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There’s no greater jazz saxophonist in the
world than Phil Woods, and his stunning
performance at the Jazz Club Unterfahrt in Munich
on Saturday, January 25th proved that at age 71
he’s still playing at the top of his game.
Woods was admirably accompanied by the Hessischer
Rundfunk Big Band, led by Joerg Keller. The HR Big
Band is a swinging ensemble filled with top-notch
players. There isn’t a weak player in this group
and virtually all of them got to play solos during
Saturday’s concert. Special mention needs to be
made of the band’s saxophone section whose
members, in addition to being first-rate section
men and soloists, didn’t shrink from the challenge
of stepping up to the plate after the Babe Ruth of
the saxophone hit musical home run after home run.
The concert started off sans Phil Woods with a
spot on performance of Bill Holman’s arrangement
of “Norwegian Wood” that was popularized by the
Buddy Rich Band. Tasty alto and plunger trombone
solos complemented this rousing opener.
Displaying real chops, the band shifted gears and
followed with Bob Brookmeyer’s hauntingly modal
arrangement of “St. Louis Blues” that was written
for the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. Typical of
the festive atmosphere at the concert occurred
during this tune when, at a particularly quiet
moment during a trombone solo, long-time Munich
resident and trumpeter extraordinaire Al Porcino
blurted out from the back of the club, “He makes
that horn talk. It says ‘ouch.’”
Following this tune was a shuffle-beat arrangement
of a tune whose name I didn’t catch, but appeared
to be based on the changes of “Straight, No
Chaser.” At times the sax section employed a Glenn
Millerish clarinet lead, and lead reedman Henry
Petersen delivered a fine clarinet solo.
Phil Woods made his first appearance of the night
on the next number, a swinging version of “It
Could Happen to You” that was very much in the Rob
McConnell/Bob Brookmeyer style. In this era where
so-called “light jazz” musicians bound around the
stage like Mick Jagger after six cups of
Starbucks, it’s great to see who just sits there
and lets the music do the talking. The amazing
thing about Woods’ playing is its effortlessness.
The solos appear to be perfectly crafted like Bach
fugues, the rhythm is impeccable and the technique
displayed is a perfect model for all aspiring
saxophonists. Even the slightly out of tune piano
didn’t phase Phil Woods the old road warrior. He
just smiled and said to the audience, “It sounds
like it was tuned by Helen Keller.”
In the second set I was particularly impressed
with the HR Big Band’s reading of Bob Brookmeyer’s
arrangement of “Willow Weep for Me,” which he
wrote when he was the musical director of the Mel
Lewis Jazz Orchestra. When Woods returned to the
stage he once again played magnificently,
especially in “How’s Your Mama,” his theme song
that is a fast swinger which quotes from about
twenty tunes ranging from “Salt Peanuts” to
“Harlem Nocturne.” For an encore Woods and the
band performed “I Remember Bird,” a slow blues.
There aren’t many saxophonists around who play
with the assurance, authority and integrity of
Phil Woods. In this era of MTV glamour pusses and
artificially-created fusion genres (I’m still
waiting for Tejano-Bossa Nova-Dixieland), it is
refreshing to hear a jazz musician committed to
the purity and emotional intensity of bop.
For more about Phil Woods, check out his website:
www.philwoods.com .
Information about the Hessischer Rundfunk Big Band
may be found at
www.hrbigband.de .
Recordings by Phil Woods are available on
Amazon.com
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