Phil Woods • The Remasters

 

Biography by Scott Yanow
One of the true masters of the bop vocabulary, Phil Woods had his own sound beginning in the mid-'50s and stuck to his musical guns throughout a remarkably productive career. There was never a doubt that he was one of the top alto saxophonists in jazz, and he lost neither his enthusiasm nor his creativity through the years.

Woods' first alto was left to him by an uncle, and he started playing seriously when he was 12. He gigged and studied locally until 1948, when he moved to New York. Woods studied with Lennie Tristano, at the Manhattan School of Music, and at Juilliard, where he majored in clarinet. He worked with Charlie Barnet (1954), Jimmy Raney (1955), George Wallington, the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, Buddy Rich (1958-1959), Quincy Jones (1959-1961), and Benny Goodman (for BG's famous 1962 tour of the Soviet Union), but mostly headed his own groups after 1955, including co-leadership of a combo with fellow altoist Gene Quill in the '50s logically known as "Phil & Quill." Woods, who married the late Charlie Parker's former wife Chan in the 1950s (and became the stepfather to singer Kim Parker), was sometimes thought of as "the new Bird" due to his brilliance in bop settings, but he never really sounded like a copy of Parker.

Further Definitions Woods popped up in a variety of settings in the 1960s -- on Benny Carter's classic Further Definitions record, touring Europe with the short-lived Thelonious Monk Nonet, and appearing on studio dates like the soundtracks to The Hustler and Blow Up. Always interested in jazz education (although he believed that there is no better way to learn jazz than to gig and travel constantly), Woods taught at an arts camp in Pennsylvania in the summers of 1964-1967. Discouraged with the jazz scene in the U.S., he moved to France in 1968. For the next few years, Woods led a very advanced group, the European Rhythm Machine, which leaned toward the avant-garde and included pianist George Gruntz. Their recordings still sound fresh and exciting today, although this venture would only be a detour in Woods' bebop life. In 1972, he returned to the U.S. and tried unsuccessfully to lead an electronic group that featured keyboardist Pete Robinson.

In 1973, Woods formed a quintet with pianist Mike Melillo, bassist Steve Gilmore, drummer Bill Goodwin, and guitarist Harry Leahey that had much greater success. Their recording Live at the Showboat officially launched the band, which, after a few personnel changes, toured the world. After Leahey left in 1978, it was known as the Phil Woods Quartet until trumpeter Tom Harrell (1983-1989) joined; his spot was then assumed by trombonist Hal Crook (1989-1992) and trumpeter Brian Lynch. Pianist Melillo went out on his own in 1980, and his successors were Hal Galper (1980-1990), Jim McNeely (1990-1995), and Bill Charlap; Gilmore and Goodwin were with Woods from the group's start. Not just bebop repertory bands, Woods' ensembles developed their own repertoire, took plenty of chances, and stretched themselves while sticking to his straight-ahead path.

Rights of Swing Woods contributed the famous alto solo to Billy Joel's hit recording of "Just the Way You Are" and was one of Michel Legrand's favorite artists, guesting with Legrand on an occasional basis; he made dozens of rewarding recordings himself through the years. After debuting as a leader in the mid-'50s, he recorded for Prestige, Savoy, RCA, Mode, Epic, Candid (the brilliant The Right of Swing in 1961), Impulse, MGM, Verve, Embryo, Testament, Muse, Omnisound, Enja, and Chesky, and recorded with his Quintet/Quartet for RCA, Gryphon, Adelphi, Clean Cuts, SeaBreeze (two sets adding Chris Swansen's inventive synthesizer to the band), Red, Antilles, Palo Alto, BlackHawk, Denon, and quite extensively for Concord. Some key sets include 1960's Rights of Swing on Candid, 1974's Musique Du Bois on 32 Jazz, 1981's Birds of a Feather from Antilles, and 2002's Americans Swinging in Paris from EMI.

