Bob Seymour With; Bandleader Gordon Goodwin

It comes on and I'm happy with that. Well I don't have to know why that why that word. That's right. That's the trouble about it. Other people have different you know point of view there. You can you hear me OK then. Yeah yeah I hear you fine. All right. You know just from a conversation I was having a minute ago with Terry plumeria out there. Refresh me memory. Well he's a he's a jazz bass player he grew up here and he just moved back but he's about kind of half in St. Pete Beach and half L.A. these days but he's done a lot of film scores over the last 15 years he's got a trio record coming out that I'm going to premiere here. He's a bass player who specializes in ARCO and he's got David Gold Latin Barbra in the trio. Yeah and then he also conducts the Moscow Philharmonic pretty often so he's got like a whole bunch of stuff going on. I got away going to school. I don't I don't think I know him but I know the guy OK. Yeah. But I know you know Chuck Well the level looks pretty good I think. This and so I'll probably use a little of this

just to do a feature some time when it's convenient to do a little feature on the band sometime soon but probably save it. We connect like we're talking again as November approaches will be here in no time. Yeah look at it. And I just just today got a chance to look at the DVD of the first record which was a real treat to me to send you the dual disc version yes. Yeah I hadn't had the dual disc Merson before and always liked the record but it was a whole new thing to see in the DVD. Yeah yeah we can def a talk about that in the whole building thing which is that you know I don't like to have a second life on those first two records to get re released in their own back in the system again in a new format all right now. So as we speak. We just learned that on the exciting new jazz masterworks

concert series the Choco and the Jazz are hosting in the upcoming season that while the whole schedule has not been announced that you have been you are coming in and we look forward to that. How far back do you and Chuck go. Well Chuck Owen was a grad assistant take out the North Ridge when I was. I believe my last couple years there in the mid 70s and so I first met him and he was Joel leaches assistant. And you know the guy was writing some amazing charts and then we became friends in college and then decided after that that we would jump into the folly of leading a big band together. Of course you know little did I know how easy that was with another guy to help with the phone calls and the logistics and all that because the course of did it all myself. But but we decided that our writing was kind of different enough that complemented each other that it would be an interesting concept for a band so it was kind of a test run for me

for the big fat band because we you know we got a couple of gigs you know but mostly we just kind of rehearsed and I got some understanding some of the some of the skills required to you know corral 17 18 players of space. You know kind of players we have here in that band and in my band currently you know 17 you know virtuosos and seven see strong personalities and how do you get them to work together in the best way and in so you know it was the then early in the port education that I you know went there with Chuck Bass in those days so you were actually a band. Yeah yeah we were diverse once a week and you know we just alternate the chart is do a chart of mine and and it was it was you know back in those times you know we didn't have other work to speak of. You know you just kind of start now in the music business. So you had a lot of time. So it's it's not a luxury I get now with the big fat bang guys because they're all just so busy doing recording sessions and shows that you know for her saying forget it. It's just very hard.

It even though they all would be happy for her so once in a while we get lucky and get one in. But if a guy you know gets a session or a jingle or something and you know I can't really ask him to turn it down to do or personal you know not even if I paid him 50 bucks IT workers still isn't you know isn't enough so we didn't have to contend with that issue back in those days and everyone had you know plenty of time and good will to get together and work on the music. It's obviously a real labor of love for the guys to play your music and as you say they are all top professionals who stay plenty busy. But the sense of fun and joy from the time that I've been able to see your band just leaps off the stage and I have to say from seeing you guys at that amazing concert in Long Beach early this year at the Jazz educators conference you would announce Andy Martin and the trombone section or a Wayne version run in the trumpet section and it was like a rock n roll concert.

These kids were standing up and hooting and hollering. And what a joy for any of us who love big band music to see that kind of reaction. Isn't that a cracker you know and I have to say that. I'm happy to hear you say that you know that the fun that we have playing together is is translating coming across because you know playing to a studio where you know it's it's well compensating and you get to play a lot of good music and you also have to play a lot of bad music and whatever if it is a good or bad. It's all anonymous and it's very craftsman like so you go and you play the first cue and you get it perfect and then OK next to you and it's just on to the next where is live performing you know you interact with an audience you get immediate feedback as to what you're doing and that's something that we've discovered that we miss you know it's been many years since and you know the band's been in existence now for five years and you know in the 10 to 15 years before that when I did I didn't do a lot of live performing and a lot of the guys did. So once we got back on the stage it was something we found that we that's how we started playing in the first place.

