A die-hard bopper, alto saxophonist Phil Woods nonetheless manages to push the boundaries of straight-ahead hard bop on Souvenirs. As far as the '90s go, this is one of Woods' best. This version of Woods' quintet, most notably featuring trumpeter Brian Lynch, is a solid entity with much forward momentum. Lynch, a member of Art Blakey's last Jazz Messengers lineup, is easily one the best trumpeters around, displaying a knack for interesting note choices and lines that border on the progressive. Woods sounds thoroughly engaged throughout, attacking each tune with his characteristic fire.

The Conga Kings are back with their second Chesky Records release to prove that these master congueros have more rhythmic tales to tell. Featuring Candido Camero, Carlos "Patato" Valdes and Giovanni Hidalgo, Jazz Descargas is a spontaneous celebration of modern rhythm and melody, a joyous colloquium of jazz and Afro-Cuban sounds by the likes of Machito, Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente. Historically, musically and conceptually, this rhythmic dream team is creating the genuine article. The Conga Kings are joined on Jazz Descargas by special guests Phil Woods, Mario Rivera, Chocolate and Jimmy Bosch.

When he first came on the scene, Phil Woods was often referred to as "The New Bird," in a nod to the legendary Charlie Parker - A testament to his genius on the saxophone to be sure. But while obviously indebted to Parker - as all modern jazz saxophonists of a certain era were - there is no question that Phil Woods was an original. After earning a degree in music from Juilliard in the early 1950's, Woods found himself in the orbit of the great Quincy Jones. At Jones' invitation Woods joined Dizzy Gillespie's infamous Jazz Ambassadors - a tour sponsored by the US State Department as part of a global cultural diplomacy initiative - and subsequently became a member of Jones' own touring band. This recording, his 9th album as a band leader, consists entirely of Woods' five-part Rights of Swing Suite. An ambitious large-scale composition based solidly on jazz traditions.

One of the best living alto saxophone players, Phil Woods returned to Venus Records for the first time in six years with his star-studded quintet which includes Brian Lynch and Bill Charlap. Recorded in 2008, Ballads & Blues also represents Woods' first composer's songbook dedicated to Billy Strayhorn. Choosing predominantly slow and medium tempos, Woods shines with his big, warm and expressive tone, soulful blues feel and wailing melancholy. The supporting cast is also superb. This album will be remembered as one of Woods' best.

Altoist Phil Woods' second recording as a leader is a rather brief 34-minute set. Accompanied by a quiet but swinging rhythm section (pianist John Williams, bassist Teddy Kotick, and drummer Nick Stabulas), Woods swings hard on four standards (including "Slow Boat to China" and "Be My Love"), plus a pair of his originals: "Strollin' with Pam" and "Woodlore". The altoist displays plenty of energy and a strong command of the bebop vocabulary, sounding quite enthusiastic.

"Big Band Bossa Nova" is a 1962 bossa nova album by American impresario, jazz composer, trumpeter, arranger and record producer Quincy Jones and his band. It features the popular number "Soul Bossa Nova." The title Big Band Bossa Nova was also used for three other 1962 albums, by Stan Getz, Oscar Castro-Neves and Enoch Light.

Formed in 1972 by Swiss jazz giants pianist George Gruntz, alto saxophonist Flavio Ambrosetti, his son, trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti, and drummer Daniel Humair, The Band would later metamorphose into the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band. The predilection towards a combination of international jazz all-stars and home-grown compositions is already in evidence on this, their first album, and a bevy of jazz greats are along for the ride.

Jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer and four-time Grammy Award winner Phil Woods studied music with Lennie Tristano, who influenced him greatly, at the Manhattan School of Music and at the Juilliard School. Chasin' The Bird is an album, originally released in 1998 for Japanese Venus Records. The supporting quartet were Brian Lynch, Steve Gilmore, Bill Goodwin, and Bill Charlap.

The Young Bloods is an album by trumpeter Donald Byrd and saxophonist Phil Woods recorded in 1956 and released on the Prestige label. Despite the presence of co-leader Donald Byrd, Woods wrote four of the six tracks and dominates the solo offerings, hence the recording date is attributed to Woods, which conveniently also preserves the integrity of my alphabetic by artist filing system.

The Phil Woods Quintet shines on this collection of standards from the movies, but their fresh approach to each of these very familiar songs is what makes this release special.

"Newport '61" is a live album by Quincy Jones that was recorded on July 3, 1961 at the Newport Jazz Festival. With trumpeter Joe Newman, altoist Phil Woods, trombonist Curtis Fuller and tenor man Eric Dixon as key soloists, this ensemble could hold its own with most of its contemporaries. Jones' arrangements were colorful and distinctive, and the musicianship of the orchestra was quite impressive.

This unusual album teams together the altos of Lee Konitz, Pony Poindexter, Phil Woods and Leo Wright (along with pianist Steve Kuhn, bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Jon Christensen) on a variety of challenging material. There are four pieces for the full septet (including one that pays tribute to both Bach and Bird), a pair of quintet performances and a ballad medley that ends in a complete fiasco (it has to be heard to be believed). Despite the latter, everyone fares well on this summit meeting.