114 BACKBEAT ADVERTISING INDEX Key No. Page No. It would be nice if "Around 6" twenty -four -track world of platinum-or - ABC Video Enterprises A-15 would help open up Wheeler's reputation bust production, musicians like Phil Acoustic Research 65 in the American market. It's hard to imag- Woods can still survive. It's even nicer to 60 AIWA America Ltd. 31 Akan America Ltd. 9 ine that anyone hearing even a little of his hear him in an uncluttered, live perform- 1 Ampex Corp. 15 59 Angel Records 64 music wouldn't want to hear more. ance accompaniedby arhythm section 2 Audio Dynamics Corp. 10 that is clearly up to his own high 3 Audio-Matic Electronics 104 Audio Technica U.S., Inc. 4 Bob Wilber and the American standards. All Stars: In the Mood for Swing Clean Cuts stresses that this album 4 BASF 21 Beyer Dynamics Inc. 70 Anders R. Ohman. producer was recorded "live" on "100% pure virgin Bose Corp. Cover III 5 BSR (USA) Ltd. 90 Phontastic 7526 (Bidewell Record vinyl." And it shows. "The Phil Woods Distribution. 24 Skipper's Drive, Quartet, Vol. 1" has all the joys-and a few 6 Celestion Industries Inc. 83 Classified Ads 110-112 Harwich, Mass. 02645) of the flaws-of a typical, Monday -night -in - 7 Consumers Co. 113 by JohnS. Wilson Austin, Texas session byworld -class jazz 8 Discount Music Club 100 players. Aside from sounding fat, alive, 9 Discwasher, Inc. 33 In 1978, when saxophonist Bob and accurate, the instruments are in the 10 Discwasher, Inc Cover IV Dual 56 Wilber was in Sweden performing with right position and proportion to each Kenny Davern in Soprano Summit, Wilber other. Fisher Corp. 28 11 47th Street Photo 109 met and recorded with Lars Erstrand, a vi- Woods seems to have exorcised 89 Fuji Tape braphonist in the Lionel Hampton tradi- some of the rock music demons that have Gusdorf 12 tion. Another Swedish session withEr - beset him in recent years and returned to the rich, bop -based improvisational style Harman-Kardon 16, 17 strand resulted in "Swingin' for the King" 12 Henry's Hi-Fi-Video-Camera 109 (also on Phontastic), a set of arrange- that made his early reputation. He starts 13 Hitachi 84, 85 ments by Wilber, most of which were the set with a fine, evocative blues by 14 Illinois Audio 86 based on the Benny Goodman combo Charlie Parker. Bloomdido, playing with a 15 Institute of Audio Research 107 16 International Hi Fi 108 repertoire. Eventually Wilber brought the strutting exuberance that would have 17 International Record & Tape Club 104 vibist to the U.S. to do some of the small - made Parker proud. (Woods was once 19 JBL 12 group material that Hampton recorded in married to Parker's widow, Chan.) On Ev- 20 Jensen Sound Laboratories 74 21 J 8 R Music World 101 the late '30s while still with Goodman. The erything I Love. a chord -loaded, some- 22 JVC America 34, 35 result is "In the Mood forSwing.-Wilber what obscure Cole Porter ballad, he 23 Kenwood 60 and Erstrand are surrounded by estab- pushes his bop phrases into areas that 24 Klipsch & Assoc. 27 lished American jazz musicians: Jimmy even Parker never managed to reach. 25 Maxell Corp. 37 Maxwell on trumpet. Norris Turney on Alas, he doesn't stop quite soon enough, 26 McIntosh Laboratory 67 alto saxophone, Al Klink and Frank Wess and two thirds of the way through, an oth- Micro -Acoustics 55 27 Mobile Fidelity Records 78 on tenors, pianist Hank Jones, guitarist erwise brilliant solo resorts to easily avail- 28 Musical Heritage Society 63 Bucky Pizzarelli, bassist Michael Moore, able noodling. 29 Ohm Acoustics 100 and drummer Connie Kay. Like the Good- The performance of Benny Gol- Onkyo 38 30 Osawa & Co. IUSAI Inc. 59 man set, this LP preserves the Hampton son's funky,soul /jazzAlong Came Betty is spirit, but through Wilber's arrangements surprisingly laidback, and, though I'm not 31 Park Row Electronics 105 32 Perrault, Ltd., Andre 69 and the musicians' individual person- sure that's the proper interpretation, 33 Phase Linear 71 alities. Erstrand comes through brilliantly. there is no faulting Woods's upbeat im- 34 Philips 73 35 Philips 75 establishing an affinity to Hampton with- provisation, Steve Gilmore's crisp bass 36 Philips 77 37 Philips 79 out cloning him. work, Mike Melillo's high-energy piano, 38 Pickering & Co. 2 Wilber's saxophone voicings sug- and some last-minute explosions from 39 Pioneer High Fidelity Cover II, 1 40 Polk Audio 30 gest that he has been studying the writing drummer Bill Goodwin. Bud Powell's Hal- 41 Sansui Electronics Corp. 22 of BennyCarter. twoof whose pieces- lucinations (titled Budo when it was per- 42 Shure Brothers, Inc. 76 When Lights Are Low and I'm in the formed by the Miles Davis Nonet in 1949) 43 Sony Corp. 6 44 Sony Industries 32 Mood forSwing-are included. Maxwell's is a demanding line that springs one of 45 Sound Guard 68 46 Sound Reproduction 109 flaring trumpet, with some growling Woods's best solos. It's the kind of won- Speakerlab 108 Cootie Williams entrances, is abright - derfully intricate excursion in and around 47 Stereo Corp. of America 103 Stereo Discounters 102 toned contrast to the mellow saxophones. the chord changes that requires mechani- and the other soloists make their points cal. aural, and imaginative dexterity. 48 Tape 5 13 49 TDK Electronics 11 quickly and well. One side point: Woods could have TDK Electronics A-3 50 Teac Corp. 87 recorded five lines of his own and thereby 51 Technics by Panasonic 5 The Phil Woods Quartet, Vol. 1 collected the mechanical royalties for him- 52 3 M Co. 18 53 3 M Co. 109 Bill Goodwin, producer self. But he instead chose pieces that he 54 Top Discount Audio 113 SS Transcriber Co. 72 Adelphi/ CleanCuts CC 702 wanted to play-for his own creative rea- by Don Heckman sons. So listen to this record. Artists like 56 Ultra Hi -Fidelity 80 United Audio 56 Phil Woods and labels likeAdelphi /Clean I know it sounds terribly old-fash- Cuts are worthy of our attention and 57 Warehouse Sound 102 58 Wisconsin Discount Stereo 64 ioned, but it's nice to know that in a encouragement..