TWENTY-FIVE TIME GRAMMY® NOMINEE COMPOSER GORDON GOODWIN STRIKES GOLD AGAIN WITH THREE NEW GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS.
The 66th Grammy® Award Nominations were announced on November 10, 2023. The astonishing surprise was three new nominations for Multi Grammy® Emmy Winning Composer/Arranger, Jazz Veteran Gordon Goodwin.
Nominations
• Best Jazz Vocal Album: Patti Austin Featuring Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – For Ella 2.
• Best Instrumental Composition: Quartet San Francisco Featuring Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – Cutey and The Dragon, Composed by Raymond Scott and Gordon Goodwin.
• Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals: Patti Austin ft. Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – April in Paris, Arranged by Gordon Goodwin.
Gordon is delighted that his current projects have been considered once again by The Recording Academy. He says, “25, I look at that number and it shocks me every time. I still find it difficult to believe that the members of
the Recording Academy have given me 25 Grammy® nominations for my work. I don’t think you ever get used to it and the three most recent nominations seem somehow more precious than ever. I had the good fortune to be involved in two projects that were close to my heart in the past year, and happily, both were acknowledged by the Recording Academy.”
Gordon is grateful for being nominated twice for his collaboration with Jazz phenom Patti Austin. She is jazz royalty; Patti Austin’s keen interest in being a total entertainer likely started when she stepped onto the stage of the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem at the age of four at the urging of music legend Dinah Washington. After a series of much-acclaimed albums for CTI Records, she signed with her godfather Quincy Jones’ Qwest label and began achieving mainstream success on an international level thanks to the GRAMMY® nominated hit “Baby Come To Me,” her now classic duet with James Ingram and the follow-up duet, the Oscar-nominated “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” as well as her appearance on albums with Jones on his best-selling album Stuff Like That, his GRAMMY®–winning classic The Dude, and later, his From Q With Love Vols. 1& 2. The GRAMMY® nominated For Ella album opened new doors for Patti as a performer and her embrace by the jazz world was further cemented with her Grammy winning classic CD “Avant Gershwin: Now, after more than two decades of touring, her take on the classic American Song Book has expanded Patti’s appeal and garnered standing ovations all over the USA and Europe. Patti continues her philanthropic work with her mentoring organization, “The Over My Shoulder Foundation” and with Covid hopefully winding down she has resumed her touring schedule to the delight of fans all around the world.
Gordon is pleased to receive his composition nomination for “Cutey and The Dragon,” from the album Raymond Scott Reimagined, featuring Quartet San Francisco, Take 6 and the Big Phat Band. Goodwin took the unfinished work by Raymond Scott and completed it in a manner that honors Scott’s sophisticated yet playful style. Raymond neither received nor was nominated for a Grammy during his lifetime; the awards were launched in 1958, by which time Scott had largely stopped issuing commercial recordings. Raymond Scott was a composer, inventor, visionary, pianist, engineer, electronic music pioneer, control freak.
Gordon Goodwin was born in Wichita, Kansas, and Goodwin’s parents moved to Southern California when Goodwin was four. After completing his formal music education at Cal State University-Northridge, Gordon began working as a live performer at Disneyland and after a few years, he was commissioned to work on a musical that featured past and present Mouseketeers (including Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera). That exposure led to studio work with the likes of Quincy Jones, Mel Tormé, Ray Charles and legendary vocalist Johnny Mathis.
In 1999, Gordon founded the Big Phat Band for what he thought would be a single performance at his alma mater Cal State at Northridge. Since then, the Big Phat Band has recorded 10 albums, and in the process received 25 Grammy® nominations. Goodwin won a Grammy® for ‘Best Instrumental Arrangement’ for “Incredits” for the film The Incredibles and has been honored with 3 Emmy awards for his work on the Steven Spielberg-produced shows Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. His work has been featured/utilized in more than 80 film & TV productions spanning the gamut of pop culture: amplifying the likes of National Treasure, Star Trek: Nemesis, Snakes on a Plane, Get Smart, Remember the Titans, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Majestic (starring Jim Carrey), The Lion King, The Incredibles and Ratatouille.
Gordon has won four Grammy® Awards and three Daytime Emmy Awards and has received twenty-five Grammy® nominations for his compositions and arrangements.
