Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band

It's that time of the year again boys and girls! That's right - Jazz Camp is back!!! Watch the video below for more information...

Gordon Goodwin's Summer Jazz Camp Promo
..There is nothing like a big band in full roar. As a force of power and precision, these unique musical entities have been a vehicle of modern jazz expression for nearly a century. Today Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band carries the big band tradition into the new millennium. One of the most exciting large jazz ensembles on the planet, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band creates a contemporary, highly original sound that features Gordon’s witty, intricate and swinging compositions in a veritable grab bag of styles: swing, latin, blues, classical, rock…even an homage to Looney Tunes. They are all captured on three critically-acclaimed and Grammy-nominated CDs…and soon to be a fourth.Gordon’s uncanny ability to combine jazz excellence with any musical style is one reason his writing appeals to everyone from beboppers to headbangers. Since childhood a steady, persistent audio diet of the giants of jazz, pop, rock and funk nourished Gordo’s musical soul…and fed the well. The music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Earth, Wind and Fire, and Tower of Power--among many others—has made Gordo into a writer and musician with a bold, unique vision and hard-swinging style.The Big Phat Band is populated by the best L.A. musicians, several of whom have distinguished themselves as recording artists and soloists in the jazz field. The Big Phat Band is populated by the best L.A. musicians, several of whom have distinguished themselves as recording artists and soloists in the jazz field. On recordings and on frequent live gigs the band features Eric Marienthal, Wayne Bergeron (also a Grammy nominee), Andy Martin, Bob Summers, and Bernie Dresel among other notables.Gordon is especially proud of the Big Phat Band’s popularity among high school musicians. The band’s residence at California State University at Northridge’s annual jazz summer camp drew over 150 rabid young jazz players last year; this year’s camp promises to be even bigger.Here are some of the band’s most recent accomplishments: • “XXL” released on DVD-Audio and compact disc on September 23, 2003, charting its first week and received three Grammy nominations.
• The Big Phat Band's debut album "Swingin' For The Fences" was the first commercially available DVD audio title ever released.
• "Swingin' For The Fences" was the first DVD audio title to receive Grammy nominations—and got two!
• Gordon Goodwin is a three-time Emmy Award winner an eight-time Grammy nominee, and recent winner of a 48th annual Grammy award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for his arrangement of “The Incredits” from Pixar’s “The Incredibles.”
• Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band made their Hollywood Bowl debut in June 2005 as headliners in the Playboy Jazz Festival.
• The band is international! Besides wowing critics and fans in their recent week-long appearance at the famed Blue Note jazz club in Tokyo, the Big Phat Band played gigs in Canada and Hong Kong.
• “The Phat Pack” got one Grammy nomination and spent 31 weeks on the Billboard jazz charts.
• The Big Phat Band made its debut appearance on national TV on NBC's "The Other Half," hosted by Dick Clark.
• “Swingin' For The Fences" secured a prestigious spot on Air Force One's onboard entertainment system.
• The Big Phat Band has garnered excellent critical reviews and praise for its many appearances nationally and in the Los Angeles area.
• Members of the Big Phat Band have performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including Madonna, Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Quincy Jones, Diana Krall, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, Paul McCartney, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera, Diana Ross, Supertramp, Patti Austin, Brian Setzer, Paul Anka, and can be heard on many Motion Picture soundtracks including “The Incredibles,” “Get Smart,” “National Treasure: Book Of Secrets,” “Coach Carter,” “Sideways,” "The Majestic," "Analyze This," "Remember The Titans," "Gone in Sixty Seconds,” "Armageddon," "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective," "Enemy of the State" and many more.Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat band’s new record is scheduled for a spring 2008 release on Immergent Records. Produced by acclaimed guitarist Lee Ritenour, it features a host of terrific special guests including Patti Austin, Chick Corea, Dave Grusin and Lee himself…plus a few exciting surprises!Click here to add us to your iLike profile!

