Learning to play the trumpet is a demanding journey. It takes years of practice and a lot of self discipline for a student to master the trumpet. In the beginning years especially, it can seem like a daunting challenge, and many student trumpet players wonder if it’s worth it, considering all that it takes. What’s the point? Where’s the fun?

Thankfully, many of our Haydn Trumpets customers tell us they have stuck it out in the early years and made it into Middle and High School Jazz Bands. And that’s where the fun really begins.

To help illustrate this, we’ve added the music of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band to our online store. It’s a fantastic example of the fun and excitement that Big Band Jazz can be. From the quirky sounds of “Hunting Wabbits” (Goodwin spent years writing musical scores for cartoons) to the hauntingly beautiful trumpet solo on “Ever Braver, Ever Stronger”, Goodwin’s music - and the Phat Band players - are a real inspiration.

Goodwin and The Big Phat Band tour frequently and often appear at school events helping to promote Jazz education. Many of Goodwin’s compositions are available as sheet music and are very popular in school Jazz bands, especially his high-energy chart, “The Jazz Police.” Follow the links below to hear some samples of this great music and to learn more about Gordon Goodwin and The Big Phat Band. And add these CDs to your library today!

Swingin’ For The Fences CD — $9.95

Arranger/Composer and Two-time Emmy winner Gordon Goodwin calls upon an all-star lineup of L.A. session players and jazz greats to exercise their musical muscles on a wide variety of styles and genres while remaining true to the legacy of the great big bands. Swingin' For The Fences features incredible performances by Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Daniels, Brandon Fields, Eric Marienthal, Grant Geissman, Carl Verhayen, and more.

Track List (Click on song title to hear sample)

1. Sing Sang Sung
2. Count Bubba
3. Samba Del Gringo
4. Bach 2 Part Invention In D Minor
5. I Remember
6. Swingin' For The Fences
7. Mueva Los Huesos (Shake Your Bones)
8. Second Chances
9. There's The Rub
10. A Few Good Men

XXL CD — $9.95

Gordon Goodwin has built a bigger-than-life reputation with his composing, arranging, and musical instrumentation skills. He combines all these talents on XXL, his second creation as ringleader for the Big Phat Band. After three Emmy Awards and two Grammy nominations, Gordon is still hungry for more. The Big Phat Band is Gordon’s creation…and his muse. XXL finds a stable full of LA’s best Jazz players — Eric Marienthal, Eddie Daniels, Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, and others eighteen deep — wailing alongside their leader. These players have over a dozen Top-10 Jazz albums under their collective belt. Their passion drives Gordon over the top! Add three more guest performances and the mix hits full steam. Seven-time Grammy winning vocal group Take 6 checks in for two cuts. Billboard chart-topper Brian McKnight breathes new soul into the Jazz classic “Comes Love.” And Johnny Mathis, the man who needs no introduction, arrives to “Let The Good Times Roll.” XXL finds Gordon Goodwin at the top of his game. Virtuoso performances abound on the record, by Gordon and all his key companions. Traditional big band music feels more alive than ever. The electric energy at Gordon’s sold-out west coast gigs can only testify that the man has something cooking.

Track List (Click on song title to hear sample)

1. High Maintenance
2. A Game Of The Inches featuring Michael Brecker
3. Comes Love featuring Brian McKnight and Take 6
4. Thad Said No featuring Eddie Daniels
5. Hunting Wabbits
6. The Quiet Corner
7. Horn Of Puente
8. It's Alright With Me featuring Take 6
9. The Jazz Police
10. Mozart 40th Symphony in G Minor featuring Eddie Daniels
11. What Sammy Said
12. Let The Good Times Roll

The Phat Pack CD — $9.95

When most people think of big band music, images of black and white fuzzy newsreels featuring classic jazz masters are usually conjured up. What was once simply associated with the past has been given a reworking. Gordon Goodwin has assembled a knockout group of musicians from the LA area to forge a swinging jazz sound that certainly is not your father’s big band ensemble! Mixing solid musicianship, stellar arrangements, crisp, tight recordings, and standout guest artists, the Big Phat Band has raised the bar of the concept of a “big band” to a creative new level.

Track List (Click on song title to hear sample)

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)