 6Swingin' For The Fences05:08
• 7Mueva Los Huesos (Shake Your Body)04:52
• 8Second Chances05:04
• 9There's The Rub05:46
• 10A Few Good Men05:33
• Total Runtime01:00:09

Info for Swingin' For The Fences

Swingin' for the Fences is the debut album by Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, an 18-piece big band led by Gordon Goodwin. Featuring guest artists Eddie Daniels, Brandon Fields, Grant Geissman, Eric Marienthal, Arturo Sandoval and Carl Verheyen.

The Grammy nominated Big Phat Band (nominated in the categories of Best Instrumental Composition for "Sing, Sang, Sung" and Best Instrumental Arrangement for "Bach 2 Part Invention In D Minor") is Big Band music that steps into the future.

Gordon Goodwin calls upon an all-star lineup of L.A. session players to exercise their musical muscles on a wide variety of styles and genres while remaining true to the legacy of the great big bands. Make no mistake about it, this is big band music by musicians that love big bands!

"...an expansively produced jazz album." (Don Heckman, L.A. Times)

"A superb band playing intricate and endlessly appealing music." (John Killoch, Mainly Big Bands)

"Goodwin and his Big Phat murderers row have won the pennant and the Series with this album." (Jack Bowers, All About Jazz)

"Gordon Goodwin has captured the big band sound and made it alive and heard as never before in a modern contemporary manner." (Digital Audio Guide)

"Saxophonist Gordon Goodwin (heard on this album on alto and soprano) has loved big bands since he was a child. He arranged all of the music for his 18-piece big band's release, contributing nine of the ten compositions (all but Bach's "Two Part Invention in D Minor") and getting several notable guest soloists to make appearances. The music is mostly modern mainstream, swinging while utilizing some advanced harmonies. There are a few departures including "Sing Sang Sung" (a number based a bit on "Sing Sing Sing"), the Bach selection, a couple Latin jazz pieces, and the funky "There's the Rub" and "A Few Good Men." Among the main soloists from the orchestra are Goodwin, trombonist Andy Martin, pianist Tom Ranier, and tenorman Dan Higgins. The guests (on two songs apiece) are trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, clarinetist Eddie Daniels, and altoists Eric Marienthal and Brandon Fields. Fans of contemporary big bands will find much to enjoy on this fun set." (Scott Yanow, AMG)

Gordon Goodwin is obsessed. As a three time Emmy Award winner and a double Grammy nominee, you would think that Goodwin had fulfilled his dreams and achieved all of his goals. But, that isn't the case - not by a long shot.

You see, Gordon Goodwin can't stop writing music. It's his passion, his siren, and, yes, his obsession. Enjoying a rich and varied career as a composer, arranger, conductor and musician, he has done it all in a never-ending pursuit of his muse.

Most recently, this search led him to release "Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band ‘Swingin' For the Fences'" and has garnered him two Grammy nominations as a result.

Goodwin is especially proud of this new record because he got to work with his 18-piece ensemble, The Big Phat Band, and was able to collaborate with some of the leading jazz musicians on today's scene, including Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Daniels, Eric Marienthal, Brandon Fields, Dan Higgins and Carl Verheyen. With the production team of Goodwin, Jon Baker and Dan Savant, they explore a wide range of styles from jazz and salsa to funk and blues. "I never wanted to be boxed into one genre or style" he proclaims, "and always liked different kinds of music from R&B to classical."

Indeed, for as long as he can remember, Goodwin has heard an array of musical arrangements in his head. Not just snippets or melody lines, mind you, but whole compositions from beginning to end. This almost preternatural talent brought him into the world of music and to the attention of music supervisors and producers.

Over the years, Goodwin has scored countless television programs, jingles and films. He also composed and arranged scores for theme parks including Disney World, Epcot Center and Universal Studios, as well as personally conducting metropolitan orchestras. He has written for, recorded and performed with superstars and icons including Christina Aguilera, Quincy Jones, Mel Torme and David Foster, to name a few.

