Search - Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band :: The Phat Pack

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
The Phat Pack
Genres: Jazz, Pop

Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
1. Cut 'n Run
2. Too Close For Comfort (featuring Dianne Reeves)
3. Count Bubba's Revenge
4. Play That Funky Music (featuring David Sanborn)
5. The Phat Pack
6. Hunting Wabbits 2 (A Bad Hare Day)
7. La Almeja Pequena (The Little Clam)
8. Get In Line
9. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
10. Under the Wire (featuring Eddie Daniels
11. Whodunnit?
12. It Was a Very Good Year (featuring Take 6)
13. Ever Braver, Ever Stronger (An American Elegy)

CD Details

All Artists: Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
Title: The Phat Pack
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Immergent
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 6/13/2006
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Style: Swing Jazz
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPCs: 676628440421, 0676628440421

Synopsis

Album Description

The latest disc from Gordon Goodwin?s Big Phat Band, The Phat Pack showcases more of the hot licks that fans have come to know and love. In addition to the playful jazz of such tracks as "Whodunnit?" and "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" , the Big Phat Band teams up with guest vocalist Dianne Reeves, fresh from winning a Grammy for her work on the soundtrack to the Oscar winning film "Good Night and Good Luck." In true "Rat Pack" fashion, Dianne tackles a sexy arrangement of the timeless Frank Sinatra classic "Too Close for Comfort" that is sure to become a classic in its own right. Her energy is as infectious as her vocal stylization, and if anything rings true for the Big Phat band, it?s consistent energy-timeless and classic. Gordon Goodwin comments about this vibe that ran through the creation and recording of the Phat Pack: "We in the Big Phat Band have similar aspirations as the original Rat Pack:! To bring to our audience a form of timeless, creative music that remains significant. We try to play this music with energy, passion and abandon, and with the same sense of fun that Frank, Sammy and Dean had. We just do it without the tuxedos and the martinis and the cigarettes and the gambling and the guys named Jilly and the showgirls?. ?Showgirls. Hmm. Now there?s a thought". CD: ? Complete album in stereo BONUS DVD: ? Complete album in 5.1 surround sound
? New concert videos and recording session videos
? Big Phat Band Photo Gallery
? Big Phat Solo Transcriptions
? Bios of each member of the Big Phat Band
? The Big Phat Band Tivia Game featuring a special BONUS audio track
? Make your own mix of a Big Phat Band track
? Audio Commentary Gordon Goodwin discusses each track on The Phat Pack
? Bonus Big Phat Band interviews available with purchases via DVD Launcher
? Video Linear Notes
? Portable music files and bonus ROM content

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CD Reviews

The Phat Pack

Sandy Shore | Monterey, CA | 08/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is so much fun that you shouldn't be able to buy it over-the-counter. It needs to be in a locked cabinet where not just anybody can get their hands on it. You should have to register as a qualified jazz and extreme big band music investor before you can add it to your library. Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band is a total hoot, and this disc, THE PHAT PACK, is outrageously awesome, from the ever-so-tasty version of "Too Close for Comfort" featuring Dianne Reeves to the sizzling version of the AWB hit "Play That Funky Music," featuring David Sanborn to Take 6's exciting new spin on Sinatra's anthem, "It Was a Very Good Year." I personally don't think music gets any more satisfying and exciting than a tight, powerful big band, and that's what Mr. Goodwin's got here, with 18 top-of-the-line L.A. players and his Grammy winning compositions and charts. This is not your father's big band music! It's today's contemporary big band, featuring a synthesis of the classic big band style with much more contemporary jazz, pop, and R&B material. And it works big time, with dynamics, energy, hipness, and a sense of humor, too. Goodwin does not "dumb" his music down, but instead endeavors to make it uplifting. He says, "When you go see the Big Phat Band, I want you to leave feeling better than when you came in." Hey, it works exactly the same way when you listen to THE PHAT PACK CD! ~SCOTT O'BRIEN"

More of the same...

