Gordon Goodwin's Little Phat Band

Musicians at Play Foundation presents Gordon Goodwin's Little Phat Band at the Salit Conservatory of Music! Get ready for an unforgettable night filled with amazing music. Join us on Monday, April 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM for an evening you won't forget.

Come early for a Red Carpet VIP Reception at 6:00 PM with a special presentation by Ovation TV and Spectrum as they present the nationwide 2025 Stand for the Arts Award for excellence in the Arts.

Gordon Goodwin’s Little Phat Band

Gordon Goodwin (piano and tenor sax), Wayne Bergeron (trumpet), Brian Scanlon (alto and tenor sax), Ido Meshulam (trombone), Andy Waddell(electric and acoustic guitar), Kevin Axt (electric and acoustic bass), Ray Brinker (drums) and Joey De Leon (percussion) and Vangie Gunn (Vocals) – fills the diverse Little Phat Band with regal swing, elegant be-bop and effulgent Latin jazz rhythms along with soulful jazz funk jams. Throughout the collection adeptly balancing serious and somber with playful fun and quirk, astute musicianship is on full display with the players granted more room to bob and weave spontaneously than in the tightly-scripted big band settings to which they are typically confined.

Having amassed 25 Grammy nominations, four statues and three Emmy wins, Gordon Goodwin is the most decorated big band leader in the 21st century. Gordon is not elusive about why he trimmed his large 18-piece ensemble for an outing as the 10-member Little Phat Band.

“It represents another side of my interest in jazz with more emphasis on improvisation and letting the musicians explore things in a way that they can’t do in a larger ensemble. The music I write for this band covers a wide range of styles, from swing to Latin to funk and more. The eight musicians who join me in making up the Little Phat Band are all members of the Big Phat Band and are, to a man, the most accomplished and versatile musicians that I know,”

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