GORDON GOODWIN BIG PHAT BAND

GORDON GOODWIN BIG PHAT BAND 

Rhapsody in Blue

AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson  [-]

Upon seeing the title That's How We Roll, people who don't know anything about the history of pianist/tenor saxophonist Gordon Goodwin and his Big Phat Band might assume that this is a hip-hop recording. "That's how we roll" is a popular expression in hip-hop circles (at least as of 2011), but like a lot of the bebop and hipster slang of the '40s and '50s, hip-hop slang often reaches people who aren't necessarily part of hip-hop's core audience, and that includes a jazz instrumentalist like Goodwin, who is jazz-oriented on this 67-minute CD but doesn't conduct himself like a jazz purist from start to finish. Goodwin has his traditional big-band influences (Count Basie, Buddy Rich), but it's obvious that he also has a taste for soul and funk; in fact, some of the horn arrangements on That's How We Roll successfully find the link between Basie's funkiness and the funkiness of '70s funk/soul bands such as Parliament/Funkadelic, Tower of Power and Earth, Wind & Fire. That's How We Roll has its share of tracks that could easily be described as big-band soul-jazz, including "Rippin' n Runnin'," "Howdiz Songo?," and the title tune. But "Race to the Bridge" and "Gaining on You" have boppish melodies, and Goodwin's hard-swinging arrangement of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" (which is the only song on this 2011 release he didn't compose) is quite Basie-minded. Meanwhile, the least jazz-friendly track is "Never Enough," which features Take 6 and is the only vocal offering on a predominantly instrumental CD; "Never Enough" is the only time the album ventures into outright funk (as opposed to jazz-funk or soul-jazz). That's How We Roll is not an album that was recorded with jazz purists in mind, and at the same time, there is way too much improvisation for the smooth jazz crowd. But this is an enjoyable outing if one is seriously into big-band jazz and also has a strong appreciation of soul and funk.

Rick Shaw

Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric)

Marcus Miller

Bass (Electric), Featured Artist

Jay Mason

Clarinet (Bass), Sax (Baritone)

Sal Lozano

Clarinet, Featured Artist, Flute, Flute (Alto), Piccolo, Sax (Alto)

Jeff Driskill

Clarinet, Featured Artist, Flute, Sax (Tenor)

Brian Scanlon

Clarinet, Featured Artist, Flute, Sax (Tenor)

Gordon Goodwin

Composer, Executive Producer, Featured Artist, Hammond B3, Liner Notes, Piano, Producer, Sax (Tenor)

Bernie Dresel

Drums

Eric Marienthal

Featured Artist, Flute, Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)

Andrew Synowiec

Featured Artist, Guitar

Gerald Albright

Featured Artist, Sax (Alto)

Dave Koz

Featured Artist, Sax (Alto)

Andy Martin

Featured Artist, Trombone

Charlie Morillas

Featured Artist, Trombone

Francisco Torres

Featured Artist, Trombone

Craig Ware

Featured Artist, Trombone

Wayne Bergeron

Brad Dutz

Percussion

Dan Savant

Producer, Trumpet

Kevin Garren

Sax (Alto)

Craig Gosnell

Trombone

Daniel Fornero

Trumpet

Willie Murillo

Trumpet

Bob Summers

Trumpet