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Phil Woods Announces His Retirement

John Tapscott

By John Tapscott
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Kevin Bresnahan Mentor

Kevin Bresnahan

Posted
Posted

So the joint Phil Woods/Greg Abate launch of their album at Woonsocket, R I on Oct 3 will not take place.

http://www.gregabate.com/tour-dates/

I wish Phil a happy retirement. What a magnificent contribution to the music!

I was wondering the same thing. I've seen Abate and Phil several times in the past few years and i was thinking about making the trek down to Woonsocket just because I was figuring Phil wasn't going to be doing this much longer.

JSngry Grand Master

JSngry

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Congrats to Mr. Woods for being able to have a retirement on what appears to be his terms under conditions that appear to equally not be. That's its own kind of win, and in the grand scheme of things, perhaps the biggest triumph of all.

JSngry Grand Master

JSngry

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Can anybody document the last/final time he played lead alto in a section? For me, that's going to be his most enduring legacy, although European Rhythm Machine and the first year or two back in America not far behind (especially the Testament record with Pete Robinson, whoa!). But as lead altoist, unquestionably one of the greatest ever, and for his particular style/era of lead playing, quite possibly THE greatest.

Mark Stryker Collaborator

Mark Stryker

Posted
Posted (edited)

Can anybody document the last/final time he played lead alto in a section? For me, that's going to be his most enduring legacy, although European Rhythm Machine and the first year or two back in America not far behind (especially the Testament record with Pete Robinson, whoa!). But as lead altoist, unquestionably one of the greatest ever, and for his particular style/era of lead playing, quite possibly THE greatest.

Excellent question whose answer I would like to know too. I can tell you that when I was in school in Urbana I played second alto in the top big band to the lead alto named Mark Kirk, a Phil Woods protégé who is maybe a dozen years older than me and had come back to school to get a master's in composition. Mark lived in the Gap near Phil and had played  some 2nd alto to Phil's lead in a rehearsal band that Phil ran. I don't know the dates but obviously that was pre 1984. Of course, that's not exactly what you were getting at, which is when was the last time his lead playing was documented. It might be this appearance by Quincy Jones on Letterman in 2002. (Coda: David Berger  contracted the band for Q, which is why he's back there playing 4th trpt -- hey, get yourself on the gig first!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gPWPN6YgDQ

Edited by Mark Stryker
  • 2 weeks later...
Justin V Community Regular

Justin V

Posted
Posted

I was at the Pittsburgh concert.  Although I normally wouldn't attend a concert the night before leaving for the Detroit Jazz Fest, I knew that it'd be foolish to miss Phil Woods with an orchestra.  Incidentally, Woods might have been my first jazz performance in a concert setting back in probably 2004 or 2005.

As when I'd seen him with his quintet last year and with Greg Abate a couple of years ago, I was surprised by how little his playing was affected by his emphysema.  Last year, he told the crowd that the disease was God's way of telling him that he played too many notes.  The thing is, any breaks for breath in between phrases sounded natural, his classic tone was still intact and his fingers were still nimbly executing his ideas. 

I knew that he might choose to retire someday, but the announcement, made during a concert in which he was killing it, left me stunned.  An older gentleman in my row who appeared to be there with some teens and their parents went from wiping away tears after laughing over a Woods story to being overcome with emotion during the last tune and wiping away tears again. 

Woods said that he was going to spend some time writing, and his unfiltered and frequently hilarious anecdotes would make for great reading. 

I'm glad that he can retire on his own terms when he can still blow up a storm.  It couldn't have been an easy decision to make, but I know that it must've taken a Herculean effort to maintain his high standards in the face of illness

The thing was, he was playing some hip stuff and really seemed to be inspired by the material (and surely also by the knowledge that it was going to be his last concert). He said that it was only the second time that he'd done the 'Bird with Strings and More' program in the US, and it was a well-conceived program.

The concert featured four solo tunes by Woods ('Just Friends', 'Everything Happens to Me' 'April in Paris' and 'The Thrill Is Gone'), four with just trumpeter James Moore ('Stardust', 'Love Is the Sweetest Thing',  'Joy Spring' and 'Memories of You') and two with both Woods and Moore ('Repetition' and 'Rocker').

