Today is the birthdate of saxophonist Phil Woods who was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on November 2, 1931. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began taking lessons at a local music shop. Later, he studied music with Lennie Tristano at the Manhattan School of Music and at Julliard where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1952. Although he did not copy Charlie Parker, Woods was known as the New Bird, a nickname also applied to saxophonists Sonny Stitt and Cannonball Adderley.

Woods began to lead his own bands in the 1950s and Quincy Jones hired him to accompany Dizzy Gillespie on a world tour sponsored by the United States State Department. A few years later he toured Europe with Jones and in 1962 toured Russia with Benny Goodman.

After moving to France in 1968 Woods led the avant-garde European Rhythm Machine. He returned to the United States in 1972 and, after an unsuccessful attempt to establish an electronic group, he formed a quintet which was still performing, with some changes of personnel, as late as 2004. Woods earned best alto sax player honors nearly thirty times in DownBeat magazine's annual readers poll. His quintet was awarded the top small combo title several times.

Along with his work as a leader, Phil Woods played as a sideman on records by Gary Burton, Herbie Mann, Clark Terry, Oliver Nelson, Jimmy Smith and Milt Jackson. Perhaps his best known recorded work as a sideman is his alto sax solo on Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are, recorded in 1977. He also played on Steely Dan’s “Katy Lied” record and appeared on Paul Simon’s 1975 album “Still Crazy After All These Years.” Although Woods was primarily a saxophonist, he also played clarinet and solos on that instrument can be found scattered through his recordings.

Woods was married to Chan Parker, the common-law wife of Charlie Parker, for seventeen years and was the stepfather to Chan's daughter, Kim. On September 4, 2015, Phil Woods performed a tribute to the “Charlie Parker with Strings” album at Pittsburgh’s Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild and announced at the end of the show that he would be retiring. He died a little more than three weeks later of emphysema on September 29, 2015 at the age of 83.

Here is a link to the Phil Woods Quartet playing in 1990:

"MY OLD FLAME"