Gordon L. Goodwin (born 1954) is a Grammy award-winning American
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
,
saxophonistThe saxophone is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841...
,
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
,
arrangerIn music, an arrangement is either a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet...
and
conductorConducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors.-Nomenclature:...
. He now lives in Southern California with his wife Lisa, daughter Madison and two sons, Trevor and Garrison.
Gordon Goodwin was born in
Wichita, KansasWichita is a city in and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2000 census its population was 344,284. The 2006 estimated population of 361,420 made it the 51st largest city in the country and the most populous city in Kansas...
.
Gordon Goodwin began his musical education at Cal State Northridge with Joel Leach and Bill Calkins. He wrote his first
big bandA big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. Big bands evolved with the times and continue to today. A big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and...
chart when he was in the 7th grade, called "Hang Loose".
Gordon L. Goodwin (born 1954) is a Grammy award-winning American
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
,
saxophonistThe saxophone is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841...
,
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
,
arrangerIn music, an arrangement is either a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet...
and
conductorConducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors.-Nomenclature:...
. He now lives in Southern California with his wife Lisa, daughter Madison and two sons, Trevor and Garrison.
Early years
Gordon Goodwin was born in
Wichita, KansasWichita is a city in and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2000 census its population was 344,284. The 2006 estimated population of 361,420 made it the 51st largest city in the country and the most populous city in Kansas...
.
Gordon Goodwin began his musical education at Cal State Northridge with Joel Leach and Bill Calkins. He wrote his first
big bandA big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. Big bands evolved with the times and continue to today. A big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and...
chart when he was in the 7th grade, called "Hang Loose". After graduation he was recruited to Louie Bellson's big band, where he played with the likes of
Pete ChristliebPete Christlieb is a jazz bebop, West Coast jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Christlieb was born in Los Angeles, California and is the son of bassoonist Don Christlieb. Christlieb has worked with many musicians, such as Tom Waits, Louie Bellson, Chet Baker, Woody Herman, Steely Dan,...
and
Don MenzaDon Menza is an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, session musician and jazz educator noted for his many contributions to American jazz and big band music.
. He went on to play under
Les HooperLes Hooper is a composer in Los Angeles, USA. His music ranges from classical to blues and jazz; from commercials to concert commissions. His credits include movies, TV, commercials, live performances, orchestral commissions, and many published pieces of music...
and
Grant GeissmanGrant Geissman is a crossover jazz, contemporary jazz and new age guitarist and an Emmy-nominated composer for network TV series and TV movies. An in-demand studio musician, he has recorded extensively for several labels since 1976, and he can be heard playing guitar on the theme for Monk and...
.
Big Phat Band
Since then, Goodwin has risen to prominence in the American jazz scene with his big band,
The Big Phat BandGordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, or simply The Big Phat Band, is an 18-piece Jazz ensemble based in California and led by Gordon Goodwin. Goodwin composes most, and arranges all, of the group's performance pieces, as well as playing piano and occasionally tenor saxophone...
. In the band, Goodwin plays piano and occasionally both the soprano and tenor saxophone. This band brings together the talents of such players as
Wayne BergeronWayne Bergeron is a jazz, studio/lead trumpet player.Bergeron played in various Disneyland Show Bands after high school. He then landed the lead trumpet position with the Maynard Ferguson Big Bop Nouveau Band in 1986...
,
Eric MarienthalEric Marienthal is a Los Angeles-based contemporary saxophonist best known for his work in the jazz, smooth jazz, and pop genres.After graduating from high school in Southern California in 1976, Eric went on to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass where he studied with the...
and
Andy MartinAndy Martin is an American virtuoso jazz trombonist. Among other acts, he is a member of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band and the Bill Holman big band. He has played in over 100 movies, including the trombone solo in the opening credits of Monsters Inc. He has played with T.V. shows such as Family...