While Woods was the main attraction, Moore is a fine, young trumpeter who acquitted himself well with the orchestra.  Although I somehow don't have the Bird or Brownie strings albums, Moore called attention to another album that was being spotlighted, the Donald Byrd strings album.  I'm a big Byrd fan and need to pick that one up as well.  It couldn't have been easy sharing the bill with Woods, but if Moore knew beforehand that Woods was going to announce his retirement, he didn't let the significance of that get in the way of his performance (the same could be said of the local rhythm section of pianist Alton Merrell, bassist Paul Thompson and drummer Tom Wendt).  His clean articulation and smooth tone, besides shining on his solo tunes, meshed well with Woods' playing.

Even if Woods hadn't have chosen to announce his retirement that night, it would've been a memorable evening regardless.  If we're lucky, MCG will release it on their label (Woods does have an album with Herbie Mann on the MCG label).  I'm thankful to have been there for it and to have seen Woods perform with his quintet (once with Bill Charlap and once with Bill Mays) and once with Greg Abate.  He certainly deserves a happy retirement and has my gratitude for an amazing career.

 

 

 

 

 

JSngry Grand Master

JSngry

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Posted

 

Woods said that he was going to spend some time writing, and his unfiltered and frequently hilarious anecdotes would make for great reading. 

Whoa...that would be some kind of a read (no pun intended)...the guy was in all kinds of trenches at all kinds of times.

BillF Mentor

BillF

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Saw him twice: with his European Rhythm Machine at Ronnie's in the late sixties (word got around - accurately - that the woman with the kids on the front row was Charlie Parker's widow!), and at Wigan in the 90s heading a big band he'd put together for a European tour. More recently, I hear a great deal about him from Greg Abate, who turns up here twice a year.

duaneiac Newbie

duaneiac

Posted
Posted

I wonder if he had told any one else -- particularly the musicians performing with him that night -- that this would be his final performance?  I'm guessing he didn't because surely it would have leaked out on some one's Twitter account beforehand if he had.  Imagine the emotions that must have been going thorough him, knowing that his was his last time at bat, so to speak, and knowing that he was the only one who knew it.

I wonder, when was his last performance with his regular group?

As prolifically as he recorded, I'm sure there must still be several albums worth of material in the vaults that will be released in the coming years.

I wish Mr. Woods well and hope he has the means and security to do what he wishes in his retirement years.

BillF Mentor

BillF

Posted
Posted

 

As prolifically as he recorded, I'm sure there must still be several albums worth of material in the vaults that will be released in the coming years.

 

For starters, there's the forthcoming live album recorded with Greg Abate at Woonsocket, RI. The announcement of its launch on October 3rd on Greg Abate's website hasn't yet been amended:

http://www.gregabate.com/tour-dates/

... and it's still there on Phil's website:

http://www.philwoods.com/component/option,com_gigcal/Itemid,126/

 

 

 

Kevin Bresnahan Mentor

Kevin Bresnahan

Posted
Posted

 

As prolifically as he recorded, I'm sure there must still be several albums worth of material in the vaults that will be released in the coming years.

 

For starters, there's the forthcoming live album recorded with Greg Abate at Woonsocket, RI. The announcement of its launch on October 3rd on Greg Abate's website hasn't yet been amended:

http://www.gregabate.com/tour-dates/

... and it's still there on Phil's website:

http://www.philwoods.com/component/option,com_gigcal/Itemid,126/

Greg says that Phil has backed out from performing at that October 3rd date.

BillF Mentor

BillF

Posted
Posted

 

As prolifically as he recorded, I'm sure there must still be several albums worth of material in the vaults that will be released in the coming years.

 

For starters, there's the forthcoming live album recorded with Greg Abate at Woonsocket, RI. The announcement of its launch on October 3rd on Greg Abate's website hasn't yet been amended:

http://www.gregabate.com/tour-dates/

... and it's still there on Phil's website:

http://www.philwoods.com/component/option,com_gigcal/Itemid,126/

Greg says that Phil has backed out from performing at that October 3rd date.

I'm still looking forward to the album!

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