Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band's first release, Swingin' for the Fences, is a kicking big band album with lots of great licks, and plenty of great soloists. The band personel is as follows
Woodwinds
Dan Higgins
Sal Lozano
Gordon Goodwin
Bill Liston
Greg Huckins
Trumpets
Gary Grant (2,6,7,10)
Jerry Hey (2,6,7,10)
Wayne Bergeron
Larry Hall
Dan Savant
Dennis Farias (1,3,4,5,8)
Trombones
Andy Martin
Steve Holtman
Alex Iles
Bill Richenbach (2,6,7,10)
Craig Ware (1,3,4,5,8)
Piano
Jim Cox (1,3,4,8)
Tom Rainier (2,6)
Gordon Goodwin (5,7,9,10)
Guitar
Grant Geissman (1,2,4,6,8)
James Harrah (3,5,7,9,10)
Bass
Dave Stone-Acoustic (1,2,4,6)
John Pena-Electric (3,5,7,8,9,10)
Drums
Gregg Bissonette (2,6,7,9,10)
Bernie Dresel (1,3,4,5,8)
Percussion
Luis Conte
Bernie Dresel (1,4)
Guest Soloists
Arturo Sandoval-Trumpet (1,7)
Eddie Daniels-Clarinet (1,4)
Eric Marienthal-Soprano Sax (6,7)
Brandon Fields-Soprano Sax (3,9)
Carl Verheyen-Guitar (10)
This CD has a very punchy in your face feel. The band itself is extremely tight (for those without a strong jazz background, the rhythms and figures are played exactly together between members and sections.) The band also has the ability to play within all the styles very well.
Pros
-Very strong track list
-Great instrumentalists
-Amazing solos
-Each song is well written
Cons
-Maybe a little hard for a first time jazzer because of the length of solos
-Some tracks may be too long for a casual listener
-The album ends without feeling like its over.
-Lack of ballads
The Individual Tracks
Sing Sang Sung-Soloists Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Daniels
The tribute/parody of the Benny Goodman classic. This track starts with a kicking drum fill brining in the trombones, then trumpets, following this, the saxes introduce the main theme of the song. After this, the band builds into the first solo by Eddie Daniels. His solo is amazing and will be an indicator of the solos you will hear throughout the album. Arturo comes in right after Eddie and plays a solo full of sweet licks and effects. Listen for the effects he can get out of his trumpet. A great drum fill after the solos leades us to the bridge section. The trumpets then start the new melody and move it up. Arturo and Eddie help finish off this kicking track
5/5
Count Bubba-Soloists Dan Higgins, Gordon Goodwin (Tenor Sax)
The saxes begin the melody then pass it up to the trumpets to start this laid back shuffle. The melody then shifts back to the saxes and the brass adds in little hits here and there this is followed by the build the soli section. First the saxes have a great soli (all solis in stop time). Followed by a bouncing trombone soli, which then grows into to the trumpet feature. When it seems like the solis are over the whole band comes in unison and plays some licks (minus the rythym). The rythym section comes in and this leads to another section of well crafted solos. Dan Higgins plays a remarkable alto solo, which sounds as if it is one long lick. Gordon Goodwin then begins a tenor solo, which is based loosely off of what Higgins just played. The band then builds into a second sax soli (this time with rythym) and eventually into quite possibly one of the best moments of the album, the shout chorus. After this the song comes to an end with Wayne Bergeron playing a double C on trumpet to end it all. Another great chart.
5/5
Samba Del Gringo-Soloists Brandon Fields, Andy Martin, Gordon Goodwin (Tenor)
The introduction blends right into the songs main melody. The melody is played a few times, trading between sections, before we finally reach the solo section. The solo section features a soloist over the introduction then goes on to open soloing. Fields plays an amazing solo, but more amazing is Martin's trombone solo. He plays the trombone so cleanly and with such style that it is simply amazing. After solos the song moves into a percussion feature, then a vamp by the rythym section (a vamp is a simple set of licks over chords). Until it builds back into the melody again. Goodwin has another great solo on tenor which ends the song. The remarkable solos on this chart help it along, however when compared to the other latin offereing on the album (Mueva....) it is much less entertaining, however the solos help make up for that small flaw.