BIG PHAT JAM
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Big Phat Jam. The response to this contest exceeded our expectations, and we hope you guys enjoyed the process of recording your own solos, and checking out all the other submissions from throughout the country. For me, it was fun to check out all the talent out there, and it’s great to know I have some future Phat Band members out there after I fire those bums currently in the band. (Kidding. Or was I?)Wayne Bergeron, Eric Marienthal, Sal Lozano, Grant Geissman and I have carefully scrutinized the finalists in each category. I have to tell you, these decisions were hard! The talented musicians and singers we have selected will be featured in a special section of our upcoming DVD. Congratulations to the winners and thanks again to all of you for participating and for helping to advance the art of big band jazz.So now, here are the winners of the 1st BIG PHAT JAM!
Gordon GoodwinTrumpet
Adam Rapa
Adam Rapa is a dynamic performer, composer and educator who has become widely known for the excitement, energy and enthusiasm he brings to stages and classrooms around the world.Rapa was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He began studying the trumpet at eleven years old, playing professionally at age thirteen and was playing lead trumpet in many of the big bands at Berklee College of Music by sixteen. By the age of eighteen, he had appeared in many jazz festivals around the country and had played at every major jazz club in Boston and many in New York, including the Blue Note.Adam is grateful to have shared the stage and/or recorded with Grammy Award winners Nicholas Payton & Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, Cyrus Chestnut, Kevin Mahogany, Jason Moran, the New Life Jazz Orchestra and many other great artists over the years.In both Japan and the United States, his first solo album, “Life on the Road” has received critical acclaim as well, for its vast musical diversity, virtuosity and soul. Adam looks forward to a long career of producing innovative and inspiring musical experiences and contributing to the greater good through the medium of art.Saxophone
Brandon Wright
A saxophonist and composer from Woodcliff Lake, NJ, Brandon Wright found ambition early in his development. Exploring every opportunity to further his artistic growth, Brandon attended “Jazz For Teens”, a workshop directed by renowned bassist Rufus Reid, and has since been diligently pursuing a career in music. Wright went on to attend the University of Michigan and the University of Miami, earning four Downbeat Student Music Awards including Best College Jazz Group, Outstanding Jazz Soloist, and Outstanding Blues/Rock/Pop Soloist. He also won the 2004 North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Competition and was selected for the 2005 Henry Mancini Institute. Since his Miami days, Brandon has toured Japan with the Gregg Field Orchestra (Fujitsu-Concord Jazz Festival 2005), played with the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra as well as the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, and the John Fedchock New York Big Band. This past winter, Brandon went on tour with famed Tonight Show bandleader, Doc Severinsen. When not working as a sideman, Brandon leads his own quartet around the New York City area. The band has already made appearances at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York City.In the short time Brandon has been a professional musician, the 25 year-old saxophonist has shared the stage with such artists as Joe Lovano, Walt Weiskopf, Clark Terry, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Patti Austin, Monica Mancini, Bobby Shew, Alan Pasqua, Duffy Jackson, Gregg Field, Jim McNeely, Brian Lynch, Ronnie Cuber, Dave Kikoski, Ryan Kisor, Lew Soloff, Greg Gisbert, Bob Sheppard, Shelly Berg, John Clayton, Ira Sullivan, Ingrid Jensen, John Hollenbeck, Claudio Roditti, Ray Barretto, Maria Schneider, Christian McBride, Fred Wesley, Bobby McFerrin, Kevin Mahogany, Vanessa Rubin, Peter Erskine, Danny Gottlieb, Dave Grusin, Tom Scott, Quincy Jones and Tony Bennett. The future remains bright for this talented and versatile musician. Please visit his personal website, www.wrightjazz.comPiano
Matt Weisberg
Despite being a very recent addition to the Los Angeles area, Matt Weisberg is already a prominent figure in the widely varied music scene. At just 24 years of age, Weisberg is making a name for himself as an in-demand jazz pianist, composer, educator, multi-instrumentalist session musician, and producer.In addition to playing keyboards for Latin pop star, Estefano, Matt has shared the stage with several notable musicians, and the list grows every day. Ira Sullivan, Brian Lynch, Bill Watrous, Eric Marienthal, Sal Lozano, Pete Christlieb, Ramon Banda, Nolan Shaheed, John Heard, and Roy Mccurdy, just to name a few.At age 4, Weisberg started his musical journey. Matt studied classical and pop songs on the piano until his teen years, when he added guitar to his musical arsenal. Matt was influenced by the usual rock/blues guitar gods like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, but was also drawn to the technical mastery of some of the more esoteric "shred" players, such as Yngwie Malmsteen and Shawn Lane.Matt was convinced that playing rock guitar was going to be his life's work until his first exposure to jazz at a Berklee College of Music summer camp. Weisberg was enticed by the sounds of Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, and Oscar Peterson, and decided to further pursue it in a university setting. Within eight months he was a competent jazz pianist and received a scholarship to study at the acclaimed University of Miami's school of music. In Miami, Matt had the opportunity to hone his skills with some of the best educators in the world. After his stint in South Florida, Matt made the move to the West Coast in late '05. He teaches and produces music out of his home studio, which includes a Yamaha C1 grand piano.Vocals
Angie Ortega
“Angie O” aka Angie Ortega is a senior at the University of Kentucky as a saxophone performance major under the tutelage of Miles and Lisa Osland. She started singing publicly during her senior year of high school in the Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage, an ensemble made up of some of the best young musicians in the Chicago-land area. She has performed as a vocalist and saxophonist in numerous ensembles in and outside of school while attending UK. While performing at the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival she received an Outstanding Combo award in ’05 for playing in the UK Mega-Sax Quartet and an Outstanding Soloist award this past February ('07) for singing with the UK Jazz Ensemble. Angie performs regularly with the DiMartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra, the Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra, the Bluegrass Area Jazz Amabasadors and the Miles Osland Little Big Band. Recordings featuring Angie singing with DOJO and KJRO are to be released in the Spring of ’08 on the Sea Breeze Jazz label. Angie’s immediate goal is to finish school and then she plans to pursue music as her career.Vocally, some of Angie’s influences have been Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Anita O’ Day, Kurt Elling and her mother, Sandi Haynes. As a saxophonist she has been influenced by Paul Desmond, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Parker, Maceo Parker, Doug Drewek and Miles Osland.Download The Phat PackOrder The Phat Pack HERECheck out the Time and Wall Street Journal articles about Gordon Goodwin and The Big Phat Band
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Time.com
PDFBig Phat Trailer

