Phil Woods: More Live

Recorded in 1979, this stellar date features the transcendent alto of Phil Woods in company with pianist Mike Melillo, bassist Steve Gilmore and drummer Bill Goodwin. It’s interactive, acoustic jazz at its best. On “Milestones,” Woods and company swing out with a boppish abandon that sails and soars. Steve Swallow’s “Eiderdown” opens with Gilmore’s subterranean explorations before locking into a medium groove and searing trajectories by Woods and Melillo.

The quartet’s loping take on Horace Silver’s “Strollin'” is another gem. Closing the session is Melillo’s edgy original, “See Hunt & Liddy,” which unfolds with intrigues worthy of the Watergate adventurers alluded to in the title. An aside: in order to play fair with potential buyers, the label should make it clear that the disc is a reissue; also, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to name the members of Woods’ quartet as well as to list the tunes’ running times. – Chuck Berg

Originally Published January 1, 1997