Phil Woods & Enrico Pieranunzi - Elsa (1992)

Phil Woods' prolific recordings for the Italian label Philology (which is named in his honor) are always enjoyable; this duo concert with pianist Enrico Pieranunzi is no exception. The creativity of both men during a jaunty "Have You Met Miss Jones?" would be a difficult standard for any group to match during a live performance, yet the duo does just that, seemingly without effort. A very lyrical take of "September Song," followed by "Someday My Prince Will Come" (with a particularly dreamy introduction), Phil's well-known gritty arrangement of "Willow Weep for Me," and a spacy take of the classic "You and the Night and the Music" all prove to be equally compelling. The alto saxophonist also revisits "Goodbye Mr. Evans," his touching elegy to pianist Bill Evans. Pieranunzi contributes two memorable numbers: "Night Bird," a piece also featured on Phil Woods & the Space Jazz Trio's earlier Philology CD Phil's Mood, and "Chet," a moody yet warm tribute to Chet Baker (with whom he recorded on Baker's final studio album). Hopefully, there will be many more collaborations involving these two greats. © Ken Dryden