But you didn't really plan this to be a live performance band that much did you know we did not at all I get a lot from my experience with the band I had with shock and how hard that was and you know you're just banging against the infrastructure of the music business nowadays that is. Big bands aren't relevant there. They're old fashioned. They're expensive. They're you know they're all those things and to various degrees you could make arguments that they're right. But for us we don't care because we've been playing big game music since we you know virtually started playing our instruments you know in junior high school and we have a love for you know and I would do it. Well I don't get paid to do it would push comes to shove I'm still probably losing money to do it. But that doesn't matter to me because it's just it's where I live you know and it's and it's I think the most important work that I do is the work with a big fat band. Certainly it's the most rewarding you know for me. So we see kids come to the concert you know high school kids and middle school kids that are responding to this music. It's a you know it's kind

of coming full circle because that's how I was when I was you know in middle school and I first heard a count basi record and said man what is this. This is awesome. And it was almost when I heard that first Count Basie record it was called basically straight ahead with the ranges by Sammy Nestico I said man I know what this is. You know I know what this sound is and I think I could maybe do this. You know I mean as aware as anybody is as a seventh grader you know that you know. There's no reason that that joy and power in a jazz orchestra shouldn't translate to any generation isn't it. Well you know that's a it's really a very rewarding thing when I get after a concert and then a kid will come up with his mom and dad and his grandparents and all three generations have found some way to connect their you know grandparents maybe saw it the first time around when they went to see Glenn Miller spandex Benny Goodman or something you know on in the kids. I mean a lot of times kids are getting exposed to this music through other ways like on a film like The Incredibles that I did some

work on and a lot of guys that have been played on the soundtrack as big band the whole thing. So whether they know it or not they're kind of hearing the sound. And and I think that's key you know for them for people to hear the sound and not think well this is museum music for them to kind of perceive it as you know it it's it's contemporary you know it's and it's and it's so relevant today. Yeah. You worked on The Incredibles and last year Coach Carter a national treasure and done a lot of work for animation is that still your primary what pays the bills. Yeah it's pretty much the orchestration and conducting I do it on film. Kind of subsidizes the fat ban and I don't want to over state it but because I have a I have a record label silver lamb records and they've been very supportive. You know we have a we have a you know five or six people that are helping to keep that show on the road. But I really need to have you know my health insurance is through the union work I do on movies. So that keeps the bills the bills paid the lights on and then I can devote you know my creative energy to

that. And for those who haven't seen the name of this band in print we're talking about right. That's right. Yeah there it is this. So you know we we tried that on I was going man I don't want to get hype with this thing but I did want to try to find a name for the band that showed that it was a combination of you know the best things about you know big bands in the tradition but also it's you know kind of cool in contemporary clothes. So maybe maybe that does it. You know it's probably a dated term in the rap in the you know hip hop particular by now but I don't really care what you call it you know it's always you come to the concert. Well we didn't know whether to file under G or B but we ended up filing a big fat band and we look forward to a lot more. One place that you kind of pay attention to the tradition and update it and have some fun with it is the opening track from swinging for the fences from a few years ago that's now out in the dual disc format going to re released where you had two

of the greatest and most powerful instrumentals guests with your band to both Eddie Daniels an oratorio sound of all right and they played on this tune which was my tribute to Sing Sing Sing Benny Goodman too. Written by Louis Prima and I kind of basically took all the elements that go into that thing you think think compositionally and wrote my own version of it. It's called seeing things and it's you know like I say our tribute to that to that sound and that which is of course you know that was a that too was a groundbreaking song and you know if you ask people what they think about when they hear a big band that song is kind of the one that comes to mind. So we thought that would be a good lynchpin you know kind of a thing that people could relate to because it would catch their ears a bit. Really it's it's things being thing but it's in the never stepped in and I think both the Eddie and arterial some of them on that track and definitely happy to get those guys on the record.

