Phil Roy

Mustard is the second solo album by Roy Wood, who wrote and produced every track and painted the cartoon-style cover. It was completed and released about the same time as he disbanded his group Wizzard. He played all the instruments, and contributed all vocals apart from guest appearances by Annie Haslam, Phil Everly, ex-Move and Wizzard bassist Rick Price, and co-engineer Dick Plant.

Roy Buchanan is the guitarist's guitar hero. Singularly uninterested in rock stardom and the trappings of fame that go with it, Buchanan never achieved the popularity of his six-string peers; yet his unfathomable technique and ferocious Telecaster tone put him near the top of any serious listing of the greatest guitarists of all time. Stories abound about the regard with which other musicians held Roy (and the indifference with which he greeted their esteem); for example, legend has it he turned down the Rolling Stones for the job Mick Taylor got, and blew off playing with John Lennon, while Jeff Beck dedicated "'Cause We've Ended as Lovers" from Blow by Blow to him.

This 21-song set is representative of Roy Wood's always inventive work with the Move, Wizzard, and as a solo artist. It contains no fewer than three U.K. number one hits, in addition to the seasonal "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day," and which usually makes a chart appearance during the holidays. And the sound quality is uniformly fine, which certainly hasn't been the case with some reissues like The Best of & the Rest of Roy Wood & Wizzard, which is something of a companion piece to this disc.

Phil Woods - Floresta Canto (1975) {2015 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICJ 95}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 339 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 109 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 249 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1975, 2015 RCA / Sony Music Japan | SICJ 95
Jazz / Fusion / Hard Bop / Modern Big Band / Latin Jazz / Saxophone

Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. One of those great records from the 70s that makes you say "man, Phil Woods was hip!" The session was cut in London with an electrified big band led by Chris Gunning, and featuring keyboards by the groovy Gordon Beck – kind of a blend of strings, keys, and woodwinds – providing some lush backdrops that allow Phil to really open up on some great solos. The style is similar to Phil's album Images, done with Michel Legrand – but with some more electric touches – and like that album, it's got a wonderfully fluid, lyrical approach that's quite different from the harder-jamming fusion albums Woods cut in Europe. Titles include "Canto De Ossanha", "Sails", "Roses", "Without You", "Jesse", and "O Morro".

This Mosaic collection, drawn from 1951 to 1960, presents us with a body of work that stands admirably on its own and, in passing, an opportunity to reevaluate this severely underappreciated musician.
The earliest session here produced four sides, including two vocals that were obviously aimed to gain radio airplay. It’s interesting to compare the leader’s vocal and trumpet styles in both cases he produces a lovely clear tone in the higher register and trademark rasp in the lower. The next four tracks featured intelligent string arrangements by George Williams. The backgrounds are generally unobtrusive and Little Jazz plays lots of horn; his sound is especially gorgeous on his own “I Remember Harlem.” This is also the first of many sessions to include Oscar Peterson-unfortunately, he’s on organ rather than piano, and one gets the distinct impression that Peterson hadn’t done much of this kind of thing…