After World War II, big bands became the exception instead of the rule in jazz. The main factor has been economics -- paying 18 or 20 musicians is a challenge. Many artists would like to record big band projects, but they don't have the budget for it. Composer/arranger/pianist Gordon Goodwin, however, did fulfill that ambition in 2000, when he assembled
the Big Phat Band and recorded Swingin' for the Fences. The list of players is nothing to be ashamed of; among the soloists are trumpeter
Arturo Sandoval, clarinetist
Eddie Daniels, and alto saxman
Eric Marienthal. Despite having such talent on board, nothing remarkable occurs. Nonetheless, the material is generally competent. Bop is prominent on this CD, and Goodwin's
Big Phat Band also gets into Afro-Cuban jazz ("Mueva los Huesos"), Brazilian jazz ("Samba del Gringo"), and jazz-funk ("There's the Rub"). Meanwhile, the opener, "Sing Sang Sung," is a swing ditty that is obviously based on Louie Prima's "Sing Sing Sing," which was a major hit for
Benny Goodman in the 1930s. Will Swingin' for the Fences go down in history as a big-band classic? No, but it's an adequate effort that has its moments. ~ Alex Henderson