Customer Reviews

Birds of a Feather

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was my very first Phil Woods album and, to this day, it remains my favorite. This is an outstanding disc which thoroughly displays Phil's embarrassment of talent. Just sayin'.

....my particular appreciation of the music being slightly dulled. This is NOT a review trashing the cd because I realize the personnel have great reputations and the music is fine, which is why I'm rated where I am but also explains that I review what I feel.....not what will get me points.

I admire Phil Woods for his virtuosity and his compositional talents but it is also true that I appreciated the piano of Hal Galper and especially the solos by bassist Steve Gilmore more than Woods' playing.

Why? Although the alto work was very fiery and inventive, it had too much of a bite or hard edge for my taste......drop the squeals, Phil.....they don't add anything! Maybe I've listened to too much alto by Paul Desmond lately. That's like comparing a dry martini to a shot and a beer.....or more appropriately, the style and sound of tenor sax by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis compared to that of Scott Hamilton. I've heard other offerings by Phil Woods dating back to the big bands of Quincy Jones which were more restrained without sacrificing the inventiveness.

That said , the set was good with two Woods originals and four standards, my favorites being "Goodbye Mr. Evans" and "My Old Flame". "Star Eyes" was taken at a considerably faster pace than usual for my preference.

This is a good hard bop set which will be appreciated by fans of that style, but more especially by fans of Phil Woods.