*** PHIL WOODS “Full House” <i> Milestone</i>

Both the pluses and the minuses of a live recording are present in this outing by the alto saxophonist’s quintet. Recorded at Catalina Bar & Grill in September, it is, in its best moments, a sparkling showcase for the leader’s spirited horn playing.

Woods’ most engaging quality--abundantly displayed here--is a continuing capacity for musical growth. His solos--especially on Al Cohn’s ballad “Pensive” and Johnny Mandel’s rhythmic “Here’s to Alvy,” a tribute to Cohn--are encyclopedic definitions of contemporary jazz improvisation.

Throughout the set, Woods seems incapable of producing a false note, whether he is romping through a thicket of be-bop harmonies or whipping out noise-tinged avant-gardisms. As an added benefit, on “Hindsight” he makes an uncommon, and soulful, appearance on clarinet.

On the minus side, many of the tracks, as often happens on live recordings, go on well beyond their natural productivity. And while the rhythm section of pianist Jim McNeely, bassist Steve Gilmore and drummer Bill Goodwin is first-rate, trombonist Hal Crook rarely matches Woods’ high level of inspiration.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent). A rating of five stars is reserved for classic reissues or retrospectives.