William Woods is a rare bird in the jazz world. He doesn’t need to live on his touring and CD sales because he’s a doctor. Woods is a radiation oncologist, which means he works with cancer patients. With his new CD, as with his previous two, Woods donates 50 percent of proceeds from sales to the American Cancer Society.
But Wood is also a serious musician who trained at Julliard. All this means that he’s free to create music that means the world to him, and this case it’s smooth jazz. But not just any smooth jazz. As he playfully states in the liner notes: “…I believe that I have provided more note value per entertainment dollar than the leading brand of smooth jazz CD.”
He does, too. Working with Michael Moryc and veteran smooth-jazz guitarist and producer Denny Jiosa, Woods offers funky instrumental songs like “Alive, Living in Jersey” and “Whadja Expect?” that do, indeed, contain a lot of notes. But he’s just as comfortable making movie-soundtrack music, as with the exquisite “Stir the Ashes” and “Every Part of Me.”
William Woods: Every Part of Me
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