Customer Reviews

Swingin' For the Fences

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

This album is hands down the most fun, exciting, and inspiring big band CD I've listened to in a long long time - in fact let's just say CD of any type period - not just big band. I don't remember when I've had some many "smiles" "goosebumps" and "ooh ahhs" from the very first listen. And I don't remember when one CD has held my attention from cut to cut as this one has. The writing is phenomenal - just brilliant . . . the playing is technically awesome while yet inspired and passionate . . . anything but sterile. You can tell for the players this was not just another gig. Gordon Goodwin assembled an "A list" team of the best of the best and lit a fire under them like no other. And oh does it show! And as if this wasn't enough, the audio recording quality, presence, and mix is hands down the best for a big band I've heard. I've played in many big bands and I feel like I'm sitting right there in the section. Ten stars for this CD!! (I understand there's a 5.1 DVD audio version of this - can't imagine how good that must sound with a six channel system!)

Gordon Goodwin is a new and amazing talent in jazz composition. Every track on this CD is well written, well played, and well recorded. From the opening measures of Sing Sang Sung, to the funky, A Few Good Men, this disc captures the listener like no other recording. The band roars right through to the end and the soloists are simply amazing. Goodwin has put together an amazing group of musicians such as Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Daniels, Carl Verheyen, Andy Martin, and others. The music is simply beyond words and I eagerly await his next recording. This is a must-have for any jazz aficionado.

This is high energy, swingin', unappologetic big band with a lot of clever twists, but not so clever that it gets gimmicky. Goodwin's writing makes me smile a lot and even giggle now and then.

The players are some of LA's finest. They're studio clean without becoming studio sterile.

If this disk doesn't put a smile on your face, seek therapy.

I am a jazz musician and this is what it sounds like to be in the MIDDLE of one of the best jazz ensembles in the history of mankind. If DVD Audio doesn't take off something is bad wrong! Thanks Gordon for having the foresight to give us the future of recorded music! NO words left!

I wouldn't know how to be technical about it - it just swings and then some. The tightness of the sections is as good as the knockout soloists.

This is a great fun big band album that has facinated jazz fanatics all over the world. From the stop time section soli's in Count Bubba to the Salsa feel of Shake Your Bones this album is a solid testament to big band music. 5 stars!

This CD is an excellent collection of some of jazz's finest musicians and their contemporay interpretation of what swing music is supposed to be.

"Sing Sang Sung" is a marvelous version of the old Benny Goodman classic, and "Bach 2 Part Invention in D Minor" is as good as it gets.

Order this one now--I guarantee you'll love it!