Review of CD - Woody Witt - by Miles Willis

Woody Witt is a veteran saxophonist who possesses a unique combination of extensive formal training and less formal, though considerable ‘bandstand’ experience. Dr. Woodrow Witt is the 32-year-old assistant director of jazz studios at the University of Houston and manager of one of the city's pitifully few but favorite jazz venues, Cézanne. His doctoral dissertation was a detailed critical analysis of the music of Sonny Stitt. Woody has played with a wide variety of artists such as Ray Charles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Melissa Manchester, Kenny Rogers, and Johnny Mathis among others. Witt has also shared the stage with such notable jazz players as James Moody, Michael Brecker, David Liebman, Joe Lovano, Tim Hagans, Tom Harrell, and Branford Marsalis, to name just a few.

Any tenor saxophonist from Houston, Texas has some tough acts to follow. The wailing, full-bodied Texas tenor sound was virtually invented by Louisiana transplant Illinois Jacquet, and further defined by native son Arnett Cobb. Tenor titian Billy Harper, respectfully known as the Black Saint, expanded the scope and vocabulary of that blustery sound into Bop and Free Jazz. Included in this potent admixture of his hometown’s tenor legacy, are Witt’s initial and primary influence, jazz messiah John Coltrane, and Stitt, many of whose solos Woody has transcribed and will soon publish. While these influences are manifest in his playing, this strong debut reveals that Woody Witt is a musician who has successfully completed the developmental odyssey that any potentially great artist must take; he has emerged from the cocoon of being a competent stylistic interpreter and blossomed into a confident storyteller of depth and distinction. The self-assuredness with which Woody is able to express himself is evident in how this recording was made. “We didn't actually rehearse the music. We looked at the sheets, discussed some approaches and ideas and then went into the studio and played it. Every performance is either a first or second take.” Spontaneity is a key element of jazz's true essence and has produced some of its greatest recordings. Its employment here imbues each piece with a genuineness and honesty that often dissipates through the relentless pursuit of that 'perfect' take. Few musicians would feel as free to bare themselves so openly on their first recording. His colleagues on this project, drummer Tim Solook, bassist David Craig, and pianist/composer Joe LoCascio are stalwarts of the Houston jazz scene. While Woody is clearly the leader of this session, the group plays with an unforced solidity, each member attentive and supportive.

The first track, one of four Witt originals call A Child's Dance begins with a free, robust clarion-call from the tenor, and then breaks into a hard, driving swing, with Craig and Solook providing, respectively, the 'bounce' and velocity. Hang on! Woody included George Gershwin's classic Who Cares? because it appears on one of his favorite records, “Know What I Mean?” by Cannonball Adderley and Bill Evans. Sound judgment, to be sure. His tone is appealing and bright, with just a hint of melancholy. Witt's own Homage is dedicated to John Coltrane. Woody names “Blue Trane” as the jazz album that seduced him. His playing on this track, bold and searing, however, is more reminiscent of a later period of Trane's development than the straight Bop of that record. Woody plays all over the horn, top to bottom, squeals and honks, in rapid bursts and aching cries. Through the Fog is a ballad with a somewhat dark and yearning melody that, like a misty vapor, moves in slowly and envelops the listener in a shifting ambience of moods and shades.

Pianist Joe Locascio contributed the next two compositions, My Idea of Fun and Wood. Woody switches to the soprano saxophone with LoCascio’s sparkling phrases. Wood begins with a quirky, Monk-like angular theme followed by a quick run of quarter-note triplets, simulating a change in time signature from 4/4 to 3/4. You Know I Care, written by the great Duke Pearson, was selected for its appearance on Woody's favorite album by the late Joe Henderson, “Inner Urge.” It is made memorable by Witt’s wistful lyricism. The closer, Trance, ends the set with an extended, raga-like excursion through shifting and contrasting tempos and changes.