Life in the Bubble

 
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Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
Life in the Bubble

[ Telarc / CD ]

Release Date: Tuesday 13 May 2014

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Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band's 2014 effort, Life in the Bubble, showcases the ensemble's lively, crisply swinging jazz sound. Included here is a mix of standards and originals including such songs as the hard-driving "Why We Can't Have Nice Things," the lively Latin-tinged "Garaje Gato," their freewheeling take on the classic "On Green Dolphin Street," and others.

The LA-based and Grammy-winning Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band scores another victory with this latest release. Usually, the BPB discs feature guest appearances to help goose up the radio play; it's not used, or needed this time, sans the frenetic closer "Party Rockers" with Judith Hill. The songs are all arranged or composed by Goodwin, with a take of "On Green Dolphin Street" that tips the hat to pianist Oscar Peterson by the leader delivering some impressive fingerwork, while Bob Summers includes a sizzling trumpet solo. Goodwin's career in film scoring is joyfully observed on "Get Smart" and a Carl Stallings-debted "Years of Therapy" that has some slick charts framing Wayne Bergeron's blistering trumpet solos. Flag waving and fist pumping pieces such as "Why We Can't Have Nice Things" and the Basie-esque "Does This Chart Make Me Look Phat?" spotlight the airtight horn sections as well as the grooving rhythm team, while clever pieces such as "Life In The Bubble" spotlight tricky and sophisticated charts that mix swing with brains.

One of the few bands that has its own sound and vision-not a bad combo in this day of synthesized and smooth jazz.

(Jazz Weekly, June 2014)

Tracks:

Life in the Bubble
Why Can't We Have Nice Things
Synolicks
Years of Therapy
The Passage
Garaje Gato
Does This Chart Make Me Look Phat?
Get Smart
On Green Dolphin Street
Party Rockers