More Horns Give Big Sound to Woods Band

Phil Woods has stood out as an improviser and experimenter ever since he was a sideman and soloist in the bands of Thelonious Monk and Oliver Nelson.

So it should come as only a mild surprise that he has expanded his two-horn quintet into an ensemble he calls the Phil Woods Little Big Band on his new album, “Evolution” (Concord).

Woods has been thinking about such a group for close to 5 years, going back to the time when he permanently added Tom Harrell’s trumpet and fluegelhorn to his already-prospering quartet.

A year ago, Woods spoke of adding another horn to expand yet again the colors of the music he was writing. Obviously pleased at having attracted Harrell, one of the top improvisational trumpeters in jazz, and pleased as well with the broader sound Harrell brought to the group, the leader wanted simply to carry the expansion thought a step further.

Instead of one horn, though, he has added three: a tenor sax, a baritone and a trombone, played by Nelson Hill, Nick Brignola and Hal Crook, respectively.

While Harrell takes a predictable center stage on Miles Davis’ “Miles Ahead,” the additional horns interact with his trumpet and Woods’ alto to give the group a true big band sound in seven other songs here githout detracting from the tightness that longtime Phil Woods Quintet fans have come to appreciate.

The quintet has not expanded permanently, just as its members--Hal Galper, Bill Goodwin, Steve Goodwin and Harrell--have not broken up despite occasional forays on other albums with other groups. They are merely exploring new ground.

So it is here. The output, if only temporary, is truly orchestral and more than inviting. Such Woods originals as “Alvin G.,” “Black Flag,” “Rain Go Away” and “Which Way Is Uptown?” are full of polyphonic improvisations steeped in richer sounds than it’s possible to concoct with a quintet.

As if you couldn’t guess that Woods would make it all work.