JAZZ : Phil Woods, Documentarian

Phil Woods, whose alto saxophone has graced the jazz world for more than 30 years, and who during that time enjoyed an astonishing series of associations with dozens of jazz giants, wants to put it all in writing.

“I’ve had so many incredible experiences in my time,” he said during a recent pause between sets at Catalina’s in Hollywood, “that I just have to write a book about it. It’s gonna be a long project.

“I originally just had an idea in mind about writing a saxophone book; then I decided to put in a few stories, and little by little it took on a whole new dimension. I will include improvisation lessons, but also poems, recipes, memoirs--it’s liable to turn out to be a ‘Whole Earth Bebop’ book.”

Few if any jazzmen now active are more literate or better qualified than Woods to tell their stories. Heir to a saxophone left him by an uncle, he moved to New York in 1948 and studied, first with the legendary Lennie Tristano, then at the Manhattan School of Music, and for four years at Juilliard, where he majored in clarinet.

“Think how fortunate I’ve been, working with so many of the giants,” Woods says. “I was with Dizzy Gillespie on that first-ever State Department-sponsored tour of the Middle East. I worked with Thelonious Monk, I played at Birdland with Friedrich Gulda’s jazz group. Then there were the tours with Buddy Rich, Quincy Jones and the Benny Goodman tour of the Soviet Union. I recorded with great composers like Oliver Nelson and Gary McFarland. I was in the middle of a great and glorious heyday.

“I guess I was thinking about my own mortality when this idea occurred to me that I had to document it all. It’s not so much my own life that’s important, but rather the relationships with all these cats who crossed my path. We’ve lost two great saxophonists who had memorable experiences but never got to write about them--Budd Johnson and, just recently, Al Cohn; I’ve already got a whole chapter on Al.

“I’m working with a word processor, and I’ve got a modem, so I can call Jill, my wife, and put everything into a big hard-disc storage unit she has. We plan to print it ourselves too. It may not be as exciting as the Art Pepper story, but there are other sides to the jazz world, as you well know.” (The Art Pepper biography dealt extensively with the author’s drug addiction.)

Woods rightly believes that there has been an excessive accent on the negative in the representation, in books or films, or such musicians as Pepper, Billie Holiday, and the lead character in “ ‘Round Midnight,” among others. “Why do they have to stress the tawdry, seamy stuff? I hope the Charlie Parker movie (Clint Eastwood’s upcoming “Bird”) treats him fairly, because the Bird I knew was a really nice man--so polite to younger musicians, and always encouraging them to stay straight. The trouble is, who wants to see a movie about a nice guy?

“Sure, we’ve always had problems; some people will go to hear a performer just to see what kind of shape he’s in, or whether he’ll show up for the job. But what does that have to do with the music? How about the legendary guys like Benny Carter, who has worked all his life, done a beautiful job and hasn’t made the headlines?

“That should be touched on. The degree of seriousness in our business has never been dealt with, or the brightness of the jazz musician, most of whom do read books.”

The Woods literary venture is being sandwiched in between dates in a schedule that may well be unique for an acoustic jazz group. Organized in 1974, the Woods quintet includes three original members: Woods, bassist Steve Gilmore and drummer Bill Goodwin, whose sister is Woods’ wife. Hal Galper, the invaluable pianist and composer, joined the combo in 1981, and trumpeter Tom Harrell was added in 1983.

Woods is unstinting in his praise for Harrell. “If he’s not a bona-fide genius, I don’t know what is. I think he’s one of the greatest improvisers I ever heard, carrying the flame of Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro. He never wastes a note; he has instinctive technical command, plus the passion, along with total harmonic control.”

Asked whether this is a good time to be leading a group on a regular basis, Woods said: “I have no choice; it’s what I want to do. Of course, without the dedication of the band it would be impossible, and admittedly it has been a little tough at times. But last year we worked six months straight from July to December, which is amazing. Then we took two months off--we try to plan the year so the guys can do their individual projects.”

Woods had his share of working as a single with pick-up bands but, as he points out, that is not why he took up music in the first place. “I have nothing against those common-denominator songs like ‘Green Dolphin Street,’ ‘I Remember April,’ ‘Stella by Starlight’--but rather than keep on playing the same old standards, I’d just as soon stay home and teach music. You just have to have new tunes, and with an organized ensemble you can take the music that much further and explore the colors and variations of ideas, tempos, moods.

“I get so bored with the way some groups approach their sound--it’s always loud. As you know, we are as unobtrusive as possible without forsaking clarity, and it’s paying off.

“Also, we’re very excited about signing with Concord.” (A live album recorded by the group in Japan last fall will be released on Concord Jazz shortly.)

Along with the quintet and the book, Woods has another item on his agenda that should prove exciting and innovative: He is expanding the quintet to eight pieces for certain dates and a probable recording.

“We’ll have three extra horns: Nick Brignola on baritone sax; a young man named Nelson Hill on tenor, who is really dynamite, and either Jimmy Knepper or Steve Turre on trombone.

“I’m composing more for this group than I am for the quintet. Hal Galper has written a couple of things, and Gil Evans gave me a chart on ‘Miles Ahead.’ Tom Harrell has been doing some writing for it too. Since the quintet has been around so long, it’s nice to have a change of pace once in a while, and of course this instrumentation gives us a chance to expand the colors.”

Woods has been a member for many years of a colony of musicians who live in the Pocono region of Pennsylvania, specifically at Delaware Water Gap. “That’s how the quintet started, in fact; Steve Gilmore lived around the corner from me, and I stayed with Bill Goodwin for a while.

“We acquired our following the hard way, playing in small rooms and saloons and finally building up a nice following. When a place like Catalina’s pays you well and takes good care of you, playing a nightclub becomes a pleasure. Catalina and Bob Popescu, the owners, are a delightful couple. The ambiance reminds me of the old Shelly’s Manne Hole . . . When you play a gig like this, with the audience hootin’ and hollerin’, in a bona-fide jazz room, it makes the whole traveling bit seem worthwhile.”