Jazz Articles about Phil Woods

About Phil Woods

Album Review

Thelonious Monk: Monk Live In Paris 1967 Volume One

Read "Monk Live In Paris 1967 Volume One" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
July 31, 2026

This Paris concert formed part of a European tour organized by the impresario George Wein, who had previously presented numerous Thelonious Monk Quartet engagements. Seeking something different, Wein proposed an expanded ensemble. Monk was initially reluctant to depart from the quartet format and only agreed after considerable persuasion. Crucially, he retained artistic control: he selected the additional musicians himself and insisted on using Hall Overton's arrangements, familiar from the earlier concerts Town Hall (Riverside 1959) and Philharmonic Hall (Columbia 1964). ...

Album Review

Thelonious Monk: Live In Paris 1967 Volume One

Read "Live In Paris 1967 Volume One" reviewed by Joshua Weiner

by Joshua Weiner
June 14, 2026

The discography of Thelonious Monk, bebop architect, composer of enduring standards and idiosyncratically influential pianist, is vast. In addition to Monk's genre-defining studio recordings, several live sets were released during his lifetime, including a notable series put out by Columbia Records during Monk's time on that most major of major labels, from 1962 to 1968. Live In Paris 1967 (Volume One) is a notable addition for several reasons: it is the first official release of material by the Monk Estate ...

Liner Notes

Ron Carter: Anything Goes

by Arnaldo DeSouteiro
July 11, 2024

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, ...

Album Review

Charles Mingus & Joni Mitchell: Jivin' with Joni: The Lost Recordings 1978-1979

Read "Jivin' with Joni: The Lost Recordings 1978-1979" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
April 1, 2022

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 ...

Radio & Podcasts

November Birthday Salutes

by Marc Cohn
November 23, 2018

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 ...

Rediscovery

The Phil Woods Six: Live from the Showboat

by John Kelman
October 1, 2015

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 ...

Catching Up With

Phil Woods: 1931-2015

by AAJ Staff
September 30, 2015

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 ...