At this year's concert at the convention before such a huge and appreciative crowd you premiered a new piece with Eddie Daniels who most of us who pay attention I think would agree that he's just the top of the game on his instrument and that was a phenomenal piece is that something you record it. Done. Is that right. Yeah. The piece is called under the wire. And he did his part a week ago as we speak. And it is phenomenal. You know I don't want to overstate that either but Eddie I mean I used to play the clarinet so I know how hard it is. So for him to be that good on any instrument much less the clarinet you know is really mind boggling to me. So we were you know it's really great that we're able to kind of capture that performance and that'll be on our upcoming CD coming out. I remember your saying in concert that it was just it bothered you a little that he was able to just nail it right from the start.

He thought I read it you know I read it over the phone and I think you know I hate you you know that. That's not right. You could but because I tried to make it hard because I knew I had it again. So I said well you know if you've got somebody like that let's push it you know. So I tried to write something you know that would maybe you know trip them up for a second and a half and you know get his arms around it and off he went. One of the guys in your band would say to that. On the one hand your music is approachable for stage bands and a lot of bands at the high school level I think around the country take to playing your music and going after the things you publish. But on the other hand it's not easy music is it. No it isn't. It isn't easy for my guys either. And the funny thing is you know the very first gig that we did with the band there was some question as to if we could get through the night. Because you know when you're in the studio recording this music it's kind of like a series of Britain's you know so you get the first you know you just attack it you get a good take. Take a break take a break get back to the next one whereas at a concert it's like running a long marathon.

But you know we had to put 10 of these charts up you know one after another. And over the couple of gigs we learned how to pace ourselves you know physically because it is a very basic for the brass section a very physically demanding you know thing to do. Now you know I mean we play an hour and a half straight concerts you know. And and they've just grown to do it and I think what I tell the men directors and kids that are that are trying to play this music. If they get 70 percent there even if they don't get up to you know to the you know 90 percent or whatever they're still can improve you know for through the effort I think so. And I think one of the things that is is working is that the kids can kind of look at Wayne Bergeron. Very little Andy Martin the guys at our band kind of make it direct. Ok fine work in this. That's what these guys they used to be me and now they're doing that. You know so I think our recordings are kind of a good guide for them. As Serge just had a kickoff for the new series with Gerald Wilson leading the

band a couple of weeks ago and as he was talking between each of the audience he just explained that got him to come up with something to tell you so the guys can rest a little between songs and pace themselves or you know I you know caught the history of jazz classes that Cal State Northridge he was one of the main reasons I went to that school is that right. Yeah cause I knew every Wednesday night he'd be there in room 159 teaching his class it was a very popular just general education class but these you get and I trailing around like a little puppy and ask him questions and hang with him and you know and to this day he's. We were both nominated for a Grammy the same year and I ran into him in New York and before the Grammys and he goes Man I hope you win. I go you are ridiculous. I hope that you and you know give these you know that you're such a great great man in your heart as he was walking jazz history when you were an undergraduate. And here he is 86 still teaching at UCLA.

Yeah I didn't that that gives you hope you know. Yeah you know what you find out. What do you love. And that's what you do and that's something that I found out by starting the fat band again. You know after you know a decade and a half of not really doing much big band music and I was still making a living and I had training to do classical music and you know rock n roll different other styles. But when I came home to the big band thing which is where I first got inspired about music well that's when things started to fall in place and you know it's I don't know is it a cliche it is a noble concept but you know I guess it bears repeating that you find out what you love to do that you just no reason to stop. You know here he is out of the 85 85 I think 6 now. Yeah there you go. Let's hear another tune. You have done Mozart on one CD featuring Eddie Daniels on the more recent one and the same one as the sing sang sung on swinging for the fences you included a Bach two part invention. Is that

something you've always enjoyed mixing up Jazz Orchestra arrangements. Well I used to drive my teachers in college not that they they didn't appreciate what I take. You know Bach two part inventions and Mandy just slid into jazz so easily. Mama certainly the first guy that done that. But that he used to hate that. But I always thought it was an easy thing. And and so and it always been a big source of inspiration to me also composers Bach and Mozart. So it's interesting the reaction I get because some people a lot of classical musicians really like it and some jazz purists do not like it and don't understand it and find it somehow offensive. I don't know why but for me. I have I have a really wide appreciation for a lot of styles. You know I love classical music a lot of Latin music I love jazz. Straight ahead jazz. I love you know R&B speedy what I mean is a lot a lot a lot of things that go into kind of what that band sound is that are you know so for me it was a natural