. These detailed music charts are all written or adapted by Gordon Goodwin. Several of his songs are plays on old jazz tunes: a prime example is "Sing, Sang, Sung" which mimics the famous
Louis PrimaLouis Prima was an Italian-American entertainer, singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas...
song "
Sing, Sing, Sing"Sing, Sing, Sing " is a 1936 song, written by Louis Prima, strongly identified with the big band and swing eras. Although written by Prima, it is often most associated with Benny Goodman. The song has since been covered by numerous artists...
". Under Goodwin's direction, the band has released five albums: "Swingin' For The Fences", which received two Grammy nominations, and "XXL", which received three. "The Phat Pack" was released on June 13, 2006, and "Bah, Humduck! a Looney Tunes Christmas (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture)" was also released in 2006. "Act Your Age", their latest album, was released on September 30, 2008.
Gordon Goodwin's music with the Big Phat Band is distributed by Silverline Records.
Popular culture
As a film scorer, Goodwin has worked on such films as
Fern Gully, The MajesticThe Majestic is a 2001 American drama film, directed by Frank Darabont and starring Jim Carrey and Martin Landau . Written by Michael Sloane, the film features a supporting cast of Laurie Holden, James Whitmore , Bob Balaban, Jeffrey DeMunn and Hal Holbrook. It was released by Warner Bros...
, Glory RoadGlory Road is a fantasy novel by Robert A. Heinlein, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published in hardcover later the same year...
, National TreasureThe idea of National Treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of Romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology which supports the nation as the fundamental unit of human social life, which includes shared...
, Remember The TitansRemember the Titans is an American sports drama, directed by Boaz Yakin and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer for Walt Disney Pictures, released in 2000. The film stars Denzel Washington as coach Herman Boone and Ryan Hurst as Gary Bertier. Remember the Titans centers on the American football team of...
, ArmageddonArmageddon is the site of an epic battle associated with the end time prophecies of the Abrahamic religions....
, Bad Boys IIBad Boys II is a action-comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. It is a sequel to the film Bad Boys.-Plot:...
, Con AirCon Air is a American action/thriller film by Touchstone Pictures that stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich. It was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of Crimson Tide and The Rock, and directed by Simon West...
, Gone in 60 Seconds, Star Trek Nemesis, the classic cult film
Attack of the Killer TomatoesAttack of the Killer Tomatoes is a 1978 cult comedy film directed by John De Bello and starring David Miller. The film is a spoof of B movies. Made on a budget of less than US$100,000, the story involves tomatoes becoming sentient by unknown means and revolting against humanity. Writing credits...
, and
Enemy of the State. His work in television includes music for the TV series
AnimaniacsSteven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. and produced by Amblin Entertainment. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. Animation during...
and
Road RoversRoad Rovers is an American animated television series written and produced by Tom Ruegger and Warner Bros. Animation that premiered on Kids' WB on September 2, 1996. It lasted one season and ended on February 22, 1997. Re-runs of the show continued for a short time on Kids' WB and then on Cartoon...
. His recording history includes performances with artists as diverse as
Mel TorméMelvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
,
Ray CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
and
Christina AguileraChristina María Aguilera is an American pop musician. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994. Aguilera signed to RCA Records after...
. Goodwin himself has received many individual awards, including a recent Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement for his work on the feature film
The IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons. It stars an ensemble cast including Holly Hunter, Craig T....
. He is also a three time Emmy winner.
Goodwin has also been a guest conductor for such groups as the
London Symphony OrchestraThe London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
and Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
Sheet music
His music is published by companies such as Hal Leonard, Alfred Publishing
http://www.alfred.com, and Walrus Music.
Discography
The Big Phat Band has five albums currently released:
- Swingin' For The Fences (Released January 3 2002)
- XXL (Released September 18 2005)
- The Phat Pack (Released April 15 2006)
- Bah, Humduck! a Looney Tunes Christmas (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) (Released 2006)
- Act Your Age (Released September 30 2008)