Yes, indeed, the 2015 Grammys proved to be one populist step forward for jazz at-large. Remember Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett's cheeks? Hell, Herbie Hancock and ?uestlove performed right alongside John Mayer and Ed Sheeran. And no one, save for the haters, batted a valve or crossed a string. For Gordon Goodwin and his Big Phat Band, though, their three nominations and an eventual gong for Best Large Jazz Ensemble were more than just plated platitudes and a non-televised soapbox rant.
It was a kind of vindication.
On February 8, Goodwin's aptly named Life in the Bubble (Telarc/Concord Music Group) was finally able to win a gold gramo, after suffering three prior defeats that same evening. Grateful but not content, Goodwin spoke about that victory and the vindication over the crackle of an iPhone from L.A.
"Four nominations was a thrill. However, we got to [the Grammys] and, right off the bat, you're 0 for 3--which forces you to kind of gain a perspective about it," he says with a humble cadence.
Goodwin continues, unabashed: "Being there was enough, but you still want to hit the podium. By the time our final category came, which I didn't think we were going to win by the way, it took me a minute to come to. I got on my soapbox a little about how jazz and classical music are not something you'll hear in the telecast, which means you're making this music in the context of this hostile cultural climate."
He pauses, "a worthwhile thing to say."
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