American Songbook, Vol.1 An Italian label, Philogy (which has some broadcasts and live performances from Woods' bands), is named after the popular and brilliant altoist. Still going strong into the 21st century, Woods cut a live session with the Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra in 2005 that was released by Jazz Media in 2006. American Songbook, which features Woods' treatment of pop and jazz standards, appeared from Kind of Blue later that same year. In 2009, after years of attempting to secure the rights to interpret the work of writer A.A. Milne, Woods released Children's Suite -- a tribute to Milne's classic book Winnie the Pooh. Phil Woods died from complications of emphysema in September 2015 at the age of 83.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-woods-mn0000848572/biography

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Biografía de Scott Yanow
Phil Woods, uno de los verdaderos maestros del vocabulario del bop, tuvo su propio sonido a partir de mediados de los años 50 y se mantuvo firme en su postura musical a lo largo de una carrera extraordinariamente productiva. Nunca hubo duda de que era uno de los mejores saxofonistas altos del jazz, y no perdió ni su entusiasmo ni su creatividad a lo largo de los años.

El primer alto de Woods se lo dejó un tío, y empezó a tocar en serio cuando tenía 12 años. Actuó y estudió a nivel local hasta 1948, cuando se trasladó a Nueva York. Woods estudió con Lennie Tristano, en la Manhattan School of Music, y en Juilliard, donde se especializó en clarinete. Trabajó con Charlie Barnet (1954), Jimmy Raney (1955), George Wallington, la Orquesta de Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich (1958-1959), Quincy Jones (1959-1961) y Benny Goodman (para la famosa gira de BG por la Unión Soviética en 1962), pero sobre todo dirigió sus propios grupos a partir de 1955, incluyendo la codirección de un combo con el también contralto Gene Quill en los años 50, lógicamente conocido como "Phil & Quill". Woods, que se casó con la antigua esposa de Charlie Parker, Chan, en la década de 1950 (y se convirtió en el padrastro de la cantante Kim Parker), fue considerado a veces como "el nuevo Bird" debido a su brillantez en los escenarios de bop, pero nunca sonó realmente como una copia de Parker.

Further Definitions Woods apareció en una gran variedad de escenarios en la década de 1960: en el clásico disco de Benny Carter Further Definitions, de gira por Europa con el efímero Thelonious Monk Nonet, y apareciendo en fechas de estudio como las bandas sonoras de The Hustler y Blow Up. Siempre interesado en la enseñanza del jazz (aunque creía que no hay mejor manera de aprenderlo que actuando y viajando constantemente), Woods dio clases en un campamento artístico de Pensilvania en los veranos de 1964-1967. Desanimado con la escena del jazz en Estados Unidos, se trasladó a Francia en 1968. Durante los siguientes años, Woods dirigió un grupo muy avanzado, la European Rhythm Machine, que se inclinaba hacia la vanguardia y que incluía al pianista George Gruntz. Sus grabaciones siguen sonando frescas y emocionantes hoy en día, aunque esta aventura sólo sería un desvío en la vida bebop de Woods. En 1972, regresó a Estados Unidos e intentó sin éxito liderar un grupo electrónico que contaba con el teclista Pete Robinson.

En 1973, Woods formó un quinteto con el pianista Mike Melillo, el bajista Steve Gilmore, el baterista Bill Goodwin y el guitarrista Harry Leahey que tuvo mucho más éxito. Su grabación Live at the Showboat lanzó oficialmente a la banda, que, tras algunos cambios de personal, realizó una gira por todo el mundo. Tras la marcha de Leahey en 1978, pasó a llamarse Phil Woods Quartet hasta que se incorporó el trompetista Tom Harrell (1983-1989); su lugar lo ocuparon entonces el trombonista Hal Crook (1989-1992) y el trompetista Brian Lynch. El pianista Melillo se fue por su cuenta en 1980, y sus sucesores fueron Hal Galper (1980-1990), Jim McNeely (1990-1995) y Bill Charlap; Gilmore y Goodwin estuvieron con Woods desde el inicio del grupo. Los conjuntos de Woods no se limitaban a ser bandas de repertorio bebop, sino que desarrollaban su propio repertorio, se arriesgaban mucho y se esforzaban al mismo tiempo que se ceñían a su trayectoria directa.

