Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 2026)

The Things They Say!

This is a good opportunity to say thanks to BSH for their support of the jazz scene in the North East (and beyond) - it's no exaggeration to say that if it wasn't for them many, many fine musicians, bands and projects across a huge cross section of jazz wouldn't be getting reviewed at all, because we're in the "desolate"(!) North. (M & SSBB on F/book 23/12/24)

Postage

18621 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 485 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 14) 37

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

From This Moment On

June

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 24: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 25: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 25: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Forgotten Ones & Any Quintets.
Thu 25: Edgar Ho Trio @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free. Brilliant alto sax, piano & double bass trio. Unmissable!
Thu 25: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 26: Finn-Keeble Group @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9:00.
Fri 26: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 26: Clark Tracey @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. £26.00. Day 1/2.

Sat 27: OUTRI @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £13.01. 1:00-1:45pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Richardson & Westgarth Sport & Social Club, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal. Note change of venue.
Sat 27: House of the Black Gardenia + Magpies of Swing @ The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sat 27: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 2:15-3:15pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 3:45-4:45pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Rory Ingham @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 5:30-6:30pm. £19.51. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Ingham w. Dean Stockdale, Ian Paterson, Dave McKeague.
Sat 27: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 27: Laura Jurd @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £26.00. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Sat 27: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary’s Church, Wooler. 3:00pm. £18.00., £6.00. A Wooler Arts Summer Concerts event. Tim Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: An Evening of Jazz @ St James’ Church, Copper Chare, Morpeth. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 from 01670 788869 or 01670 519923. Mid Northumberland Chorus (MD Robin Forbes, Emma Straughan, piano) w. jazz trio featuring Edgar Ho, Oscar Ho & Dave McKeague & special guest Emily Masser. Performance inc. Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass + George Shearing’s Songs & Sonnets.
Sun 28: Led Bib @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.00., £12.00. JNE.

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 30: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 30: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thursday, June 18, 2026

GoodGunn Creative, Inc. Announces the Release of “25 Years of Phatness." - An Album Celebrating the Genius of Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band™

July 15, 2026 - Locust Valley, NY – Vangie Gunn-Goodwin in conjunction with GoodGunn Creative, Inc. has announced the impending release of “25 Years of Phatness.” This exciting new album features the Grammy® and Emmy®-winner, Gordon Goodwin and his Big Phat Band, along with vocalist Vangie Gunn-Goodwin performing 11 spectacular Gordon Goodwin compositions and arrangements.

This recording, the last recorded before Gordon’s tragic passing, is without doubt the most impactful of Gordon’s  and the Phat Band’s celebrated and award-winning career. With 11 tracks, including 8 previously unreleased and a trio updated by Gordon for 2026 is a stone killer,” stated Vangie Gunn-Goodwin. She added: “Gordon works were always not only brilliant and a platform for all of the great Phat Band members, but also a labor of love for him. This album continues to place Gordon in the pantheon as one of our greatest jazz composer/arrangers.”

Interview Contact: Vangie Gunn-Goodwin vangiegunnvocal@gmail.com  or Vangievocal@gmail.com

25 Years of Phatness:” delivers 11 exciting Big Phat Band tracks of which 3 are updated Goodwin classics – “Sing Sang Sung 25,” “Hunting Wabbits 25” and “Jazz Police 25.” There is a wonderful hip take on “A Taste of Honey” with Herb Alpert stopping by to join the band! The Phat Band ensemble is comprised of L.A.’s top studio players including Phat legends Wayne Bergeron, Andy Martin, Brian Sanlon and more recent members including Dan Kaneyuki and Aaron Janik 

“This project is one of the most exciting – and challenging – efforts Gordon has ever written for the band. Challenging? You bet. Killing woodwinds and screaming brass? Ditto,” Stated longtime Big Phat Band historian and renowned arranger/composer, Gio Washington-Wright. “The new material represents Gordon at the zenith of his most creative and his updated versions of Jazz Police, Sing Sang Sung and Hunting Wabbits will re-invigorate both the performers and listeners,” Washington-Wright added.

“25 Years of Phatness” will release on July 31on the GoodGunn Creative, Inc. label and will be available streamed and on CD and vinyl.

Gordon Goodwin was a renowned American jazz pianist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger, best known as the leader of the Grammy-winning Big Phat Band. He was a prominent figure in Los Angeles studio music, creating18-piece big band arrangements that blended swing with contemporary funk. Gordon started his career performing at Disneyland and later was commissioned to write shows for the Disney Company. He conceived and founded the 18-member ensemble in 1999 and it soon became a staple of modern big band jazz, renowned for technical prowess and tight, high-energy arrangements. Goodwin worked on over 80 productions, arranging and composing for movies such as The Incredibles (for which he earned a Grammy), Armageddon, National Treasure, Con Air, and Remember the Titans. He also composed for Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. He worked with legendary artists including Ray Charles, Christina Aguilera, Quincy Jones, Johnny Mathis, and Natalie Cole. He also hosted the nationally syndicated jazz radio program, Phat Tracks with Gordon Goodwin.  He won 4 Grammy Awards and was nominated 25 times and won 3 Daytime Emmy Awards. He was recognized for his contribution to music education through his clinics and arrangements and method books. Goodwin passed away on December 8, 2025, at age 70 in Los Angeles. His legacy is eternal as long as his music is enjoyed by its listeners and as it played by musicians worldwide. 

Vangie Gunn-Goodwin is a highly accomplished American session singer, vocal contractor, and songwriter based in Southern California, renowned for her work in film, television, and video games. She is known as the lead singer of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band and for her contributions to projects like Zootopia and Spider-Man: No Way Home. She has worked on hundreds of projects, including Family Guy, Phineas and Ferb ("Go Candace," "Evil Tonight"), World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty. She has been the lead singer for Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, appearing on albums like The Reset and The Gordian Knot. She has taught commercial music voice and directed choirs at various Southern California universities. Vangie has acted as a vocal consultant for Disneyland's Magic Music Days. 

Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band  has been a worldwide phenomenon, since Gordon’s founding the ensemble in 1999. Comprised of some of the greatest musicians in the Southern California area including Vangie Gunn-Goodwin, Wayne Bergeron, Dan Fornero, Ray Brinker, Brian Scanlon, Alex Iles, and many others, the band has released 12 best-selling albums. It has toured Japan, performing of  Gordon’s compositions and arrangements. The band’s 13th album 25 Years of Phatness is releasing this July.   

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