Search - Phil Woods, Gene Quill :: Phil & Quill With Prestige

Finest alto sax duo in history

T. Austin | Van Nuys, CA United States | 03/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In my opinion Phill Woods and Gene Quill were the finest alto sax duo in the history of jazz. So now that my bias is out of the way, on with the review: Each number on this album is snappy and exuberant. There are no ballads or slow tempo songs. All of it is straight-forward bebop with a smile. Since the alto sax has a ÒbrightÓ sound, it makes for a perfect instrument for bebop and this duo creates improv lines that are clean and imaginative on a recording that is crystal clear.This duo met in New York circa 1954 and recorded this album for Prestige in January of 1957. When I hear albums like this, I am beginning to think that recording on tape may be better than digital for this record has an extraordinarily clean sound.What also stands out on this album is the rhythm section. George Syran did an outstanding job on the piano while Teddy Kotick and Al Cohn; both refugees form the Zoot Sims quartet, do an amazing job on bass and drums.The liner notes are anemic but that is because they were written in 1957 before the gravity of this duo became appreciated.This is very accessible bebop and I think it is a must have album for any of those jazz fans that appreciate the saxophone."

One of the greatest BeBop albums of all time.

Tony NYC | Brooklyn, NY USA | 03/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Woods at his absolute finest. Quill, a great unsung hero, also at his best here. Together they are magic. The playing is excellent. All 6 of the original recording on this CD are Phil Woods compositions, and comprise the original vinyl LP. The addition of cuts 7 and 8 (AIREGIN by Sonny Rollins and SOLAR by Miles Davis) are great bonus cuts to this CD because they were recorded at the same recording session by Rudy Van Gelder at his HACKENSACK, NJ studio on the same date March 29, 1957, (which was basically his families living room until he built his later recording studio elsewhere in NJ. The analogue recording and analogue mixing of this CD bring out the beauty of the sound of that era. Luckily, Phil De Lancie did a great job of digitally remastering this recording for CD. The sound quality is great. By the way, the info given for this CD in the "All Music Guide To Jazz" has EVERYTHING wrong. The musicians, the song titles and even the dates. This is one of my top ten BeBop Albums."

Cooooool twins !!

Jazzcat | Genoa, Italy Italy | 09/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to correct the previous reviewer who stated that at the drums here sits Al Cohn (which by the way is a sax player). He obviously didn't (how could him sit at the drums when he's a sax player?). Here at the drums we have an almost unknown (at least by me) Nick Stabulas. However he played a fine session. This one is another great album from 1957 the jazz zenith, the perfect year. Phil and Quill were both alto men, were both Parkerian so it's not that easy to recognize who's playing for the jazz novice. Anyhow I'll help saying that Woods has a more beautiful, autoritathive sound. He's the "boss" here (the rhythm section is quite good but we don't have the biggest stars here), Quill has a smaller sound and less fantasy I might say. Phil Woods is in splendid shape here blowing a bebop phrease after another (quoting Parker here and there, what a musical delight!) being always interesting. Quill is good too, don't get me wrong, very good. But Woods's the Boss and you can easily hear that. The track list is quite interesting. The opener is a minor blues medium tempo, funky blues. Funky in the jazz sense ... every phrase is in place, the attitude is right, bad, absolutly ok. Funky! Dont' think to James Brown here! "Lazy like" is a major tune again mid tempoed. "Nothing but soul" is a little faster. "Airigin" is a Sonny Rollins tune, curiously enough never recorded by him. It is an AABA tune beginning with two minor keys than going on with some modulations. It's an hard bop thing now a jazz standard. "Solar" is a Miles Davis original which is a kind of loop tune which runs through four keys, a minor(c)and three major and then again from the beginning. This one has become a Jazz standard too. "A night at St. Nicks" is a fast bopper thing. Woods delight me here! 100% parkerian!! Great! "Black cherry fritters" is a kind of soul jazz thing even if soul jazz is a sixties trend. They anticipate it here because this is another medium tempo tune with a "soul" theme. With "Altology" we come back to up tempo things. Some breaks here and there.

When you're considering an album like this it's difficult to understand which kind of tunes you're going to find under the titles. If you read the title of a standard ok, you know what you'll going to listen, but when you read "Creme de funk" chances are you don't know what you will find. And then you discover that it's a simple minor blues. So I think it helps to read reviews where every tune is described. Blues, minor blues, anatolls are so commonly contrafacted and titled differently that it helps to know in advance what you' ll find under strange titles. Anyway this is an extremely consistent album. I'll call it essential to own a really complete jazz collection. Buy it with confidence. Moreover it is true, it is recorded very well, the overall sound is clean and warm."