Rights of Swing Woods contribuyó con el famoso solo de contralto en la exitosa grabación de Billy Joel de "Just the Way You Are" y fue uno de los artistas favoritos de Michel Legrand, con el que colaboraba ocasionalmente; él mismo realizó docenas de grabaciones gratificantes a lo largo de los años. Tras debutar como líder a mediados de los 50, grabó para Prestige, Savoy, RCA, Mode, Epic, Candid (el brillante The Right of Swing en 1961), Impulse, MGM, Verve, Embryo, Testament, Muse, Omnisound, Enja y Chesky, y grabó con su Quinteto/Cuarteto para RCA, Gryphon, Adelphi, Clean Cuts, SeaBreeze (dos conjuntos que añadían el inventivo sintetizador de Chris Swansen a la banda), Red, Antilles, Palo Alto, BlackHawk, Denon, y bastante extensamente para Concord. Algunos de sus discos más importantes son Rights of Swing (1960) en Candid, Musique Du Bois (1974) en 32 Jazz, Birds of a Feather (1981) en Antilles y Americans Swinging in Paris (2002) en EMI.

American Songbook, Vol.1 Un sello italiano, Philogy (que cuenta con algunas emisiones y actuaciones en directo de los grupos de Woods), lleva el nombre del popular y brillante contralto. En el siglo XXI, Woods sigue con fuerza, y en 2005 grabó una sesión en directo con la Jazz Orchestra de Los Ángeles que fue publicada por Jazz Media en 2006. American Songbook, que recoge el tratamiento que Woods hace de los estándares del pop y el jazz, apareció de la mano de Kind of Blue ese mismo año. En 2009, tras años de intentar conseguir los derechos para interpretar la obra del escritor A.A. Milne, Woods publicó Children's Suite, un homenaje al libro clásico de Milne Winnie the Pooh. Phil Woods falleció por complicaciones de un enfisema en septiembre de 2015 a la edad de 83 años.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-woods-mn0000848572/biography

Tracklist:
01. Phil Woods – Tipsy (Remastered 2015) (07:00)
02. The Phil Woods Quartet – Gunga Din (Remastered 2018) (07:01)
03. Phil Woods – Please Say Yes (Remastered 2015) (05:29)
04. The Phil Woods Quartet – Like Someone In Love (Remastered 2018) (06:08)
05. Phil Woods – The Rights of Swing: Prelude and Part 1 (Remastered 2015) (06:35)
06. The Phil Woods Quartet – Wait Till You See Her (Remastered 2018) (06:03)
07. Phil Woods – Waltz (Remastered 2015) (05:42)
08. The Phil Woods Quartet – Squire’s Parlor (Remastered 2018) (05:36)
09. Phil Woods – Presto (Remastered 2015) (07:18)
10. The Phil Woods Quartet – In Your Own Sweet Way (Remastered 2018) (08:02)
11. The Phil Woods Quartet With Gene Quill – A Night In Tunisia (Remastered 2018) (09:08)
12. Phil Woods – Au Privave (Remastered 2016) (06:56)
13. The Phil Woods Quartet With Gene Quill – Scrapple From The Apple (Remastered 2018) (08:03)
14. “Phil Woods / Gene Quill Quintet” – Altology (Remastered 2018) (06:30)
15. Phil Woods – Steeplechase (Remastered 2016) (07:27)
16. “Phil Woods / Gene Quill Quintet” – A Night At St. Nick’s (Remastered 2018) (06:48)
17. Phil Woods – Last Fling (Remastered 2016) (06:33)
18. “Phil Woods / Gene Quill Quintet” – Nothing But Soul (Remastered 2018) (06:48)
19. The Phil Woods Quartet With Gene Quill – Doxie I (Remastered 2018) (05:52)
20. Phil Woods – Green Pines (Remastered 2016) (05:02)
21. “Phil Woods / Gene Quill Quintet” – Lazy-Like (Remastered 2018) (05:55)
22. Phil Woods – Scrapple from the Apple (Remastered 2016) (07:38)
23. “Phil Woods / Gene Quill Quintet” – Creme De Funk (Remastered 2018) (05:10)
24. The Phil Woods Quartet With Gene Quill – Dear Old Stockholm (Remastered 2018) (09:10)
25. The Phil Woods Quartet With Gene Quill – Doxie II (Remastered 2018) (07:20)


2021

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