4.5/5
Bach 2 Part Invention in D minor-Soloists Jim Cox, Eddie Daniels
This song is hard to explain. A 2 Part Invention is a song for piano in which each hand plays a seperate melody, so at almost all times through this piece there will be 2 melodies to listen for. Quite possibly in terms of composition, the best song on the album it starts with a bass solo then the statement of the melody by the flutes. It eventually flows through the whole band until the build up to the sax soli. The solos begin with Jim Cox's piano solo. He plays a very nice and fitting solo over the the song. The backgrounds in this song are much more involved so take time to listen to them. Eddie Daniels plays another clarinet solo. In comparison to his earlier work on Sing Sang Sung, this solo seems a bit forced early on, feeling almost completely out of time. This feel shows itself again a few more times until the background joins him. The whole band comes back in and there is much more of the 2 part melody moving throughout the band. This all eventually leads to a drum solo. After the drum solo the band builds into a shout chourus and eventually returns to the original style and melody ending with a bass solo. Quite possibly the best chart on the album, the song deserves a 5 but recieves a 4.5 because of the begininning of Daniels' solo.
4.5/5
I Remember-Soloists Gordon Goodwin (Piano), Dan Higgins
Not much to say about this song. It is a nice mellow bossa nova. Though it doesnt take the place of a conventional ballad it is very soft and easy listening. The soloists add the excitement and offer up some of the most enjoyable solos on the album. However the rest of the chart features the flutes playing in melodies and solis giving it a very mellow feel. It grows on you, eventually becoming a favorite on the album.
5/5
Swingin' for the Fences-Soloists Tom Ranier, Andy Martin, Eric Marienthal
Opening with a little bit of Tom Ranier's impressive piano skill this song blends into a bouncing melody. Though it doesn't feature a main riff it is full of great licks. The solo section comes on fast starting with Andy Martin. His solo is entertaining however he sounds a lot like he did on Samba Del Gringo using his impressive ability to play a clean trombone solo without offering much new. Eric Marienthal plays a bluesy solo full of great licks and styling. He uses a lot of bends and other techniques to achieve his bluesy sound. Tom Ranier finishes off the solos with another amazing piano solo. This leads back into another unison melody by the band. This leads to a trade between the band and the drums which is very entertaining. If only Martin brought something new to his solo it would be perfect.
4.5/5
Mueva Los Huesos (Shake Your Bones) Soloists-Arturo Sandoval, Eric Marienthal
This is the latin song that you will remember from the album. It has a very catching melody and riff. And the two soloists play amazing solos. Eric plasys a solo that sounds perfectly suited to the piece. He uses his style of bends and vibratos to make an interesting and entertaining solo. Arturo plays a great solo over the style of music he is known for. He uses several of the same techniques from Sing Sang Sung to produce a great solo, and also brings some high notes to make it all fit. The band joins in with the rythm vamp which leads to a band/percussion trade. This is followed by Arturo leading the band back into the main riff, even playing at times with the saxes. The song ends with Arturo playing amazing riffs over the top.
5/5
Second Chances-Soloist Gordon Goodwin (Soprano)
The only ballad on the album. This is a solo ballad for soprano sax which is played masterfully by Goodwin. The band and rythym section add the subtle hits and touches as well as echo the soloist to make the song more effective. The song is full of several great licks by Goodwin during his improvisation. It builds into a shout chorus like section during his longest improv break and then mellows back down from there. The song features a very well played and well written sax soli merging into a trumpet soli. A masterfully written and played ballad by the whole band.
5/5
There's the Rub-Soloists Brandon Fields, Gordon Goodwin (Piano)
The funky jam is one of the most entertaining song on the album. It features a catchy riff and great style. However entertainment and quality don't always see eye to eye. Truth is while it is entertaining the song is nothing more than a solo chart. The riffs all sound the same, and the solos are really the most dynamic part of the song. It may sound cool, but it can become boring after the first few minutes of the band playing the same riffs (which they play extremely well. The solos are worth hearing though
4/5
A Few Good Men-Soloists Carl Verheyen, Gordon Goodwin (Tenor)
This final track is a bluesy rock chart. And unlike There's the Rub, the band plays some very nice riffs throughout the whole song. The highlight of the song is Verheyen and his bluesy and all out amazing guitar solo. The drums are played very well and help the song get its rock feel. As for Goodwin, he again plays a dazzling solo. This time on tenor, the solo is very bluesy and sounds great with the song. The band plays some nice unison riffs after the solos end. The only downside is that this song feels like it should be leading to another track on the album, which sadly doesn't exist.
4.5/5
This is a great jazz album. Also look for Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band-XXL they second studio album. I will review it once I get it and have listened to it enough to be confident in my review.
Overall 4.5/5