thing to combine those two. And then to get also a guy like Eddie Daniels who is classically trained but also consummate you know reviser And so he lives in both of those worlds. Yeah the Bach two part invention was is a real favorite. And I thought your arrangement really worked on that. Thanks so much. Well part of the part of the appeal to a younger generation with this music is that part of the appeal of your appeal to the younger generation with the music I think comes to in the high tech approach your things are produced with the DVD and the just the music itself with real high tech approach. And like a high tech pop record you really paid attention to that aspect. Yeah. You know that's the world that we you know work in all the time in our other studio where you do work that we do. And a lot of the concepts. I mean Quincy Jones was a model for me in that regard you know because here's another guy who you know grew up

in big band had his own big band you know basically you know charts with Sinatra all that'll thing. And then he grew up and went on to define a whole new production style with you know in pop music so I thought you know what we need to take the best of both of those worlds. The spontaneity of jazz with kind of the attention to detail the music has and so can you find a way to combine those without polluting either one of them and that's always been a trick and a lot of it is like for our records if you listen to pop records the bass and the drums the rhythm section are pretty hot you know. You know in the mix. Whereas in the jazz things where's the rhythm section typically it's in the back of the band you know and the you know traditional miking thing it's just going to be a more distant sound so we kind of change that a little bit in terms of how we mix and our engineer is a guy named Tommy Waqar who work as it were done a lot of work for Quincy. You know he's a guy that I understand came up with the idea of let's push the drums up a little bit. The danger is of course you don't want to overwhelm the rest of the sections

and lose the subtleties of the dynamics so we can always have that in mind but that combined with you know the different recording to Pro Tools we're not using tape anymore you know and recording with a high sample rate nice 6K and all that stuff which is you know I start to nod off when I talk too much about the text. You know but. I think that's all that's all part of it and the DDC thing was just the way I mean we did a surround sound mix on our DVDs of all the music so if you put it in your home theater sit in a system it's like you're sitting in the middle of the trombone section while the band plays. It's just it just surrounds you and it's where you could really feel the power of the big band you know in an amazing way. But also we were able to put a lot of special features that take you really inside the music like with the videos of the guys in the recording session and in commentaries and interviews and photos and we've got a section where you make your own mix where you can go through a new different section and just listen to the sax is alone is that right. Just listen to the trumpets or you know. So there's a lot of

interaction that we've been able to put on the DVD side in the new release that has just come out. Actually I should call it a release because our first two records were released on the dual disc format. And what that is is a CD on side one side flip it over and as a DVD on the other side. So it's one disc it'll play and you know your car will play in your laptop it'll play you know your home theater system and I think. I think it's a good value I think they're only charging maybe hell bucks more than the cost of the CD to buy it and you get a lot of lot of great value for it. And yeah the good news about this for the industry is that everybody has jumped on the bandwagon here like I think the new Bruce Springsteen record is going to be the only no more. So you know that we'll see how it out but that's kind of what what direction the industry is going. Just have the chance to as we speak to see the

swinging for the fences and it's really impressive. You can do everything sort of rehearse in the band herself. And that very transparent clean production also means the performance has got to be first rate doesn't it. Boy I tell you you know what there's nowhere to hide because what you do. So it's a surround sound thing. You've got three speakers in the front and you've got a couple in the back. And so you can create this you know image like the bands in a circle. Just read everything out. And you can you could pick out every part you wanted to listen to the third trombone There he is in so as opposed to a stereo image where you know it's it's a little bit more of a unified sound but there's a little more room for error. But with the surround sound if you're not perfectly tight if you're not perfectly in tune it's obvious and so you know that that's kind of added to our issues as far as going to get this music on tape but you know if you when you get it right it's pretty pretty cool you know.

