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About the Soloist |
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Phil Woods, saxophone |
Phil Woods joined the jazz music scene in New York
during the late 1940’s when bebop was gaining popularity as the new
direction of American jazz. After graduating from Juilliard Music School
Phil quickly gained fame by joining the Birdland All Stars Tour of
1956, and then the Dizzy Gillespie State Department Tour throughout the
Middle East. During the late 1950’s Phil worked with jazz luminaries
including Quincy Jones and Thelonious Monk. Phil’s partnership with Gene
Quill in the late 1950’s established Phil as a major jazz star and led
to many exciting recordings during the 1960’s.
After moving to Europe in 1968 Phil formed the
“European Rhythm Machine” which kept Phil busy during the challenging
period for jazz in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Phil returned to
the United States in the early 1970’s and had one of the first major
“crossover” hits in the popular field by recording the now legendary
solo in Billy Joel’s top selling song “Just the Way You Are”. Phil
received several Grammy nominations and awards during the 1970’s and
formed a 30 year working relationship with Quintet members Bill Goodwin
and Steve Gilmore. Phil currently resides in the Pocono Mountains in
Pennsylvania and tours the world sharing his gifted interpretations of
the Great American Songbook, while continuing to carry the torch of
Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the bebop music idiom.
For more information, visit: www.nyys.org.
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