Looking at Goodwin's musical resume one wonders if he ever sleeps. Pages of accomplishments and accolades leads to the inescapable conclusion that Gordon Goodwin is either a classic overachiever or a phenomenal genius. Ask him about it, though, and you'll get an entirely different perspective. "It surprises me," he reveals, " because I don't feel any different than when I started out." According to him, the reason is simple. "Music is the point of it all. There's always another tune to write, or a gig to play. And, honestly, I get off on the process of doing it more than the accolades."

So, what's next for this gifted maestro? He reflects, "My ultimate vision is to make big band music so accessible that even a non-jazz person can be moved by the energy and be able to get into it." If Goodwin's past experience is any indication, he'll probably be able to do more than that. In fact, it could be much more. Gordon Goodwin may, single-handedly, bring big band music back into the mainstream.

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band

Gordon Goodwin
“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.” —Don Heckman, 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

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.

A keyboardist and woodwind player, Goodwin has built a larger-than-life reputation throughout the music industry for his composing, arranging and playing skills. Ray Charles, Christina Aguilera, Johnny Mathis, Toni Braxton, John Williams, Natalie Cole, David Foster, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, Brian McKnight and Quincy Jones are just a few of the artists with whom he has worked. Goodwin has also conducted world-renowned symphony orchestras in Atlanta, Dallas, Utah, Seattle, Toronto and London.

Goodwin’s cinematic scoring and orchestration craft can be heard on such films as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Escape to Witch Mountain, Get Smart, Glory Road, National Treasure, The Incredibles, Remember The Titans, Armageddon, The Majestic, Con Air, Gone In 60 Seconds, Enemy of the State, Star Trek Nemesis and even the classic cult film Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes. Goodwin’s soundtrack to Looney Tunes’ Bah HumDuck! – a wacky Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck riff on the classic A Christmas Carol – also features the Big Phat Band’s patented sound.

Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band joins Telarc International, a division of Concord Music Group, with the April 12, 2011 release of That’s How We Roll. The band’s first CD in over two and a half years features 10 new Goodwin originals and the Gershwin classic “Rhapsody in Blue.” Special guests include Gerald Albright, Dave Koz, Marcus Miller and Take 6.

Big Phat Band
I assembled what would become the Big Phat Band in mid 1999 with the intention of recording a record and nothing more. I wanted to document the music I was writing for the big band genre, but no way did I want to hassle with doing live gigs and all the logistical problems and phone calls and…no way. But around the time of the release we got a call to play a concert at my alma mater Cal State University Northridge. I remember some of the guys had doubts we could even get through a whole concert of the charts I had written. But we did, and not only did the audience love it, we had a blast. For a bunch of session musicians, playing for a live audience again was intoxicating. It reminded me of why I started playing music in the first place, because the life of a session musician can get to be fairly isolated. You rehearse the cue, record the cue and move on to the next, and you don’t hear it again until the film comes out months later. But here you had a live audience, reacting in real time! Not only reacting but interacting with the musicians! So, with that fun experience resonating in my mind, I started to dip my toe into the water and attempt to get some gigs for the band. Which was easier said than done. But little by little we built the organization and the band slowly started to congeal and get a sound of its own, a sound based on the talents of these fine musicians and whatever assets I could bring to my charts.

It started to become apparent to me that not just anybody could be in this band. Of course you needed to have top level musicianship, that went without saying. But I started to see that you also needed a certain personality to stick in the BPB. You needed guys that were willing to subdue their egos for the good of the band. You needed to be willing to dedicate yourself to the ensemble, to have pride and ownership in being a part of a tight-nit group. And you also needed to love the genre enough to lose money once in a while to play it! Hopefully not too often, but let’s be honest, marketing this kind of music is a bit of an uphill climb nowadays. While a few very fine players fell out of the band as we were getting started, our personnel has basically been pretty stable over the past decade. And I’ve found that even when a change is made, the band benefits and things get a little fresher again.

The guys listed below are, to a man, absolute virtuosos. They can sight read almost anything, which is a good thing since we rarely get to rehearse. They are masters of any style of music, from swing to pop to classical. And they are all complete knuckleheads, with quick minds and lively senses of humor. And finally, and this is most important to me – they have an optimistic view on life and are mindful of what a gift it is to play music. It is this last that permeates everything we play and we try never to take it for granted.

This album contains no booklet.