“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.”
25 Years of Phatness: delivers eleven exciting Big Phat Band tracks of which three 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 31 on 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, creating 18-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 four Grammy Awards and was nominated 25 times and won three 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 twelve best-selling albums. It has toured Japan, performing at concerts of Gordon’s compositions and arrangements. The band’s 13th album 25 Years of Phatness is releasing this July.
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