Grammy-Award-winning pianist, saxist and composer Gordon Goodwin will launch the first annual Big Phat Band Summer Jazz Workshop at his alma mater, California State University Northridge. The camp will run July 30 through Aug. 4 and is open to kids 14 years and older. More than 150 students are already set to attend. The curriculum was developed by Goodwin and professors in the university’s music department, and emphasizes jazz theory, history and improvisation. Camp participants will also get to take master classes taught by Goodwin and the Big Phat Band.
To kick off the weeklong camp, the Band will play an opening night concert for the campers, and will hold a midweek concert giving students a chance to perform with the band. The camp will conclude with an Aug. 3 show that will be open to the public.
Goodwin began his professional composing career while still a student at CSUN, scoring the music for the cult film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. He has since won a Grammy for his score to The Incredibles, and has scored other popular films including The Guardian and Snakes On a Plane. His most recent album, The Phat Pack, was nominated for a Grammy, and the band has another album in the works, scheduled to be released later this year.
For more information, visit the Workshop’s official Web site.