Grammy® Awards
Best Instrumental Arrangement
“The Incredits” (2005)
“Rhapsody in Blue” (2011)
“On Green Dolphin Street” (2013),
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Life in the Bubble (2014)
Grammy ® Award nominations include
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album:
XXL (2003)
Act Your Age (2008)
Best Instrumental Composition
“Sing, Sang, Sung” (2000)
“Hunting Wabbits” (2003)
“Hit the Ground Running” (2008)
“Hunting Wabbits 3 (Get Off My Lawn)” (2011)
“California Pictures for String Quartet” (2013)
“Life in the Bubble” (2014)
Best Instrumental Arrangement
“Bach 2 Part Invention in D Minor” (2000) “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” (2006)
“Yo Tannenbaum” (2007)
“Yesterdays” (2008)
“Salt Peanuts! (Mani Salado)” (2012)
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
“Comes Love” (2003)
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
“Get Smart” (2014)
Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals
“Party Rockers” (2014)
“Do You Hear What I Hear?” (2016)
Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals
“I Loves You Porgy” / “There’s A Boat That’s Leavin’ Soon For New York” (2017)
Daytime Emmy Awards
Music Direction and Composition
Animaniacs (1998, 1999)
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition
Histeria! (2000)
Gordon’s discography includes Swinging For the Fences, XXL,
The Phat Pack, Act Your Age, That’s How We Roll, Life in the Bubble, Wrap This, A Big Phat Christmas, An Elusive Man, Joyful, The Gordian Knot, The Reset, Raymond Scott Reimagined, For Ella 2, w/Patti Austin, Music for Two Pianos (2024).
Gordon is also the host of the popular long-running radio program, “Phat Tracks with Gordon Goodwin,” airing for 5 years on KJAZZ, America’s jazz and blues station, and finishing its 2nd year broadcasting and streaming from its new home on San Diego’s Jazz 88.3 FM (KSDS). The weekly 2-hour show is a mix of music and stories and commentary.
Pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and conductor – whatever it is Gordon Goodwin touches, it’s all about his love of music. The accolades and awards come, but for Gordon the feeling of gratitude for his life in music is strong, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.
“Listening to Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, I was immediately taken by Gordon’s contemporary musical viewpoint, the dynamics of his “Big Phat Band,” its bevy of superb soloists, and the exhilaration of its sound.” – Quincy Jones.
Upcoming Shows
Jan 25 – Winter NAMM Show Concert, Anaheim, CA.
Jan 29 – Catalina Jazz Club Patti Austin/BPB Grammy Celebration Concert, Hollywood, CA.
March 2 – Studio Channel Islands Art Center, Camarillo, CA.
March 16 – Bonita Center For the Arts, La Verne, CA.
April 27 – Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center, Thousand Oaks, CA.
May 4 – The Grape, Ventura, CA.
June 1 – International Trumpet Guild Concert, Anaheim, CA.
June 7 – SF Jazz Concert, San Francisco, CA.
July 30 – Redlands Bowl, Redlands, CA.
August – Blue Note Tokyo.
Patti Austin Album
Music video for Cutey and the Dragon
360 Magazine – Q & A
1. How has your family inspired you as a musician?
Gordon: My parents insisted that I take piano lessons as a little kid and that piano teacher was the first person to suggest I could write music myself. My first compositions, as lame as they were, were produced when I was in first grade. I owe that to my mom and dad, who nudged me in that direction very early.
2. What do the next 5 years look like musically?
Gordon: For me? I’ll just keep growing, keep playing and composing. If you do that, the rest follows.
3. Talk about any producer you have worked with.
Gordon: I have worked with some of the best, including Quincy Jones, David Foster and Phil Ramon, and have learned a lot from them all. I produce most of my own records, but have also used Gregg Field and Lee Ritenour as producers, and both of those guys have great chops and great taste.
4. Where do you get your ideas for subject matter for your project development?
Gordon: I mostly get inspired by other people’s efforts, which somehow triggers the urge to sit down and create. I hear someone’s song or symphony or read somebody’s book, or watch somebody’s movie and that inspires me. Creation requires effort – rarely is there a bolt out of the blue with that perfectly formed idea. It usually is a result of hours of craft.
5. What charities are you aligned with and why?
Gordon: I like to contribute to St. Jude’s because the idea of little kids with cancer really offends me. I also admire Doctors Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity.
6. What music projects will you be involved with in the future?
Gordon: I have a new record coming out next year called “Music For Two Pianos.” It’s a piano duet record where I play both parts. I created ten original pieces for this record, and the style is a jazz and classical hybrid. It was a blast to do and I enjoyed getting a stronger connection to the piano in the process. Other than that, I am working on a record for my wife Vangie Gunn, with mostly original tunes, I have a film I am scoring and have a new Big Phat Band record to compose and produce. It’s going to be another busy year!
7. Who are your biggest influences?
Gordon: There are way too many to mention. I believe in exposing yourself to as many people as you possibly can in order to widen your musical worldview. But if I had to make a short list, let’s go with Chick Corea, Michael Brecker, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, John Williams, Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy and… this is too hard! Sorry for all of the incredible geniuses I just left out!
8. What advice would you give to a recording artist starting out?
Gordon: Practice your craft every day, even if it’s only for a short time. Commit to improving and know that it’s a long slow climb. Forget about overnight success. If you are serious about your music, you will realize that it’s a lifetime commitment.
No way can you figure it all out in your 20s, unless your music is based on youth, celebrity, and looks. One thing’s for sure: Mine isn’t!
