47
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.
Bernie Dresel will speak to many of the technical
considerations involved in playing this kind of swing chart, but
I’d say that in a broad sense, this kind of chart requires more
innate musicality from the drum chair than many other styles.
You will need to whisper at times and kick butt at others, while
maintaining the swing feel. Everyone in the band must swing at
all times, but they get that groove from you. If you are swinging
hard, it becomes so much easier for the entire band. Swing
away, throughout every hit and every fill. Even if you don’t
catch a single horn-section accent, make sure to swing with
every breath, beginning at m. 1, beat 1.
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 Bernie Dresel
When a chart gets put on your stand for the first time, you
will want to look the “test” over before you are allowed to pick
your pencil (sticks) up. You should not be looking at the chart
for the first time as you play it for the first time. That being said,
you probably only have a minute or two to look at it. So, you
should always skim the chart over very quickly for any problem
figures, especially figures that appear unfamiliar or complicated.
Is there a D.C. or a D.S.? Where does the D.S. go back to? Is
there a “to coda” spot and if so, where is the coda? What is
the rhythm on the last bar of the piece? If it says Latin, you
would want to know if it was a Cuban or Brazilian bass rhythm,
for instance. In this case, it is swing, and you wonder, would it
always be in a “4” feel, or always in “2”? Or does it switch back
and forth, and if so, where? And of course, you will definitely
use your ears on the fly to figure out what the bass is playing.
Your ears are your most important tool, and they will fill in the
missing info a chart and your eyes do not provide.
For the basic swing feel at this fast tempo, you will want
that quarter-note accent on every downbeat to lock in with
the bass. Play a straight up-and-down, accented quarter-note
feel in the ride pattern or hi-hat pattern—lay it down! The
feathered “felt-but-not-heard” bass drum should, however,
follow the bass, whether it has a “4” or “2” feel.
And by all means, you and the bass player must be on the
same page tempo-wise. Yes, you are a team, but you are the
president, while the bass player is the vice president—that rule
must follow you over the cliff, whether you are right or wrong.
If the tempo slows down (or speeds up), you, the drummer,
rather than the bass player, will be blamed or told to do a
better job of holding a steady tempo. In this case, you drop
out for seven measures at m. 46, and the bass player becomes
the president during that time. However, if the tempo has
decreased or increased by the time you re-enter with brushes
at m. 53, it is your responsibility to return to the original
tempo and avoid taking the new one—just maintain it for the
last 160 measures! Any tempo “discussions” between you and
the bass player, or with anyone else in the band, should always
be diplomatic and loving, yet firm—you are the drummer,
responsible for the tempo. (GG: We love you, too, Bernie.)
Skim the chart to look ahead for dynamic changes. Pay
attention to places with a sudden p or a ƒ peak to aim for.
This will give shape to the chart and make it musical and
effective. Aiming for these highs and lows will help you lead
the band, as well, just like a conductor feeding the ensemble
dynamic direction. In this chart, there are no π or p markings,
only P. So, it would be good to exaggerate the dynamics
or widen them by making the P actually π. Audiences are
usually bombarded by bands playing the same volume all the
time. Instead, you can really capture the band’s attention by
occasionally playing very softly. When playing softly, keep your
stick heights low. However, maintain the intensity in your hands
and head as if you are digging in and playing loud. Brushes will
naturally lower the volume (at m. 53, for example), but you will
need to get way down from m. 1 until the surprise ß at m. 25.
Measure 78 will be the loudest moment of the piece until that
point. And then, at m. 96, you will eclipse that volume even
more. Each of those loud moments are brief; you’ll usually be
at a comfortable F. At m. 144, exaggerate the P down to p
once again, and then that explosive ß at m. 146 will be even
more effective.
When you solo, remember to land at F at m. 97. Here, the
small group of players should be at a dynamically appropriate
level—soft, for one solo instrument rather than 4–13 horns
possibly playing at once!
Let’s look at mm. 142–143. This figure would be a shuffle
groove of offbeats in the snare, different from a shuffle
groove with backbeats on the snare, if it were to be repeated
continuously. Practice playing this figure by playing it over and
over again. You will not only learn to play the correct rhythm
but also how to groove and make the music feel good. “It don’t
mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing!” So, feel applies to parts
you only play once in a chart, not just the basic groove. Practice
this constantly—groove and feel are everything!
48
48
DOES THIS CHART
Drums MAKE ME LOOK PHAT?
Slowgreasyswingå=109 By Gordon Goodwin (ASCAP)

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© 2014 WINGOOD MUSIC PRODUCTIONS, INC. (ASCAP)
All Rights Administered by ALFRED MUSIC
All Rights Reserved including Public Performance
 49
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50
50 DoesThisChartMakeMeLookPhat?

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