Act Your Age

Act Your Age does everything but! Goodwin at his best. His arrangements are exciting, fun, surprising, and full of youthful exuberance. The technical production quality is par excellence. The companion 5.1 DVD on a good home theater system will blow you away. Turn it up!

The artists and guests Goodwin has assembled for this Phat Band CD are consummate performers and bring this mix of old and new big band jazz tunes to amazing heights. You'll want to share the experience with everyone!

It is nice to know that just by seeing the name Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band it is a "no-brainer" to purchase. This is the best big band out there with fantastic players and dynamic arrangements. If you ever get a chance to see this group live, pay whatever it costs. You will get your money's worth.

I'm always chasing down the big band sound to add to my jazz music collection, from the old (like Birks Works) to the new (like Maria Schneider - Sky Blue [Standard Edition] CD -(Wallet style packaging with one booklet)), so how it took me so long to discover Mr. Goodwin and his Big Phat Band, I'll never know. But I've found him, and let me tell you, this is the definition of hard-driving, hot swinging, full sounding big band jazz. I bought this CD on the strength of one song, "Senor Mouse", which features Chick Corea on piano. I've since learned that one of Goodwin's and BPB's trademarks is the phenomenal guest musicians they manage to assemble for each new project. Act Your Age continues this tradition, with Patti Austin, Art Tatum, Chick, Dave Grusin, and Lee Ritenour all making an appearance on this recording. Tatum's Yesterdays and Grusin's Punta Del Soul, along with the aforementioned Senor Mouse, are the highlights, but the Goodwin originals, like Hit the Ground Running, Backrow Politics and the title track all threaten to reintroduce big band swing to the popular charts. The band does blues, swing, Latin, bop, and straight up jazz, all with superb tone, high energy, and youthful enthusiasm. Goodwin's arrangements are highly original and always "up", but he challenges the listener, too, with off beat phrasing, intriguing switches, unexpected theme introductions, and subtle backbone. The bonus DVD has everything from band member photos for casual fans, to solo transcriptions for the serious jazz musicians. (They've got boatloads of free stuff on their website, too.) So though you may be "requested" to Act Your Age, I say, don't! Listen to Goodwin and BPB, then feel and act as young as you want. This is what modern jazz music is all about.

I first downloaded the bonus track "Floating Home" free off of here. I was delighted by the fusion of styles that blended so perfectly into one another without any sense of awkwardness. When I purchased the album shortly afterward, I was enthralled by its variation and simplicity of content. Nevertheless, its general feel is wonderful; the best part about this album, I believe, is that it not only can be used as entertainment music (that is, as the focus of your attention), but can also be used as ambient sounds, especially when working. Individual tracks are also excellent, such as "Señor Mouse," featuring Chick Corea - an excellent guest appearance; "East Coast Envy" and its wandering bass line are a treat; "Yesterdays," which was deservingly nominated for Best Arrangement, features the Art Tatum "re-performance," which is astonishing in its own right. Goodwin's decision to perform with this is a statement of the fact that even as revolutionary musical technologies are invented and displayed, people will never get tired of a good original album, especially when as tasteful and near-perfect as this one.

Gordon Goodwin has put together an amazing group of musicians. This is how the big band of today should sound. No matter what the particular type of song the band is performing, it performs in a magnificent way. I am 80 years old and worked in big bands in the 40s and 50s. Although I haven't played in 50 years, this music has awakened me to truly admire the sounds produced by the Big Phat Band.