Customer Reviews

Act Your Age

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, "Swingin' For The Fences" used to be my favorite BPB record. Not any more. Gordon and the band have far exceeded my expectations with their newest effort, "Act Your Age". Just when I thought I'd heard everything Gordon could do with the band, he surprised me... again. He is absolutely unapologetic about how he writes and I love him for it. Gordon is living proof that even genius evolves and a beacon for anyone that has ever tried to write a chart (and different styles). Unless you have tried, I don't think you have anything to say. Now, the music...

"Hit The Ground Running" - This is a great opener. Right away, the band gets things poppin' with this Tower Of Power-inspired funk, which has their signature sound all over it. This is one of two Eric Marienthal features on the record, and he sounds great.

"Watermelon Man" - I love Herbie Hancock. He was originally slated to be a guest on this tune, but had to back out due to other obligations. It's OK, though. Gordon plays a burnin' piano solo is his place. This tune is one of my favorites on the record. It's a Thad Jones-style shuffle and swings HARD all of the way to Wayne Bergeron's double-D's at the end. Note: the brass section's tutti lip trills on this are AWESOME!

"September" - Another favorite. I'm a HUGE Earth, Wind, & Fire fan. Gordon really nailed this chart. He manages to stay true to the original version of it while putting his own stamp on it. I went into this tune very skeptical and came out loving it. Also, outstanding contributions by Patti Austin and Lee Ritenour.

"Yesterdays" - You should buy the album for this tune alone. Wow. Art Tatum is one on my heroes, and Gordon is crazy about him, too. The "ghost" of AT sitting in with the BPB is too much to take. This track is a cut above - musically and technologically. It should at least get a nod for "Best Instrumental Arrangement" from the Grammys.

"Senor Mouse" - This tune is another show-stopper. I love Chick Corea (another hero), therefore I love "Senor Mouse". It's always great to hear Chick's music in a big band setting. Gordon's chart, Chick's performance, and the BPB's performance are all brilliant.

"Punta Del Soul" - A nice, mid-tempo contemporary tune. Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin sound great here. Gordon's respect and admiration for both of them shines through on this chart. He is very true to Grusin's original tune.

"Act Your Age" - The title cut is awesome. This is the other Eric Marienthal feature... and he burns. Also, kudos to Nathan East - who plays his butt off on bass. He totally give this tune the necessary groove, fire, and sass it needs.

"Chance Encounters" - One of two of my most favorite tunes on the album. Gordon shows a totally different side of himself here. This tune is all about muted brass, unison flutes, bass clarinet, and vibes. It's a totally retro tune in the Oliver Nelson bag. Sheer genius. A great soprano solo by Gordon, as well.

"Backrow Politics" - An all-out, boogaloo trumpet section feature. Everyone sounds amazing on this. Solo order: Summers, Savant, Fornero, Bergeron. These guys are going for it - lobbing grenades at each other. Savant quotes "Rhapsody In Blue" at the end of his solo. Wayne even quotes part of his solo from "Horn Of Puente". Priceless.

"East Coast Envy" - My other very favorite tune. A dark, hipster, and sly acoustic funk / swing. I've never heard Gordon do this before. Excellent solos from Brian Scanlon and Andy Martin. Second chord of the solo changes: E7#9/Eb... NICE!

"El Macho Muchacho" - This is a BPB signature samba. Great tune. Outstanding solos from Andrew Synowiec and Brian Scanlon.

"Gumbo Street" - A superb contemporary New Orleans second-line chart. I don't think I've ever heard anything like it. Great tenor solo by Gordon... and Andy Martin... WHEW! He really knocks his solo out of the park!

"Floating Home" (bonus track) - This is a reggae jam tune. The band is just unwinding and having fun on this track, but still sound great. Great plunger trumpet solo by Wayne Bergeron.

Let me mention two more unsung heroes: Bernie Dresel and Tommy Vicari. Bernie lays down FIERCE grooves on this record - all different styles... and thanks to Tommy Vicari you can hear the paint drying in the studio. This album is EXCELLENT and you really should buy it right away. It's kind of bittersweet for me, though. My champion, "Swingin' For Fences", has been dethroned. Also, I'm still waiting on NARAS to wake up and give Gordon a nod for "Best Large Jazz Ensemble". He's been turning out superior records (and not very quietly) for years now. This one ought to do it.

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.

I went with my roommate to a Big Phat Band show recently and was completely blown away. These guys are absolutely incredible musicians! I hoped that their energy would translate to their albums and it 100% did. Act Your Age had me hooked from the first song. You start off toe tapping and then by the end of the album you're dancing around your living room (okay, maybe that's just me). But still! That says something about the joy and talent that just drips from Gordon and his band. I highly recommend this CD to anyone that loves fun, feel-good music, even if you're not typically a "jazz" fan. Act Your Age is one of those awesome genre-spanning albums. This is my first BPB purchase and definitely not my last! Time to go buy more albums!