9. Talk about your training in your early career, who have you trained with and why?
Gordon: I studied music in college where I learned orchestration, counterpoint, music history, conducting, things like that. But I also played in the jazz band and had a gig at a club every night where we played the music of Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind and Fire, and other Top 40 stuff. So, I got my education in the classroom and on the bandstand. I believe you need both of those elements. You play music with your brain and also your heart.
10. How do you take care of yourself, your health regime?
Gordon: Vangie and I walk almost every night. We try to go between 3-4 miles each night, depending on our schedule. Other than that, I do a fair amount of stretching and live a pretty clean life – no drinking, smoking or drugs. I never much liked or needed that stuff.
11. What is it about Raymond Scott that got you to do this current project?
Gordon: In the 90s I worked for Warner Brothers Animation and, at that time, I took a deep dive into the music of Raymond Scott and Carl Stalling, two compositional legends whose music really informed the style of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck Cartoons. So, when Jeremy Cohen offered me the opportunity to revisit this music on the Raymond Scott Reimagined project, I jumped.
12. What musician did you admire as a child?
Gordon: My first musical hero was Herb Alpert. I loved the Tijuana Brass! I even had my own Tijuana Brass band when I was in 4th grade. And now as an adult, I find myself being friends with Herb and recently wrote some charts for a new record he is releasing. Life is funny that way, and I am amazed when I get a call from this amazing man, knowing that he was such an influence for me at a formidable time in my life.
13. What do you do to relax?
Gordon: I love Hawaii and try to get there each year or so. I love to read and lately have been digging into podcasts.
14. What other business strategies do you plan on starting to promote your brand?
Gordon: There’s a tough one. The music business is in terrible shape and when I started the Big Phat Band in 2000, I thought it was bad THEN! Little did we know that almost every category of the music business would continue to degrade. I am less and less optimistic about the future of music in our country because, since consumers have decided, they shouldn’t have to pay for it, there is little reason for people to dedicate their lives to something that will not allow them to make a living and raise a family. We have some serious catching up to do, and it all starts with arts education in the schools, which is on the cutting block in many institutions.
15. What’s the one thing you think everyone could do to make the world a more positive place?
Gordon: I believe it starts with building empathy for others, and the best way to develop empathy is to gain an understanding of the arts. Music – at least music of content – teaches us how to empathize. Other than that, make it a point to find the good in the world, to find your sense of gratitude for what you have and to do something nice for someone else each day. Pretty simple, as it turns out.
16. What would you be doing if you were not a musician?
Gordon: I have no earthly idea. I have no other skill set! I do have a pretty good understanding of human behavior, but the thought of not getting up each day and engaging with music? Nope. No way.
17. What was your first memory of hearing great music?
Gordon: I remember watching The Mickey Mouse Club television program as a really young kid, and that theme song may have been the first time I was aware of a thing called music. After that, probably the Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry cartoons I would watch had some amazing music.
18. What do you want to leave as your legacy?
Gordon: Some projects I do for money. Some projects I do for musical satisfaction. Sometimes those things intersect, but either way, I go in all the way and commit to making the music the best it can be. Sometimes the music is pretty easy to play, other times it is really challenging to play, but I just go where the music demands. I hope people remember my music as being informed by a positive and optimistic worldview.
19. How do you overcome challenges in your career?
Gordon: It can be frustrating at times, but I remember that I am a lucky man and have had extremely good fortune to have music in my life. On my worst day, when I am composing music that I may dislike, just because a producer or director wants it, I remember that a million people would trade places with me in an instant. Hang on to your gratitude, things always work out!
20. Is there anything in your careers that you wish you could do again?
Gordon: I never consider this question, except to remember to learn from each experience.
21. What is the best thing about being nominated for another Grammy?
Gordon: Grammy Nominations are awesome and really gratifying! It is thrilling to see your name on that list! But the truth is that you probably won’t sell more records with a Grammy win, never mind after a nomination. It doesn’t make your music any better, nor does NOT being nominated make your music any worse. But what it can sometimes do, is enable you the chance to keep doing what you are doing – writing more songs, recording more music, doing more gigs. That is the true value of the Grammy experience.
22. What was it like working with Patti Austin?
Gordon: Patti is a living legend. She is more than a really good singer; she is an extraordinary musician. I have never once seen her get stumped by a musical problem. Plus, she is absolutely hilarious! A real joy to work with and it is one of the great honors of my life that she chose to work with me on “For Ella 2.”
23. What’s it’s like to work with The Big Phat Band?
Gordon: I started the Big Phat Band in 2000, and since that time, it has brought balance to my life. Having musicians of that quality is a great luxury for a composer, and there has been nothing, not anything at all in 23 years – that they haven’t nailed on the first take. Many of them are lifelong friends and it is a privilege to take the stage with them.
