When alto saxist Phil Woods left this planet to meet his Maker, the world lost the last true dna-imbued bebopper. Oh, there are artists out there that can still “play” the sounds and styles of Bird and Diz, but due to attrition, no one above ground has grown up weaned on the world changing and infectious sounds from 52nd St. Everyone nowadays is “schooled” in bebop, so they have a clinical knowledge of it, along with the knowledge of rock, fusion, free, modal and post bop. Woods only heard the alto sax of Charlie Parker and Sonny Stitt, so that was his only reference point, and the difference is in the way the fingers breath over the keys; you either have it in your blood or you don’t. Woods had it, and now no one (except Konitz who has gone more free) has stayed the course.
These two reissues by Fresh Sound Records feature Phil Woods in the early to mid 50s, when the only leaven in the bread was from the West Coast Cool sound.
The single disc Phil Woods Quintet & Quartet includes essentially the same band of Jon Eardley/tp, George Syran/p, Teddy Kotick/b and Nick Stabulus/dr for a 1964-54 pair of sessions. The horns sizzle on the driving “Sea Beach” and swings with delight on “Cobblestones” as Woods’ alto glows like the sun from the early morning mist. Syran’s piano sits just right on the shady “Toos Bloos” and Eardley glistens on his own “Pot Pie.” The band strips down to a quartet with the non-Star Wars John Williams at the piano and he gets behind Woods’ fervently swinging alto on “Slow Boat to China.” Woods does some nice shadow boxing on “Falling In Love All Over Again” while the band gets into a bluesy mood on the funky “Strollin’ With Pam.” The Mac ‘n Cheese of jazz.
Pianist George Wallington was also a proto-bopper, having developed his adult teeth playing with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Serge Chaloff. Before moving to Florida to start an air-conditioning business (how could I be making this up?!?!?) he put out some real tasty albums in 1956-57 with a ravenous front line of Donald Byrd/tp and Phil Woods/as. Byrd was replaced by Idrees Sulieman and Thad Jones for the last album, and the rhythm section changed a bit over time between Teddy Kotick/b, Curly Russell/b and Nabil Totah/b as well as Art Taylor/dr, Denzil Best/dr, Art Taylor/dr and Nick Stabulas/dr, but the quality of the four sessions never gets below exemplary.
The front line cracks the whip on “Our Delight” and “Together We Wail” as Byrd and Woods go back and forth like a ping pong match. The medium tempo tunes such as “Our Love Is Here To Stay” and “But George” have pockets deeper than overalls, while Wallington takes the trio by the horns without the horns on a gorgeous “Graduation Day.” Woods sounds like he was bred to solo on “Dance of The Infidels” and “Indian Summer” and Byrd is red-poker hot during his solo for ”Ow.”
The tribute on 52nd Street is a hint of heaven as Thad Jones and Idrees Sulieman take turns at the front line with Woods. Jones and Woods do a fun unison bop vocal on “Lemon Drop” while Jones’ horn cuts like a Lakota knife on “Anthropology” and “Groovin’ High.” Sulieman’s brass shines on “Ornithology” and “BeBop” and as for Woods, well, he sounds like a Catholic at St. Peter’s as he plays “Now’s The Time,” “Salt Peanuts” and “Shaw ‘Nuff.” These gents were truly keeping the Charlie Parker candle burning in the window at night on this session.
The word “sincere” comes from the idea that if a sculpture made a mistake carving his marble statue, he would fill in the chip with white wax. Therefore “Sin Cere” meant “without wax” indicating that there was nothing false about the created work of art. Lemme tell ya, there is no wax in these works of marble-total “sincerity.”
Fresh Sound Records