Which of Phil Woods CDs to start with?

[scale_master]

I have a good overview of recordings of Tenor Sax players, and their historical influence.
For Alto, which ones of Phil Woods and Ornette Colemans CDs would you recommend as their most important ones?

I have to add that I like good recordings (in terms of quality...)...e.g. I recently bought some Savoy recordings of Charlie Parker which are excellent in contrast to the Verve or other ones.

Thanks,
B.

[David Spiegelthal]

I don't know if it's been re-issued on CD (I have the vinyl version) but Phil Woods' 2-record set "Live at the Showboat", recorded here in my home area at the now-defunct Villa Rosa Showboat Lounge in Silver Spring, Md., is in my opinion some of the best playing Phil has ever done. Everything clicked that night!

[JS]

Check out the "Phil and Quill" recording - Phil Woods and Gene Quill together - great record!

[Andrew]

An Affair to Remember
A Song for Sysiphus (spelling?)
Phil Woods & Lew Tabackin (GREAT album!!!!)

[Merlin]

The Concord CD's with Hal Crook on trombone are great. I especially like All Bird's Children.

IMHO Phil Woods is the #1 jazz alto sax player alive today. :D

Some of my favorite albums/Cd's not in any order but worthy of a listen if you can find them are:

Bob Stew-1987 Concord jazz
Our Monk-1994 Philology
Flash-1989 Concord Jazz
Rights of Swing-1960 Candid
Young Woods-1957 Fresh Sound

These will give you a good idea of how Phil evolved into the sax player that he is today.

Enjoy

[Steve J.]

My favorite is "Live at the Showboat" mentioned previously. I did see it on CD. It was not titled such but if you check the notes its from that date and place. It was a sextet with the late Harry Leahy (Guitar) and a percussionist added. I purchased the original two record set I'm thinking around 1975. Won a grammy and then was taken out of print. What a weird world.

Read the CD liner notes looking for the players, date & place....... Could even be in bargain bins. Its a match to "Live at the Showboat".
If you find it grab it. Wonderful wonderful stuff.

You will never tire of these performances. "Cheek to Cheek" features Woods solo intro where he quotes Ibert "Concertino da Camera" complete with french style vibrato. He also plays wonderful soprano in this session. They do "I'm Late" (Woods on soprano) from Alice in Wonderland at a breathtaking tempo that actually increases lacking no musical nuance. I could go on with other very cool stuff you must hear to believe what a treat this perfomance was. I recall a Stevie Wonder tune and some very hip latin stuff with the added guitar percussion flavor.

[shortwhite]

"Live at the Showboat" is one of the sides that helped me move from rock & roll to jazz. On CD it was released as "Phil Woods Live". Originally a double LP this CD version was just one CD so a couple of tracks were left off. It is out of print.
My house was broken into several years ago and they took all my CDs (over 700) but luckily left all my horns! They got the Showboat CD and I was unable to replace it. I bought used a copy of the LP and then burned myself a CD of it. Still smokes.

I would also recommend "Musique Dubois".

GW

[Jake in SF]

If you can find it, it's worth listening to his Musique du Bois from 1974 with Jaki Byard, Richard Davis, and Alan Dawson. It's all good, and the ten minutes spent on Willow Weep For Me is very energizing.

[-TH]

Anyone heard Phil's album "I remember"? One of my favorites!

[-TH]

I forgot to add the best Phil Woods album.. :D "Alive and well in Paris". The first track on that album "And when we are young" contains the best alto sax solo that I've heard in a long time!

Tuomas

[BobH]

Yes, "I Remember" was my first Phil Woods album, and it made me an instant admirer: tasty big-band arrangements covering a wide swath of styles, and stamped with Phil's amazing lyricism. My favorite was "Paul," a ballad Woods wrote for Paul Desmond. And "Flatjack Willie" is the only tune on which I've ever heard Phil play soprano sax.

[I. Fallon]

I have several Phil Wood CDs. The technique is great but I am turned off by a very "reedy" sound in them. I don't know if he was using a neck mike or there was some problem with the sound engineer. I don't think it was Phil since I have heard him live several times and he sounded great. It it me or has someone else heard this?

[BayviewSax]

For a real kick, check out The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones with Phil on lead alto. Especially I Never Has Seen Snow. Also check out his work on lead with Monk's big band. IMHO Phil never sounded better than this period.

[Roger Aldridge]

Don't forget the great work that Phil did with Oliver Nelson!

[Brice B.]

I was first turned on to Phil's work through one of his latest recordings "The Rev and I" which I think has some great playing on it. The Phil Woods little big band is great too!

I've been a huge fan of Phil's for a long time. I still think he's the best!

[gary]

In addition to some of the above, I like his European Rhythm Machine. I've played these recordings for some of my "younger" friends and they're somewhat taken aback at his "modernity".

Ditto on his work with Oliver Nelson. Chan Parker said one of the really remarkable things about Phil was his ability to be a seamless part of the composition while soloing in a large ensemble. Check out LeGrande Jazz also with songs by Michelle and solos by Phil.

For those not familiar with his soprano playing, Floresta Canto is a wonderful, latin inspired album.

By the way, I was at the Showboat for the recording and if I remember right, it was actually recorded more than one night, the liner-notes notwithstanding. A sorry commentary on the state of art and jazz in particular, was that the club was barely half-filled. I was wondering how the musicians could have the incentive or produce the energy to really come through for a recording with, what must've been a disappointing turn-out. But, then, that's what separates guys like that from us mere mortals.

If I might-I would like to add, as a tribute to Phil, that I also say his current group in an art center here in Germany, again with a sparse turnout. When the players came on stage and looked out in the "audience" I heard Bryan Lynch mumble some unmentionables under his breath. Then they started playing and, while it took the better part of the first tune to really get it going, for the rest of the evening they just played their ever-lovin' yingyangs off. What professionalism. And love of the music!

[Scottysax73]

The one with Chris Swanson Live at the Pipers Gate???? its awesome