Swingin' For the Fences

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Gordon Goodwin | Format: DVD Audio

Product Details

• DVD Audio (January 23, 2001)
• Please Note: This is a DVD-Audio disc which is playable on most DVD players as well as all DVD-Audio players. Click here for additional information regarding compatibility.
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Immergent
• ASIN: B00005JXXW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  DVD Audio  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,279 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Don Heckman, L.A. Times

"...an expansively produced jazz album." --This text refers to an alternate DVD Audio edition.

Product Description

New Modern Classic Swing for very cool people!

Featuring guest artists Eddie Daniels, Brandon Fields, Grant Geissman, Eric Marienthal, Arturo Sandoval and Carl Verheyen.

The Grammy nominated Big Phat Band (nominated in the categories of Best Instrumental Composition for "Sing, Sang, Sung" and Best Instrumental Arrangement for "Bach 2 Part Invention In D Minor") is Big Band music that steps into the future.

Gordon Goodwin calls upon an all-star lineup of L.A. session players to exercise their musical muscles on a wide variety of styles and genres while remaining true to the legacy of the great big bands. Make no mistake about it, this is big band music by musicians that love big bands! --This text refers to an alternate DVD Audio edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swingin' For The Fences: Big Band For The 21st Century, May 14, 2000

By 

Giovanni C. Washington-Wright (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - Swingin' for the Fences (DVD Audio) (DVD Audio)

If you're a big band fan and own a DVD player, this DVD is an absolute must! This DVD features the comical and brilliant writing of L.A. composer/saxist Gordon Goodwin. This DVD also features the flawless work of some of L.A.'s top echelon studio musicians -- including Dan Higgins, Alex Iles, Andy Martin, Bill Reichenbach, Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Dennis Farias, and Wayne Bergeron -- to name a few. Perhaps what makes the DVD most intriguing is the 6-channel surround sound format in which it's recorded -- absolutely incredible! -- Every nuance of the playing can be heard and the playing IS pristine. Mr. Goodwin also brings aboard burnin' soloists -- like Eddie Daniels, Arturo Sandoval, Brandon Fields, and Eric Marienthal -- to make it all complete.

I knew about this project about six months before its arrival, and I waited frantically for it to be released. This DVD has lived up to my expectations and WAY beyond! There has NOT been a better project done within the past decade. Thank you Mr. Goodwin and company.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Way over the Center Field Fence and Out of the Park, November 12, 2003

By 

Dr. Harry Smallenburg (Burbank, California USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swingin for the Fences (Audio CD)

Gordon Goodwin has some big-name stars on this CD, like Arturo Sandoval and Eddie Daniels, and they play like stars, but even without them this is a big band CD to listen to over and over! Goodwin's charts are accessible, and they would help bring about a big-band revival if more people were listening. But apart from "accessibility," which sounds pretty pale, they just swing like a mother. Along with the really big names, he's got some of the best jazz players in the LA area, and they're all over these charts--great section work everywhere you listen, screaming trumpets, bones to make you drool, you want to bow down in front of the sax and rhythm sections. Usually I listen to a CD once or twice and put it on the shelf for awhile, but this one is killer all the way--I'm still listening. Great solos, great, high energy ensembles--I'm looking for more Gordon Goodwin CDs. This is not avant-garde or adventurous, but, man, you can't do anything without swinging, and this band does the charts up royally.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BURNIN', February 11, 2001

By 

Giovanni C. Washington-Wright (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swingin for the Fences (Audio CD)

Burnin'... absolutely burnin'! This band is the real deal. They play these difficult tunes with incredible precision. The pitch, balance, and blend are all immaculate from start to finish. You simply can't miss with this group of L.A. all-stars: Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Dennis Farias, Wayne Bergeron, Alex Iles, Andy Martin, Bill Reichenbach, Dan Higgins, Bill Liston, and, of course, Gordon Goodwin... just to name a few. The solos are also burnin' all around. Definitely the most compelling big band record I've heard in the past 10 years. Great charts, personnel, and recording technology. This CD is a MUST HAVE for all serious big band fans. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!