Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band@Catalina’s 03.10.08
By George W. Harris

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who has the phairest big band of all?” Mixing the variety and punch of Carl Stallings’ Looney Tunes with the drive and cohesion of Showtime Lakers, Gordon Goodwin brought his Big Phat Band to Catalinas and made an excellent case for his being the trophy winner in this town of big band abundance. Sporting a Triangle Offence that features soloists like Eric Marienthal (alto), Andy Martin (trombone) and Sal Lozano (reeds), the BPB can play a song like “High Maintenance” that has more peaks than the Rockies, or a boogaloo groove like “Backrow Politics” that grooves as deeply as anything by Parliament. At this stage in their development, like any good team, the BPB has its own distinctive temperament and sound, featuring the full court press of 5 reeds that can play unison flutes (as on the gorgeous “Chance Encounters”) or velvety sax sections (as on “Swing for the Fences”). And just like the Lakers, Goodwin is able to use new members to their best abilities, having newcoming guitarist Andrew Sinowiec apply his Pat Metheny-influenced half court game to perfection on “Samba Del Gringo”. The zone game provided by the searing trumpet section, particularly on “The Jazz Police”, was as raucous as any tailgate party at Madison Square Garden. But what really sets apart the BPB from other units is the emotional tie between the musicians and fans. Upon learning that some fans from Las Vegas arrived late for the gig, Goodwin had the band play extra music for the visitors, even rewarding their efforts with free cds and promotional material. That is what teamwork is all about.