Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Play-Along Series: Drums, Volume 2

Goodwin's play-along series draws directly from his working big band's actual repertoire, so your drummers aren't playing simplified approximations but authentic charts they'd encounter in professional jazz contexts. The included transcriptions of the Big Phat Band's recorded solos offer concrete models for phrasing and interpretation across the full range of jazz styles your students need to master.

The grooves range from medium-swing ease to burning fast-tempo challenges, with funk and Latin charts that showcase Goodwin's genre-spanning arranging voice. You'll feel the weight and precision of a real working big band, not a classroom exercise, with soloists who inspire you to think differently about phrasing and dynamics.

Drummers with solid fundamentals who are ready to engage with professional-level jazz writing and understand that ensemble playing demands more than keeping time. This book serves advanced high school players and early college musicians who want to study how the best players in the Big Phat Band approach their parts.

• Reference the recorded accompaniment to internalize how the drum part locks with the horn section's phrasing, especially during the tighter funk and Latin grooves where precision matters.
• Study the transcribed solos from the band's lead players before rehearsal, noting their dynamic choices and time-feel approaches so you can discuss what makes each one effective.
• Work through the chord changes even though they're written for horns; understanding the harmonic landscape helps you anticipate where the tune will breathe and how to support each section's energy.
• Tackle the faster swing tempos gradually, building your comfort zone incrementally rather than jumping straight to the marked speeds on the recordings.

Incorporate individual charts throughout the jazz portion of your curriculum so students encounter different style demands and contexts rather than drilling them all at once. The transcriptions also work beautifully for listening sessions where drummers analyze professional approach before they attempt their own parts.

• Jazz drumming styles across swing, funk, and Latin grooves
• Reading and executing figures at medium to very fast swing tempos
• Listening to chord changes and responding harmonically as a section player
• Interpreting dynamics and articulation from a working big band model
• Ensemble precision and time-feel consistency in horn-driven arrangements