44
DOES THIS CHART MAKE ME LOOK PHAT?
Performance Notes
By Gordon Goodwin
When I compose, sometimes my goal will be to create
something new and distinctive, something I haven’t written
before. And sometimes I want to, figuratively speaking, slip
on a pair of old slippers. This is what I did with “Does This
Chart Make Me Look Phat?” This chart is a straight-ahead,
Count Basie-style arrangement, written in the arranging style
of Sammy Nestico or Frank Foster. There were guidelines I
followed to stay within the scope of this musical style, and
you, the musician, will need to acknowledge similar rules
when executing this music. The foremost of these may be time
and feel. Generally speaking, young musicians have a more
difficult time playing this kind of swing tune, for the simple
reason that they haven’t listened and internalized the style that
much. There is no better way to grasp the nuance of swing
music than to get your hands on a Count Basie record, and
just listen to it—over and over. While it may initially sound
somewhat dated, the more you listen, the more you will start
to empathize with it. The music will start to reveal its secrets
to you.
Got your bucket mute ready? You may not use that thing
too often, but for a chart like this one, it is key to getting the
right ensemble sound. Starting at m. 10, listen to lead alto
player Eric Marienthal, who is playing in prime unison with you.
The two of you are setting the pace for dynamics and phrasing.
While there are plenty of loud passages yet to come, for now,
keep the ensemble light and swinging. However, pay attention
to the little details in the writing—for example the ß in m. 25
and the crescendo in m. 31.
Speaking of getting loud, before you know it, the sax soli
is over, and you are staring at the lip trills in m. 87. Wayne
Bergeron can better address the mechanics of executing these
effects, but I’d like to mention that you shouldn’t shake too
quickly on these. In the Big Phat Band recording of this chart,
you’ll hear Dan Fornero play these shakes right in the pocket.
The solos begin at m. 96 and provide two choruses to
play on. I love blowing over these changes—it’s real meat and
potatoes stuff. You’ll have the opportunity to play the bluesy
licks you dig, as well as show your mastery of ii–V–I changes.
Speaking of solos, check out Willie Murillo’s transcribed solo
on page 58.
The ensemble passages after the solos around m. 136
involve the lead alto once again doubling the lead trumpet.
This time, though, his bucket mute is on the floor, so you can
play out more than you did earlier. Through this development
section, listen closely to the Big Phat Band, especially lead
trumpet player Dan Fornero, for phrasing and timing. This
stuff is exactly why many of us fell in love with big band jazz.
Digging into a cool chart (if I may say so) and swinging hard as
a unit—man, it’s the best! It’s so fun that when the chart ends,
we count it off and play it again. This is what we do at m. 197,
only up a half step!
Count Basie put his first band together in the 1930s, and
today, almost 80 years later, the principles of large-ensemble
swing that he helped organize are still with us and relevant—
and that ain’t bad.
By Wayne Bergeron
“Does This Chart Make Me Look Phat” is one of the
newer tunes in the Phat Band library. The hard-swinging
influence of Thad Jones, Basie, and Nestico are evident in
Gordon’s writing, as well as in the band’s performance and
solos. This is the kind of chart I really love to play, as it’s the
kind of music that made me want to be a trumpet player.
That being said, why the heck did I pass this chart to my split-
lead player, Dan Fornero? I’m glad you asked! When we get
new charts, I have to take a look at the pacing of our set and
decide what goes where. The Phat Band lead trumpet book
is demanding stylistically and physically. Playing in this band
has definitely stretched my abilities and made me a better
musician. The Big Phat Band lead book is a two-person job,
and I have the luxury of having one of the greatest lead players
of all time sitting right next me. Check out Dan’s hard-swinging
feel and sound on this. It doesn’t get any better. (GG: Wayne is
right; Dan Fornero is the real deal.)
The rhythm section sets up a nice swinging groove at the
top. When the ensemble enters at m. 10, it should be soft and
swinging, à la Basie. If you don’t have a bucket mute, just play
soft or in the stand a bit. Once again, time is the important
factor. The lay-back indication in m. 32 is cool, but the eighth
note on the “and” of beat 4 needs to be in time for it to be
effective. Play the ends of phrases short, but not clipped.
Playing too short at this medium tempo will sound corny. I
always let the tempo of a chart decide things like note length,
speed of a shake, or rate of crescendo, etc. For instance, if a
tune is really slow, the notes can have more length. There are
exceptions to this rule, but this generally works.
Check out how Eric Marienthal leads the saxes through
their soli in mm. 45–77. That’s the perfect example of feel
and note lengths. Listen to Dan Fornero’s approach to the
accents in m. 85. He overdoes them just a bit, and it’s really
effective when everyone does it. The same applies to m. 154.
The ensemble at m. 136 is much like m. 10 in approach. Really
overdo the dynamics in this section. For example, get really
soft at m. 144, and then impale the “and” of beat 1 in m. 146,
immediately coming back down in volume for beat 3. When
we play this chart live, it really gets the audience’s attention.
The chart should build to the end. Check out the slow,
greasy bend in m. 152! I really love this style of chart for its
tasteful elements, such as bends, vibrato, and so on, which add
personality without violating the ensemble. One of the more
difficult things to feel is m. 209. Think double-time swing, and
it will help you play that last sixteenth note in the proper place.
This is a great tempo with nice changes for soloing. Both
Jeff Driskill on tenor and Willie Murillo on trumpet go to the
roots of the music with their approach. You can choose to
use a plunger mute as Willie did, following in the tradition of
Cootie Williams and Snooky Young. It could also be played
open, or even by using a harmon mute. The choices lie in
expressing yourself within the musical style. Check out Willie’s
transcribed solo, included on page 58, and transcribe Jeff’s solo
yourself. Most of it is in the trumpet range and will add to your
harmonic arsenal.
 45
45
DOES THIS CHART
MAKE ME LOOK PHAT?
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{10} By Gordon Goodwin (ASCAP)

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All Rights Administered by ALFRED MUSIC
All Rights Reserved including Public Performance
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