Gordon Goodwins 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. Gordons witty and insightful arrangements propel the listener on a journey through a myriad of styles: latin, blues, swing, classical, hard-hitting jazz, and even an homage to Looney Tunes. With two Grammy nominated albums out and The Phat Pack to be released June of 2006.The Phat Pack

TRACK LISTING: 1. Cut n Run
2. Too Close For Comfort (featuring Dianne Reeves)
3. Count Bubbas Revenge
4. Play That Funky Music White Boy (featuring David Sanborn)
5. The Phat Pack
6. Hunting Wabbits 2 A Bad Hare Day
7. La Almeja Pequena (The Little Clam)
8. Get In Line
9. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
10. Under the Wire (featuring Eddie Daniels)
11. Whodunnit?
12. It Was a Very Good Year (featuring Take 6)
13. Ever Braver, Ever Stronger (An American Elegy)
Visit BigPhatBandOnline for more audio samplesCD SIDE:
- Complete album in stereo
DVD SIDE:
- Complete album in 5.1 surround sound
- New concert videos and recording session videos
- Big Phat Band Photo Gallery
- Big Phat Solo Transcriptions
- Bios of each member of the Big Phat Band
- The Big Phat Band Trivia Game featuring a special BONUS audio track
- Make your own mix of a Big Phat Band track
- Audio Commentary Gordon Goodwin discusses each track on The Phat Pack
- Bonus Big Phat Band interviews available with purchases via DVD Launcher
- Video Liner Notes
- Portable music files and bonus ROM content
The Big Phat Band plays at the Playboy Jazz Festival

Download The Phat Pack ..