I feel like Act Your Age is the closest thing to seeing the band live. This is a great record and I never skip a track when I play it in my car. When everything on the radio is starting to sound all the same, Act Your Age is a break from the mundane and adds a splash of energy with it's uplifting and upbeat rhythms.

The Big Phat Band is back with a terrific effort that includes guest musicians Chick Corea, Dave Grusin & Lee Ritenour. The music has tremendous appeal for the traditional jazz fan, uber-technical types and players of all levels & all instruments. The version of Corea's "Senor Mouse" is a spirited chart that breathes different life into this standard. Art Tatum's "Yesterdays" is simply stunning, as well. "Act Your Age" is definitely a "can-do" effort showcasing Gordon Goodwin's high-level composition and fabulous playing. Buy it!

Anyone who has ever done any kind of music publicity will understand that getting Time Magazine to even listen to a CD is a near impossibility, yet not only did Time listen to Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, they lavished high praise. "The group's range and appeal to all ages are on full display..." Produced by Lee Ritenour, this fourth Big Phat Band adventure, ACT YOUR AGE, is most definitely not your grandfather's Big Band. Grammy-Award winner Goodwin manages to maintain the nostalgia, while keeping the music fresh and vibrant and accessible to music lovers of any age. The guest list on the recording reads like a Who's Who of instrumentalists, with Ritenour, Chick Corea, Dave Grusin and Eric Marienthal leading the pack. Patti Austin works her vocal magic on an incredible arrangement of Earth, Wind & Fire's "September." If you can stay still in your seat for these 4 ½ minutes you need to get the q-tips out and clean the wax from your ears! ACT YOUR AGE is twelve tracks of exhilaration, anticipation and awe-inspiring musicianship. But don't take my word for it... after a recent show, legendary arranger/composer Johnny Mandel told Goodwin, "You are where Big Band writing is today." ~BETH LEWIS

Every time Gordon releases a new CD project, it soars upward from the last. I keep thinking that it can't get better but it does!
"Act Your Age" keeps getting better with each listen. Again, the writing sticks in your head and each time you subsequently hear one of the tunes you think "aaah yesss.......
One that is fantastic is "Backrow Politics"---the trumpet section just goes nuts! It's a great chart and those four guys make it happen. Seeing it in concert is amazing!

I had the pleasure of seeing the band just three nights ago and was again just blown away. All the heavies were there....Bergeron, Marienthal, Martin, Scanlon, Dresel, Fornero, Lozano and on and on.........
This is the best big band in the land! Maybe ever!

This release also has three songs recorded live (DVD) in New Hampshire last year and they are fabulous!

Their newest effort is another "DO NOT MISS IT!"

Thanks Gordon and all the rest! What a treat!

A first encounter with a contemporary big band invites comparisons to similar ensembles of recent decades. After briefly toying with the notion that the Big Phat Band sounds like a cross between the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis band of the early 1970s and the Saturday Night Live band, I concluded that such comparisons were pointless - this group is not trying to sound like anybody but themselves. Goodwin's arrangements keep things interesting for the performers and the listeners. For example, I've heard Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" so many times I've grown tired of it, but this swinging arrangement gives it a whole new life. Also, this band can play rock-influenced jazz that really works, outshining other big bands that have made less successful attempts at this genre.
Some of the tracks feature guest artists such as Chick Corea, Lee Ritenour, and Patti Austin (the latter on the CD's only vocal track, "September"). Good stuff, but the band doesn't need their help to sound good or draw an audience. However, one guest is particularly interesting: Art Tatum. Wait a minute - hasn't he been deceased since the 1950s? How could he be sitting in on "Yesterdays" with the Big Phat Band? Be sure to listen to Goodwin's commentary for that tune on the DVD to find out how Tatum was digitally resurrected.
Speaking of the DVD, it's a great bonus for the surround-sound concert videos alone (three tunes). But check out the other features too, especially the preview of some emerging jazz stars in "Big Phat Jam Winners."
Over an hour of fresh and versatile big band sounds, plus DVD extras, make this a great entertainment package.

Once again Gordon Goodwin's talent shows through on this album. The latest of his CD's and it's just spectacular! Love the DVD that comes with it that has all the solo transcriptions, just to name a few of the special featurers. As I have said in my other reviews of this band if you are into Big Band Jazz..... these cats are the BEST!!!

This is a great contemporary big band album. Really enjoyable. The writing is imaginative and fully exploits the capabilities of the players, the soloists are terrific, and the ensemble performance is tight, enthusiastic, and very skillful. The guys are good, and the music presents a great opportunity for them to shine.