You lead the band from the piano do you still play in the saxophone section sometimes. No no I don't not right now. I've it's kind of evolved that I play the piano. I can conduct easier you know from that environment and I take a couple of sax solos you know every gig that you know actually bring the harmony with. Yeah why would I bring my out my tenor my soprano but you know you got their experience also. Brian Scanlon Jeff Driskel and Jay Mason in the front row all those guys are going to stand up and kill. You know I mean that's a problem with an all star band. You've got all these guys that can improvise. I mean I get to show you Bob I spend hours putting it together I mean and I know because I want to balance it so everybody gets you know an equal amount of solos. Everyone kind of it's a balance program you know everyone plays on the tunes that they're best at. And sometimes it's very he drives me nuts I mean I know I do three or four versions of each set. Which is a far cry from the old days where you see a band get on stage and say what you want to play. Number 11. You got it. All right everybody you know and if we try to report you're more like a pop that does you know it's like you know it's it's more of a show.

You know now we're not flipping a horse up and down you know doing choreography as you teach but but I think you owe the audience to be kind a little more together. You know they pay their money. Let's you know let's give them a type of you know presentation and without climbing too high in the soap box I mean I think maybe jazz musicians over the years have neglected that reaching meeting their audience halfway you know what I mean. I mean I think it's everybody's got to do what they got to do but I think if you think about the whole thing about Miles turn his back on the audience maybe guys took that too literal you know and just say hey this is my art you like me you don't like me. Well guess what. Yes as a 3 percent market place shared out loud music you know for whatever their faults are you know they've have they found out how to market their music and you know and like it or not that's a that's an important part of you know you know to reach an audience with what you're doing and so people would disagree

clearly about that and again there's a good argument to be made and I'm not advocating you don't do honest music I think you have to be honest about who you are artistically but we do live in a world where things are packaged and marketed is and sold and. Somehow they have to co-exist they think it was quite a piece in The New York Times just a couple of months ago. Are you still doing quite a bit of high school work from time to time or high school or college is on the run the country. Yeah we do quite a bit of that and I you know if you think about it that is where the big men survive for a while and maybe even still need to look at Maynard Ferguson's career exactly. If you think about like Stang can you know where he was one of the first guys that you know took his band into the universities and I mean I went to the clinic when I was at you know a little kid out of Redlands university you know California and it was an amazing experience to spend a week with this with those guys in that band. But I think that we're a big band kind

of way you know there's not a lot of clubs. It's expensive all the things we talked about so that music has survived in the last you know a few decades and in the schools and so so it's been it's been a really good I think environment for us to go in and you know we play in front of audiences like the wanted IAG How can you not get excited about that you know about kids who are hearing this music and responding. So over racially and so that we definitely enjoy doing that. That was for many of us in the audience an unforgettable experience to see that kind of reaction to it with the band. Well fortunately in that caught the attention of the New York Times we could get that article that mean they're not going to put an article about a big band no matter how good it is. But a bunch of kids responding to big band music all now they understood that they may Ok here's an angle you know that we can ride on one of the tunes we've liked around here is the one that features trumpeter Wayne burger on

one day. More recent XXL really this really shows the different side of the band and that is both his great trumpet work and let the right write it we that's a that's a staple of our of our our live concerts and of course Wayne. It's a highlight of the concert. I can't put it third. I've got to put that maybe next to last almost every time so that means away Bergeron is back there plainly trumpet on most of our charts and then he has to save some gas for the for that too. And there's no way what if you get a phone on that he's got it you know he's got to go for it and I thought last year we had an emergency appendectomy right. Again two weeks later he was on stage a plan or a point day and he had a stool that night sneak out of it sitting down. But he you know this. That kind of musician and just pure athlete that when Version One is on the on that horn.

Another song on the same CD I have to sell you was responsible for one of the funniest and most vitriolic voicemails I have ever had from a listener saying how can you call that jazz. And what would it be except your piece called the jazz police. That sent some listener right over the edge and I had to left that it was actually the song called The Jazz police that she didn't like being played at 4:00 in the morning. That well that that just shows to go you there. You know that's an extreme. It's almost tongue in cheek. You know it's kind of a rock n roll. Any man 20 Jones kind of you know fun it's not meant to be high art you know. But I don't think there's anything wrong with having some fun right later on the album we do. Mozart you know so it's kind of the you know the very next piece that's right exactly so. So I think clearly not everybody likes everything and and the title gets the lease is almost kind of a joke based on that.

