Phil Woods - Here's to My Lady (Chesky, 1989)

This post is by Dan

Phil Woods (as, cl); Tommy Flanagan (p); George Mraz (b); Kenny Washington (d)

Recorded December 20 and 21, 1988

The Chesky label takes prides in its audiophile recording process and has released an eclectic assortment of music targeted to a wide audience. I was surprised to find that they had released Phil Woods' Here's to My Lady, a straight-ahead jazz album by a quartet of veteran artists. The band chosen by Woods was Tommy Flanagan's working band at the time. I immediately acquired it on CD, which I later replaced with an SACD. 

Here's to My Lady, has an excellent program of 13 tunes, some familiar but others not. Each is dispatched over a range of 3:34 to 6:36 minutes, which was Woods' plan for the session. Highlights include "Canadian Sunset," taken on clarinet; "Charles Christopher," dedicated to Charlie Parker; and "Visions of Gaudi," composed by Tom Harrell. There are three clarinet features by Woods. As he says in the booklet notes, he wanted to explore a variety of styles. The group succeeds in making each tune fulfill his vision.

Some of the reviews I read were dismissive of what they perceived as a "tame" outing from Woods and his quartet. I understand that point but think it's unfair to expect fiery be-bop from Woods every time out. This is a classy album, full of superb playing by a truly all-star lineup. 

A comparable album is Woods' Heaven (BlackHawk, 1986), which features Tom Harrell on trumpet and flugelhorn. It's probably deserving of "co-favorite" status as far as the 80s are concerned. 

The sonics on Here's to My Lady are excellent. The SACD was released in 2004 and is a substantial improvement over the CD. Chesky has released very few LPs to my knowledge. This would have been a good one to put on vinyl.