Woods Quintet Delivers Its Own Amplification on Style

Alto saxophonist Phil Woods made a strong sonic statement Saturday at the Jazz Bakery. Working without the usual amplification (bassist Steve Gilmore used the standard bass monitor), his quintet filled the sometimes acoustically challenged space with pure, balanced, well-defined sound.

The fine sound, delivered with plenty of volume despite the lack of electronics, served to underscore the exemplary performance that Woods’ band gave during its first of two nights at the Culver City venue. Filled with well-oiled ensemble play and insightful, invigorating improvisation, the evening served to illuminate the individual skills of its members as well as the worth of a working ensemble that has polished its presentation over a period of time.

In the case of Woods, bassist Gilmore and drummer Bill Goodwin, that relationship has been existent for nearly 25 years, beginning, as Woods explained from the bandstand, when the newest member of the combo, pianist Bill Charlap, was but 5 years old. Despite the generational differences--trumpeter Brian Lynch is 42, Woods is 65--the group’s members proved themselves to be one-minded in their approach to music.

That approach included a willingness to impose tone and tempo changes in unexpected places and a fondness for long, lyrical lines when soloing. Woods, dressed in a red shirt, linen vest and trademark cap, was a fountainhead of wit and ideas, quoting freely from other tunes (many from the bebop canon), before turning variations on those same themes. So flowing were his improvisations that they often seemed composed of a single, thoughtful line.

As he did with his previous trumpeter, Tom Harrell, Woods found a magnetic attraction to the sound of Lynch, and their tandem theme statements made for a shiny sonic alchemy. Charlap, like his boss, stayed busy during improvisations, delivering smooth phrases that built into harmonically deep assertions. On onetime Woods pianist Jim McNeely’s “A Perfect Six,” he roared into a wild, Cecil Taylor-like crescendo as the horns dwelt on a single, sustained tone beneath him.

The group covered bop-influenced Woods originals (“All Bird’s Children”), the moody standard “Harlem Nocturne,” which became a showcase for the leader’s poetic ballad play, a much-tampered-with version of George Wallington’s “Godchild” and “Summer Serenade” from Benny Carter (whom Woods labeled his hero).

While Woods’ performance showed how easily the bebop tradition can be applied to modern musical approaches, the overriding lesson here was that acoustic jazz bands, playing in a space as intimate as the Jazz Bakery, sound even better without interference from microphones, amplification and stage monitors. Here’s hoping Woods has started a trend.