GORDON GOODWIN

GORDON GOODWIN

Mozart's 40th Symphony in Gm

AllMusic Review by Ken Dryden

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band is a modern big band which successfully blends elements of jazz and rock. Goodwin, who serves as keyboardist, composer, arranger and conductor, has created music that proves to be consistently catchy to the listener and challenging to his musicians. The leader obviously loves a good laugh. The playful staccato brass and reeds are the centerpiece of "Hunting Wabbits" before it transforms into a brisk bluesy vehicle. "Horn of Plenty," his tribute to the late Latin jazz great Tito Puente, features trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, and "The Jazz Police" is a rockish but amusing slap at closed-minded critics and radio hosts. He also makes good use of special guests. The vocal group Take 6 is featured on swinging charts of the standards "Comes Love" and "It's All Right With Me." Clarinetist Eddie Daniels is showcased in the snappy "Thad Said No" and a delicious rearrangement of the well-known theme from Mozart's 40th Symphony. Singer Johnny Mathis, hardly a jazz singer, nonetheless has fun with R&B oldie "Let the Good Times Roll." Rarely are big bands like Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band so able to combine such a diversity of influences into such a tantalizing mix.

Credit

Gordon Goodwin

Arranger, Composer, Liner Notes, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer, Saxophone, Vocal Arrangement

Richard Shaw

Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric)

Jay Mason

Clarinet (Bass), Flute, Sax (Baritone)

Brian Scanlon

Clarinet, Flute, Primary Artist, Sax (Tenor)

Jeff Driskill

Clarinet, Flute, Sax (Tenor)

Peter Erskine

Drums, Guest Artist

Ray Brinker

Drums

Bernie Dresel

Drums

Sal Lozano

Flute, Flute (Alto), Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)

Eric Marienthal

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

Michael Brecker

Guest Artist, Performer, Primary Artist

Johnny Mathis

Guest Artist, Performer, Primary Artist

Brian McKnight

Guest Artist, Performer, Primary Artist

Take 6

Guest Artist, Performer, Primary Artist

Carl Verheyen

Guitar, Primary Artist

Grant Geissman

Guitar

Andrew Martin

Primary Artist, Trombone

Wayne Bergeron

Primary Artist, Trumpet

Eddie Daniels

Primary Artist

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band

Primary Artist

Dan Savant

Producer, Trumpet

John Yoakum

Sax (Alto)

Craig Ware

Trombone (Bass)

Steven Holtman

Trombone

Alex Iles

Trombone

Nick Lane

Trombone

Charlie Morillas

Trombone

Pete DeSiena

Trumpet

Daniel Fornero

Trumpet

Larry Hall

Trumpet

Stan "Be Bop" Martin

Trumpet

Bob Summers

Trumpet