In this day of ubiquitous “last” recordings of artists, it will probably take a year or two to determine if this Aug 2014 jazz club recording of Phil Woods with fellow alto saxist Greg Abate along with the Tim Ray Trio of John Lockwood/b and Mark Walker/dr is actually the bebop master’s last, but as of today it’s making that claim. If nothing else, it showed that the recently departed Woods swung to the very end, as this gig is a bopping treat.
The two alto saxists create some rich textures as the gallop together on pieces such as “Steeplechase” and “Yardbird Suite” and the slight variance in tone makes for wonderful comparisons. Abate goes it alone on the lonely and stark “Angel Eyes” and switches to soprano to support Woods on a lilting “Willow Weep For Me.” The trio is crisp and clear, with Ray delightfully buoyant on “Cedar’s Blues” and all three getting a chance to stretch out as the saxes sit out the read of “Speak Low.”
As for Woods, he is simply masterful; his pitch and tone glows on “A Sleepin’ Bee’ and his ideas flow like wine on “I’ll Remember April.” The two disc collection itself is wisely put together, with Wood’s introductions to the songs being added to the end of each respective disc to keep the musical continuity going. An excellent last bopping will and testament.
Whaling City Sound