Customer Reviews

Woody Live: East and West

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This was originally released on Columbia as "WOODY LIVE-EAST AND WEST" AND features one of the last live performances of the legndary early-to-mid sixties band that featured Bill Chase, Sal Nistico and Nat Pierce at Basin Street West in San Francisco. It has my very favorite all-time trumpet section, with Chase & Gerry Lamy splitting lead, along with Don Rader, Bobby Shew & Dusko Goykovich. The saxes had Nistico, with Gary Klein, Andy McGhee and Tom Anastas (folks, it doesn't get any better!). Don Doane (of Maynard's "Birdland Dream Band"), Frank Tesinsky and Henry Southall make up the bone section. Pierce is joined by Tony Leonardi & Ron Zito in the rhythm section.

Woody regrouped in New York after a lot of the guys went on to become stars on their own, and (typically) assembled a group of young lions and wily veterans for the Riverboat Room gig, most of whom went on to be stars wherever they played: Lloyd Michaels and Lin Biviano led a trumpet section with Dick Reudebusch, Bill Byrne and John Crews. Bill Watrous, Jim Foy & Mel Wanzo made up the bone section and Zito was joined by pianist Mike Alterman, with Bob Daugherty on bass.

The music selected is really interesting. (*NOTE: they repeated the original liner-notes error, so "Tomorrow's Blues Today" is REALLY John Capolla's rollicking blues riff, "Cousins," with Mike Alterman chewing up whole handfuls of keys on piano, & vice versa). The great stuff from the "east" gig is easily "Make Someone Happy," with Woody working his magic on alto ala Johnny Hodges and Zito holding back some fierce brass licks like a mindless metronome. Plus "Four Brothers," featuring Al Gibbons, Steve Marcus, Joe Temperly and my friend Bob Pierson (whose talent on flute is also featured on "Free Again"). From the "west" gig, I challenge anyone to pick out a better trumpet solo than Dusko Goykovich's arrangement and playing of "I Remember Clifford." There is also Pierce's treatment of Horace Silver's classic, "The Preacher" and Bill Holman's zany "Waltz For A Hung-up Ballet Mistress."

The soloists and the bands just keep blowing me away every time I play this album (which is a LOT!). It says a great deal about Woody's uncanny talent for putting together tremendous bands and then giving them enough room to blow their BEST! Buy this and ENJOY!

another great re-release of columbia 1960's woody material. you're getting two completely different "herds" here, but at least stylistically compatible. 1/2 the album is the bill chase/sal nistico herd of the early-mid decade and the other 1/2 is with (at the time) up and coming great players like bill watrous who gets a few solos in as well as steve marcus and lin biviano in their pre-buddy rich days. again a nice mix of updates of woody standars against some original big band works. this album would be most consistent with 'jazz hoot' which has cuts from both the "herds" represented here. no annoying woody vocals on this disc though :) this is definitely a must have if you already purchased the 'jazz hoot/woody's winners' re-issue. all we need now is the re-release of 'my kind of broadway' to make the columbia set complete.