Deserves to be in every jazz collection
James A. Vedda | Alexandria, VA USA | 12/18/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In the years since the original double-LP set came out in 1977, my advice to people who ask for jazz recommendations has been that this album is a must for every jazz collection, even if they only intend to buy one saxophone album in their lifetime. No other album I've heard in nearly four decades of listening comes closer to The Holy Grail of Jazz Sax than this one. You don't have to take my word for it - the album won the 1977 Grammy Award for best jazz performance by a group, and was picked as one of the ten best records of that year by Time Magazine. The superlative quality and importance of this performance make it all the more appalling that Amazon lists it (at the time of this writing) as "Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock."
Part of this session appeared on CD for the first time in a 1991 Novus release simply titled "Phil Woods Live." Amazon offers this item from alternate vendors, but it's hard to recognize because there's no track list and few other details given in the product listing. I have this release, and it's great, but it leaves out 49 minutes of music that was on the original LP set.
In addition to the best alto and soprano sax playing you'll find anywhere, the rest of the group excels in their solo opportunities and generally demonstrates what a well-oiled jazz machine should sound like. The arrangements are incredibly innovative. You won't believe that old tunes like "Cheek to Cheek" and "I'm Late" can cook this hot. On the slow side, "Superwoman" is pure seduction. Another of my favorites is "High Clouds," a fast mover that has brilliant interplay between Woods and guitarist Harry Leahey. Also memorable is the 22-minute "Brazilian Affair," a four-part suite that gets more energetic with each movement (and is not included on the 1991 release).
Thankfully, the tape recorder was running when this master saxophonist was at his peak, so we can experience this inspired session (if we can find somewhere to buy the CD). Also check out three other outstanding albums from the same era: "The New Phil Woods Album," "Floresta Canto," and "Song for Sisyphus" (also released as "Summer Afternoon Jazz")."
Come on already!
Woody | Wisconsin, USA | 04/07/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What the hell is the hold up with this album? I've never owned a copy of it, and yet I know every note of it. This is a VERY important jazz album. Saxophonists like myself have been studying it for years. Usually we have to listen to a scratchy old LP or a scratchy old tape of the LP. I always recommend this album to all my students (especially alto players), just as my teacher recommended it to me. Phil has an alto sound that is almost inhuman in its expressivity, and on this recording, you will not hear him play one unresolved note. It shouldn't matter that this album won a freakin' Grammy. Although it can be described as a neo-bebop album, its greatness ranks with albums like "A Love Supreme", or "Heavy Metal Bebop", or "Bitches Brew".
By the way, the 80's release of the recording is incomplete (which is why I never bought it). I thought someone was going to release an extended version of "Live From the Showboat" in 2006, but apparently not. We don't need no extended version with a bunch of CD's all expensive and sh@#! Just someone please release it! We've been waiting for what-30 years?"
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1