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Gordon L. Goodwin (born 1954) is an American pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is the leader of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. He has won four Grammy Awards and three Daytime Emmy Awards, and has received over twenty Grammy nominations for his compositions and arrangements.


Biography

Gordon Goodwin was born in Wichita, Kansas. He wrote his first
big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
chart, called "Hang Loose", when he was in the 7th grade. He continued his musical education at Cal State Northridge with Joel Leach and Bill Calkins. Following graduation from college, Goodwin was employed as a musician at the
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theme park in Anaheim, California. Subsequently, Disney approached him to write a musical show featuring past and present
Mouseketeers ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised f ...
, including
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and
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice o ...
. Since then, Goodwin has risen to prominence in the American studio music scene with his big band, The Big Phat Band. He has written and worked with artists like Ray Charles, Christina Aguilera, Johnny Mathis, John Williams, Natalie Cole, David Foster, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, Leslie Odom Jr, Idina Menzel, Lang Lang, and Quincy Jones, to name a few. Goodwin is the host of a nationally syndicated jazz radio program called ''Phat Tracks with Gordon Goodwin'', also airing weekends on KSDS, San Diego’s 88.3 FM.


Discography

* '' Swingin' for the Fences'' (Immergent, 2001) * '' XXL'' (Silverline, 2003) * '' The Phat Pack'' (Silverline, 2006) * ''Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas'' (Immergent, 2006) * '' Act Your Age'' (Immergent, 2008) * '' Dave Siebels With: Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band'' (PBGL, 2009) * '' That's How We Roll'' ( Telarc, 2011) * '' Life in the Bubble'' (Telarc, 2014) * ''A Big Phat Christmas'' (Music of Content, 2015) *''The Gordian Knot'' (Music of Content, 2019) *''The Gordian Knot (Dolby Atmos Release)'' (Music of Content, 2020) *'' The Reset'' (Music of Content, 2021) Source:


Awards and honors

Goodwin has received many individual awards, including a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for Best Instrumental Arrangement for his work on the feature film ''
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.''


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

* 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) Source:


Daytime Emmy Awards

* Music Direction and Composition, ''
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'' (1998, 1999) * Outstanding Music Direction and Composition, '' Histeria!'' (2000)


Memberships

* Goodwin was initiated into the men's music fraternity,
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...
, as a National Honorary member and was made a Signature Sinfonian at the 55th National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2015.


See also

* List of jazz arrangers


References


Further reading


''Down Beat'' article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Gordon 1954 births American conductors (music) American male conductors (music) American jazz pianists American male pianists American jazz composers American music arrangers Animation composers Big band bandleaders California State University, Northridge alumni Grammy Award winners Living people 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists American male jazz composers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band members