Grace Kelly - Phil Woods

[Durium]

I heard Phil Woods in concert July 2003 at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague with the Bud Shank Quartet and I remember that I was sitting in expectation of things to come. Suddenly I saw him, with his inevitable cap, walking to the concert hall with his alto under his arm. A great moment! Phil Woods, the legendary Man With The Hat, took the young gifted alto saxophone player Grace Kelly to his heart and gave her one of his inseparable caps. Grace (18) and Phil (almost 80) are now recorded together on a great album, entitled The Man With The Hat.

Grace Kelly-Phil Woods: The Man with the Hat

Durium

Edited May 7, 2011 by Durium

[jlhoots]

I agree.

Nice CD.

[fasstrack]

One small correction. Phil doesn't turn 80 till November.

[Durium]

One small correction. Phil doesn't turn 80 till November.

Thanks - I changed it into ( almost .....)

Edited May 7, 2011 by Durium

[king ubu]

Grace is young, yes... but talented? Not so sure.

The videos on youtube are horrible.

[marcello]

She travel everywhere with the most annoying "jazz stage parents" you could imagine.

Her whole vibe irks me.

[king ubu]

Must have pushy real parents, I guess

[jlhoots]

Jeez - you guys are touchy.

I've met Grace & her parents & they couldn't have been nicer.

Just my 2 cents.

[king ubu]

Well, they may all be nice - but she can't play.

[jlhoots]

Well, they may all be nice - but she can't play.

In your humble opinion - right? Based on something on You Tube - right?

I guess you know & hear things that Konitz, Woods, Dan Morganstern,etc. don't.

I've heard her twice in person & she was just fine (IMHO).

I don't think she's a great singer but her alto playing was very well done.

These "debates" are usually fruitless for all concerned, so you can have the last word if you want it.

I'm certain there are things that both of us like. Grace Kelly just isn't one of them.

[Free For All]

My two cents-

I taught/played at a summer session at the Brubeck Institute in Stockton, CA a few years ago when she was a student there. She definitely can play, and with some years of experience, dues and development of her own musical vocabulary I think she could develop into a great player. At the age of 18 she's early in the development process (as are most players her age) and is mostly a sum of her influences- I think finding an individual voice is yet to come for her. Pushy parents or not she has the skill & desire to succeed, it just remains to be seen what path she chooses. No doubt to me she can play, though.

(Off topic, Frank Morgan was one of the players there that summer and passed away shortly afterwards. I'm glad I got to meet him.)

[king ubu]

Of course, all I post is my opinion (humble or not).

She's young, she can grow - of course.

I've seen stuff on youtube she did with Konitz, Morgan and Woods as well as on her own - and I'm afraid to say I just don't like any of it. Either way, siding up with Konitz or Morgan as a youngster in public is maybe not the smartest idea...

[JSngry]

siding up with Konitz or Morgan as a youngster in public is maybe not the smartest idea...

Actually, from an old-school way of doing things, of learning by unceremoniously & repeatedly getting your ass handed to you, it's a very good idea, quite possibly the best possible idea.

And from a new-school image=reality=career-builder POV, it's also a very good idea.

Problem is, those two things have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

And the fact that that's a "problem" instead of an obvious DUH to almost everybody in the world these days, that's the real problem, the result of some indeed very bad ideas very well executed.

[marcello]

And the fact that that's a "problem" instead of an obvious DUH to almost everybody in the world these days, that's the real problem, the result of some indeed very bad ideas very well executed.

Very Good, Jim!

[king ubu]

Lost my reply, will bow out of this thread now, apologies to all those who felt I'd stepped on their toes.