Saturday, November 18th, 5:00 PM – House of Hard Bop.
In 1977, the album “Song for Sisyphus” (Gryphon Records) was released. Steve Gilmore played bass, and Bill Goodwin drums. Phil Woods had been playing with this rhythm section since 1974—a collaboration that lasted for decades. Nine years later, in 1986, Woods was in the Netherlands. Next to him was…Dizzy Gillespie. A frequently mentioned characteristic of Woods’ playing is his powerful, big, fat sound. Saxophonist Dave Liebman describes it as follows: “(…) when you play next to Phil Woods, you cannot hear yourself. You can NOT hear yourself! He is so loud, and he doesn’t even need a microphone. It’s not a bad sound, it’s an incredibly gigantic sound.” *)
Song for Sisyphus (8 pieces) – besides bassist Gilmore and drummer Goodwin, we hear guitarist Harry Leahey and pianist Mike Melillo.
Song for Sisyphus (Woods) Last Night When We Were Young (Harold Arlen) Nuages (Django Reinhardt) – a solo piece for guitarist Harry Leahey. Change Partners (Irving Berlin) – an AABA song form, but note: 16 bars for the A sections, but 10 (ten) for B. Just after the halfway point, a build-up begins, starting in two parts with sax and bass. Then the guitar joins in, and finally the piano. This leads to polyphonic, melodic improvisation, which moves towards reckless counterpoint. Harmony and form keep everything within the lines.
Monking Business (Mike Melillo) Summer Afternoon (Mike Melillo) When My Dreams Come True (Irving Berlin) – solo for pianist. With Shaw ‘Nuff, a composition by Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie, we find ourselves in the heyday of bebop in terms of meaning, theme, and tempo. Shaw refers to Billy Shaw, manager of Charlie Parker, among others. ‘Nuff is short for ‘enough’. A nice closer that will linger in your mind for a long time. ——————————–
Dizzy Gillespie meets The Phil Woods Quintet
The Phil Woods Quintet toured Europe in 1986. A meeting with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie resulted, among other things, in an album recording for Timeless Records at Studio 44 in Monster. In addition to Gillespie, Phil Woods and his rhythm section, we hear Tom Harrell (trumpet/flugelhorn) and Hal Galper (piano).
Oon-Ga-Wa (Gillespie) calms the mind after Shaw ‘Nuff. A slower tempo, a theme that flows effortlessly, supported by a relaxed, Latin rhythm. Loose Change (Hal Galper) accelerates in hard bop style. At over 8 minutes long, all soloists—including bassist Steve Gilmore—take ample solo time. This also applies to the closing track, Terrestris (Tom Harrell), at 8:30. With another Latin flavor, the three pieces form a tasty sandwich.
House of Hard Bop – Eric Ineke
Click for episode 1 of “Phil Woods – alto saxophone”
Click for the accompanying News Item *)
The Ultimate Sideman – Eric Ineke in conversation with Dave Liebman (Pincio Uitgeverij)
