by Ken Dryden
Phil Woods' prolific recordings for the Italian label Philology (which is named in his honor) are always enjoyable; this duo concert with pianist Enrico Pieranunzi is no exception. The creativity of both men during a jaunty &Have You Met Miss Jones?& would be a difficult standard for any group to match during a live performance, yet the duo does just that, seemingly without effort. A very lyrical take of &September Song,& followed by &Someday My Prince Will Come& (with a particularly dreamy introduction), Phil's well-known gritty arrangement of &Willow Weep for Me,& and a spacy take of the classic &You and the Night and the Music& all prove to be equally compelling. The alto saxophonist also revisits &Goodbye Mr. Evans,& his touching elegy to pianist Bill Evans. Pieranunzi contributes two memorable numbers: &Night Bird,& a piece also featured on Phil Woods & the Space Jazz Trio's earlier Philology CD Phil's Mood, and &Chet,& a moody yet warm tribute to Chet Baker (with whom he recorded on Baker's final studio album). Hopefully, there will be many more collaborations involving these two greats.