It looks like Gordon Goodwin and his Band have been on either the Paleo or Whole 30 diet. The leader looks slim and trim, and his band has lost some weight as well, thinning down to a svelt “Little Phat Band” of eight instead of the usual twenty. The new band, with “A New Car Smell” as Goodwin joked, has an album coming out in September, and this concert showed that, like all that lose some extra weight, was lighter, quicker and more flexible than the larger form.
Goodwin’s patented mix of swing and Carl Stallings was in perfect array as he got the rhythm team of Kevin Axt/b, Joey DeLeon/perc, Ray Brinker/dr and Andrew Synowiec/g into a vintage Louis Jordan 8 to the bar boogie on “Little Phat Shuffle.” The horn section of Wayne Bergeron/tp, Andy Martin/tb and Eric Marienthal/sax was Venice Beach muscular but Pilates lithe, with some rich punctuation on the funky Caribbean “Cot In The Act” that had the horns jab like Sugar Ray. Bergeron muted his horn to create some hip harmonies for the sleek and melodic “Behind You” while Goodwin showed off his tenor skills both here and in a nice arm wrestling match with Marienthal’s alto during the mix of Memphis Blues and Warner Brothers Cartoons of “An Elusive Man.”
A breezy “Samba Cya” had the rhythm team cantering at a sleek rate for Synowiec’s guitar, and the cheerful “Gararje Gato,” the sole piece from the Big Phat Band repertoire, was a salsa delight for the spicy percussion served by De Leon.
Goodwin’s Little Band is also able to handle jazz standards with aplomb, taking “In A Sentimental Mood” and letting Bergeron go Bel Canto with Goodwin’s gentle piano as a soft pilaf in support. Miles Davis’ “Walkin’” shuffled with style, and the closing “Caravan” was double-timed along with Axt’s sleek bass line. With the fun and quirky “Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” as an encore, Goodwin showed that whether as a heavy weight or middle weight, he is able to pack a knockout punch.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Ann Hampton Callaway Aug 12-14, Chick Corea Elektric Band Aug 17-24, Kenny Burrell Aug 26-28 and Carol Duboc Aug 30