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Ron Carter: Anything Goes

by Arnaldo DeSouteiro
Ronald Levin Carter (born Ferndale, Michigan, on May 4, 1937) needs no introduction. Let's just say that he is the bassist's bassist. On Ron's hands, the bass and the man become the same entity, the same person. Played by Ron Carter, the acoustic bass sounds like... Ron Carter! That's why he is one of the three top bassists in the music history. However, if Ron needs no introduction, his Anything Goes album does. Recorded on June & July, ...
Continue ReadingCharles Mingus & Joni Mitchell: Jivin' with Joni: The Lost Recordings 1978-1979

by Mike Jurkovic
Looks like a bumper month of archival releases awaits the ever ready Mingus aficionado. First, in late April, 2022, Resonance Records unleashes The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott's. Just in time for Record Store Day (April 23) Candid Records releases a sweetly remastered Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus. Now, in a joint announcement from Jazz Workshop Inc. and Rhino Records to celebrate the big man's centennial (April 22) comes Jivin' with Joni: The Lost Recordings, 1978-1979. Recorded just ...
Continue ReadingNovember Birthday Salutes

by Marc Cohn
It's time to celebrate November birthdays! Among the worthies, we also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Phil Woods recording Alive and Well in Paris, which was slated for release on Impulse! in the States, but never released here; there must be a story about this, but I'm in the dark. It is an absolutely stunning session. In addition to our celebrants in the track list, we salute bassist Sam Jones, pianist Joe Bushkin and Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn. Enjoy ...
Continue ReadingThe Phil Woods Six: Live from the Showboat

by John Kelman
The Phil Woods SixLive from the ShowboatSony Music Japan2015 (1977) With the sad passing of Phil Woods on September 29, 2015, what better way to honor the career of this alto (and occasionally soprano) saxophone giant with the Rediscovery of a live album that, long out of print--and previously only available on CD in a truncated, single-disc edition that excised some of its most exhilarating moments--has finally seen the light of day in its entirety ...
Continue ReadingPhil Woods: 1931-2015

by AAJ Staff
In memory of NEA Jazz Master, Phil Woods. This article was previously published in November 2002. All About Jazz: Looking back on the almost three decade history of your Quintet, one question springs immediately to mind. You've had the same rhythm section of Steve Gilmore on bass and Bill Goodwin on drums ever since you formed the band back in the early 1970s. Most jazz musicians end up hopping around from group to group constantly. So how have ...
Continue ReadingPhil Woods, Vic Juris: Songs One

by Alberto Bazzurro
Dodici più o meno celebrati standard, raccolti in un arco temporale di oltre trent'anni (ogni titolo reca accanto il suo bravo anno di nascita," che la nostra tracklist conserva) costituiscono il trampolino di lancio per questo nuovo album (incisione del dicembre 2014) dell'ottantatreenne sassofonista di Springfield. Gli è accanto il chitarrista Vic Juris, di cui abbiamo nella mente soprattutto la lunga collaborazione con Dave Liebman, oltre a svariati lavori in proprio, condotti sempre nel segno di un buon gusto mai ...
Continue ReadingPhil Woods & The Festival Orchestra: New Celebration

by Alberto Bazzurro
Album celebrativo, nel rispetto del titolo, e pruriti del tutto prossimi al grado zero: ecco cosa ci offre quest'ennesimo album tardo (incisione dell'aprile 2013) di un monumento come Phil Woods, solista-direttore di una big band che sfoggia un sound d'insieme che più in the tradition non si potrebbe. È ovvio che non è questa l'idea di jazz che ci piace veder divulgata: una musica prigioniera di un repertorio (nello specifico di una maniera" compositiva, visto che i ...
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