Well we got the joke anyway. OK well I apologize. My apologies. You're let me out of trouble. Sure she must elect the next piece. Yes. You see the band has got the closing slot is that right. Next month's Playboy Jazz Festival. That's right replaying the ball on June 12 and it's going to be great. We're very really excited and proud to be involved in a festival like like that one. And to say nothing of having the final slot the final slot. Exactly and I think that they are trying to keep people in the seats because you know you've got two days of jazz I think. So the concert starts at maybe 2:00 in the afternoon. So you're there and you get to be about 9:00 o'clock at night people start to go in to see what time is it going to get to work tomorrow. I get out of here and I and I so I think they're hoping if they put a big band like a big you know thing up there that they will get it gets everybody's attention and so we're hoping to do that but

for us it's it's really great to have that have the opportunity and a lot of us have played at the ball plenty of times. I first played there in high school they had a thing called the Battle of the bands at the Hollywood Bowl. So I played a number of times there but this is the first time I've gotten back with my own band so it's going to be really really exciting. That's great. And on your itinerary in the fall. Yeah we're well right now. The Walt Disney Company is opening a new theme park in Hong Kong which is kind of a significant thing you know for for you know kind of like capitalism into you know China that you think I heard was that China has a population of 14 year olds there almost is as much as our total U.S. population. So you get a piece of that little market so they they're opening a theme park. We're going back to places concerts including some work with Hong Kong for Monica incident. It's basically like their big open press event. So it's going to be that's

going to be a really unique thing to get the band back there and we're hoping to play a few other gigs while we're back there as well. That sounds terrific. What can we look forward to assume you've heard Chuck's band The jazz. I heard I'm in New York Yeah two years ago. We're very proud of that band and how they stayed together for a decade now and it's receded and we look forward to with your visit in the fall. That's a good question it would Chuck and I are talking about. What to do. Because clearly I'll probably be bringing back a lot of the big fat band music. And I think probably all approach it in the same way that I do with my band. I mean I'm sure I want to play piano in place and you know solos with the group but they have such great musicians in that band of what I want to do is tear them loose on the charts you know and it's going to be really for me you know I'm kind of used to hearing this music played you know with my guys you know more or less the same way every time so it's going to be really exciting for me to hear a different interpretation you know. You know on this music so yeah we're kind of putting our program together now but definitely going forward to coming

back and playing. Yes and it's real nice extra feature of it that you and Chuck worked together many years ago and you're going back to work with us from across the country to rock with his jazz orchestra. You know I'm so proud of Chuck he's just done a great job but you know the if it's cool for so many years and and to you know to just to get a program like this I mean you know jazz needs this kind of thing you know it's important for people to push it. I mean it you need to talk about every big band leader that I've ever spoken with from Chuck to Sammy Nestico to Pat Williams to you know John chalk in Mentor they all have made a commitment not only first their time but their resources and their money in order to keep this music alive. And and. You know I think that I think that speaks for the same power of this music and you know that better crowd to me to play small part of the lineage of the of the great band a band leaders that have over the years you know made those sacrifices to keep it going.

Yeah well you really made a big impact and I think it's just beginning to. Congratulations on that. Look forward to the new CD and certainly look forward to your visit here in the fall Thanksgiving weekend with the Jazz surgeon the new masterworks program. Appreciate your spending some time now. It's my pleasure Bob I pay. All right take care of the. Well facts that we do all right. We have Winnie a verb in there for you to cut. Yeah I'll make something out of it into something and I think the minidisc player work will find out. It didn't work. You know call me back and start take you from the top. All right. Well great. Really appreciate your spending time. I'll call back a little because I made an emergency call to him of what had the number wrong but I'll let him know we got together and I'll see how to check for you. Yeah. Then hopefully we can meet in you know in November. Yeah. And hopefully

at some point we can get that man out there as well. Yeah I've done a lot of work for Disney in Orlando and no good you know so. So kind of the lay of the land there so we've been talking about trying to get some kind of an eco swing going at some point. So I love to do that yesterday. Well I appreciate it this time and look forward to seeing her. OK thanks. That's it.