D. Hallberg | Goshen, IN | 06/30/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not gonna knock the playing on this cd, it's phenominal as usual. I'm not gonna knock the mix, it's good. I'm sure if this is the first Big Phat Band cd you've heard that you think it's one of the most amazing cd's you've ever heard. This, however, is not the case for me. I've listened to "Swingin' for the Fences" and "XXL" up and down, and even played a lot of tracks from them (even Count Bubba's Revenge from this most recent album) and this cd just seems just like the last two albums. Thats not a bad thing considering that these guys are the next big thing in big band, but I was hoping for something new, and a cd that includes 2 sequels on it is not that.

I loved the Eddie Daniels track, "Under the Wire," possibly the best bop tune these guys have done, but the rest is the same as there other songs. In the case of the swing tunes, intro by a small ensemble of instruments, usually woodwinds but not necessarily, followed by the adding in of most of the rest of the ensemble, if there's a soli then it comes in after that, solo section, breakdown section, return of the theme, but with more energy, end. In the more funk songs it's the same but with a guitar lick that gets stuck in your head at the beginning (see "Jazz Police" from XXL for more info). I'm probably being too harsh, but I have high standards for these people and have mostly been listening to Kenton and Herman lately, so Gordo has to compete with them, but for me, it was good, probably as good as the others, but the unoriginality hurt it."

The Hottest Big Band on the Planet

Jim Newsom | Norfolk, VA | 06/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This one came to me from out of the blue and it has blown me away. Grammy and Emmy winner Goodwin calls this a tribute to Frank, Sammy and Dean, but really it's a tour de force that transcends such a narrow description. Most of the thirteen tracks are originals, with guest stars stepping in on the cover tunes--David Sanborn's alto sax taking the lead on "Play That Funky Music," Dianne Reeves reprising "Too Close For Comfort" in a gorgeous arrangement, the unmistakable vocal blend of Take 6 on a swingin' ride through Sinatra's "It Was a Very Good Year." Surprisingly, though, it's those instrumental originals that will really knock you out. There's cartoon humor in "Hunting Wabbits 2" and "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," Latin fun on "La Almeia Pequiena," and `60s TV nostalgia on the title track and "Whodunnit?" And one cookin' band throughout. Who says big bands are dead? --Jim Newsom

Originally published in Port Folio Weekly, 6/20/06.

Copyright 2006 Port Folio Weekly. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission."

Phat Pack

L. Montgomery | 07/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're reading this page (and reviews) then you must have some sort of interest in the band. It would be a big mistake to pass up on this CD. It's incredible. At times it's hard to tell that more than one sax, or trumpet, or trombone is being played. The unison is incredible. This is "must have" at it's best. I give it 5 stars only because I can't give it 6."

Big Phat Genius

Giovanni C. Washington-Wright | Dallas, TX United States | 06/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is easily the most highly-anticipated big band record of the past several years (just check the internet - the buzz is incredible). It seems like the hype for a new BPB record gets started the day after the release of the most recent. Gordon and his L.A. wrecking crew have managed to pull off a nearly impossible feat - to top your last two efforts. I have had the good fortune of being able to hear some of the tracks (almost in their entirety) before the release -- and all I can say is... DAMN. I think people will be completely blown away by this record.

There are a lot of Generation-Y superlatives out there one could use to describe this band. One is "sick". Yet another is "nails". Whatever the case, this band is both -- and the bottom line is that they have continued to raise the bar. Their third release, "The Phat Pack", is even better than "Swingin' For The Fences" and "XXL" - and that's saying A LOT. I love how Gordon and the BPB have continued put all other bands on notice. It is not acceptable, at least not to this listener, to play "loose". Gordon's music has a lot moving parts that demand great precision - and what you'll hear is the tightest, most disciplined big band out there. Period. Every track here is a winner, THEN come the highlights. There are so many on this CD you'll need a mitt (and your Visa) to catch them all.

There are a lot of naysayers out there who say that this band is "too clean" or "it's no Basie band". Well, NO band swings harder than Basie did. Besides, whatever you believe, you have to admit that level of musicianship is absolute and undeniable. I feel that the BPB has carved out its own niche. If you want to hear a chart shredded, this is definitely the band you need to hear. NOBODY does what the BPB does as well and they do. My prediction: a "Best Large Jazz Ensemble" Grammy. Hear that NARAS? Gordon does it again. 5 million stars.

"