Phil Woods Mosaic set

[ghost of miles]

I've been greatly enjoying the Woods-Lew Tabackin CD and decided to go for the Woods Mosaic without a whole lot of contemplation--paid $120 (including shipping) for a like-new set with still-sealed CDs on eBay, which may be a bit much in this era of deflating Mosaic prices, but happy to have it on the way nonetheless.  Others here have a take on this set?  I've heard several mixed opinions over the years.

Edited June 21, 2018 by ghost of miles

[jazzbo]

I think you'll enjoy the set. I like it more the more I revisit it. There's excellent Hal Galper there and the sound is quite good throughout the set.

[BillF]

Absolutely prime Woods which I have courtesy my good friend J Tapscott. 

Session (C) on Disc II is probably as good as I've ever heard him - which is saying something!

[Ken Dryden]

I agree, I've enjoyed it since reviewing it for Cadence when it was released. 

[sgcim]

They do a live, thirteen minute version of 'Cheek To Cheek' with the old quintet in '77(w/Melillo and Leahey) that soars into the stratosphere. 

Woods and company were burnin' back then.

[king ubu]

Good set, though I'm not too big on Woods in general.

[ghost of miles]

Thanks much for the feedback on this set—really looking forward to hearing it. 

[ghost of miles]

Loving this set so far (just finished listening to disc 3)—thanks for all of the feedback about it. It’s putting me on the hunt for more music from the various configurations of this group.

[sgcim]

PW said his fave recording of his was 'Live at the Showboat'. I'm not sure if they released it on CD, but the two-record set is great. 

[jazzbo]

It has been out on cd from Japan.

[Ken Dryden]

Get the Japanese CD set of Live at the Showboat and avoid the truncated live CD put out by Novus in the 1990s.

 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

2 hours ago, jazzbo said:

It has been out on cd from Japan.

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICP-3992

Two disc set for $13.36 seems like a good deal. Has anyone heard this version? Is it worth picking up to replace my needle-drops?

[felser]

1 hour ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICP-3992

Two disc set for $13.36 seems like a good deal. Has anyone heard this version? Is it worth picking up to replace my needle-drops?

I have it - well worthwhile and sounds great.

[ghost of miles]

Yes, the Japanese reissue of the Showboat set is definitely on my radar.  I'm also on the hunt for an affordable copy of Integrity.  I ordered several others from the mid-70s-through-late-80s era via online sellers last night.

[HutchFan]

5 minutes ago, ghost of miles said:

Yes, the Japanese reissue of the Showboat set is definitely on my radar.  I'm also on the hunt for an affordable copy of Integrity.  I ordered several others from the mid-70s-through-late-80s era via online sellers last night.

About a decade ago, I stumbled across both Live at the Showboat and Birds of a Feather in the dollar bins. Both blew me away. Those two records prompted a huge PW bender. 

ghost, you're in for some great discoveries, great fun!  

[Kevin Bresnahan]

2 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Yes, the Japanese reissue of the Showboat set is definitely on my radar.  I'm also on the hunt for an affordable copy of Integrity.  I ordered several others from the mid-70s-through-late-80s era via online sellers last night.

Regarding "Integrity" - there's a weird CD issue of this recording in discogs: https://www.discogs.com/The-New-Phil-Woods-Quintet-Live-Jazz-Masters-100-Ans-De-Jazz/release/9179371

There is no way that all of this music can fit on 1 CD. It adds up to almost 90 minutes (89:31). No CD can fit that much music. I've had a few with almost 80 minutes, but never one with almost 90.

[sgcim]

Even when you get done with his many albums as a leader, there are still some great things he did as a sideman with Oliver Nelson, Quincy Jones, Benny Carter, Michel Legrand, and many others. The 'Images' LP he did with Legrand was another one that I'm not sure was re-issued on CD, but features PW in a concerto-like setting on the title tune that is one of the most exciting pieces of music I've ever heard.

And then the fact that PW studied composition with some of the heavy dudes at Julliard (Lucas Foss and another composer I can't recall), which resulted is some good pieces for saxophone quartet that are a part of the literature. 

He had his own big band up at the Delaware Water Gap, and at his memorial concert in Penn., the second half of the concert consisted of PW's original compositions/arrangements for the big band. They were all great charts, and they chose ones that featured Randy Brecker, Brian Lynch, Vincent Herring and Bill Mays as the main soloists.

But chops can only get you so far, and IMHO the show was stolen by the great Houston Person featured on an arrangement of Dameron's 'If You Could See Me Now'.

Here's 'Images';

 

Edited July 13, 2018 by sgcim

[Eric]

On 7/12/2018 at 9:50 AM, felser said:

I have it - well worthwhile and sounds great.

Bought it based off this thread.  Echo these comments on both counts!

[Ken Dryden]

Stock up on his prolific output for Philology, there are many amazing sessions that he made for the label.

 

[sgcim]

On 7/16/2018 at 8:24 PM, Ken Dryden said:

Stock up on his prolific output for Philology, there are many amazing sessions that he made for the label.

 

Hear, hear! He was still at the height of his powers in 1994 on the 'Ornithology-Phil Salutes Bird' CD. He burns on 'Star Eyes'!