Fans look forward to the posthumous recording by Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band’s “25 Years of Phatness,” expected to be released in July. The multi-Grammy award winning arranger, composer, producer, pianist and saxophonist died Dec. 8 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 70. But his music talents will live on forever and continue to inspire future musicians.
“One of the most significant aspects of Gordon’s life is the impact he had and will continue to have on young musicians,” said Doug McIntyre, a writer and longtime friend. “He was an evangelist for jazz and big bands, dedicating a great deal of his time to giving clinics for young musicians and writing arrangements for high school and college students to learn from.”
A memorial and tribute concert was held in Thousand Oaks on Dec. 30. An estimated 2,500 friends, musicians and aficionados attended the gathering featuring his “Big Phat Band.”
Goodwin left behind his wife, Vangie Gunn-Goodwin, his mother, six children and two grandchildren.
A three-time Emmy Award winner, Goodwin, a Moorpark resident, was the most grammy-nominated big-band arranger in history with 24 nominations and four wins, including one for the Big Phat Band’s celebrated version of the Gershwin classic “Rhapsody in Blue.”
Goodwin’s musical talents were first recognized when he wrote his first big band arrangement in the 7th grade.
While a student at Cal State Northridge, Goodwin shuttled between Anaheim for his regular piano gig at Disneyland and classes in the San Fernando Valley where he wrote the score for the camp classic film, “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.”
Eventually, Goodwin would compose more than 80 television and film projects too numerous to mention.
Goodwin’s musical talents were recognized worldwide, but those in the United States also paid tribute to him via Facebook.
The Maryland-based United States Army Field Band post painted him as a “towering figure in American big band writing and a voice that shaped generations of musicians. His unforgettable melodies, playful wit and famously demanding lines were the hallmarks of a style that became the soundtrack of so many players’ formative years.”
The group’s jazz ambassadors performed with Gordon in 2012 and referred to it as “an experience remembered with deep fondness both on and off the bandstand. Thank you, Gordon, for everything you gave to this art form. Your sound lives on.”
Johnny Mathis, a bestselling singer and recording artist known for his distinctive romantic and velvety tenor voice, knew Goodwin for decades.
“His skills and abilities had no boundaries because as a musician, he was not mortal,” Mathis wrote Dec. 9 on his Facebook page. “I have always treasured our friendship as well as our musical association and am honored and proud to have called him my friend. I love and will miss him as he made the world of music a much better place.”
Arturo Sandoval, a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, timbalero and composer, has painted Goodwin as an extraordinary artist, an exceptional musician, a brilliant composer and arranger and a creative force whose voice was unmistakable from the very first measure.
“For me, this loss feels even more personal, because I had the honor of collaborating with Gordon on several occasions—on projects and recordings—and I can honestly say I was a big fan of his remarkable talent,” Sandoval wrote Dec. 9 on his Facebook page. “Gordon had that rare combination of genius and heart. His writing was powerful, elegant, and full of life. His sense of swing, color, and musical storytelling was unique. He could be sophisticated without losing emotion, and bold without losing beauty. That is a true gift.”
Nine-time grammy nominee jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton also knew Goodwin for decades, shared a rhythm section with him at one point and had good-natured banters between them.
“It was an honor for me to be associated with him in this way,” Sutton posted Dec. 9 on her Facebook page. “Gordon wrote several big band charts based on my band’s arrangements and I will treasure them always. Gordon was the best. Gordon set the bar. His legacy will, no doubt, continue to do that for a very, very long time. You did very well down here Gordon. Rest well and enjoy watching your legacy and influence continue.”