William Woods
The Hear and Now
© 2006 William Woods (687606003422)
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An edgy brand of smooth jazz filled with beauty, passion, grace and energy.
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The past few years have been very good for adult contemporary pianist/composer William Woods . His second CD, ‘Cobalt Blue’, was released to critical acclaim and picked up a Smoothie Award along the way. In addition, the first track lifted for radio play, ‘Blue Me Down’, was included by WJZW DJ Al Santos in his 2004 Top 50 Year End Countdown. His third release, the Top 40's ‘Every Part Of Me’, his first on the Whaling City Sound label received rave reviews including JazzTimes, spent four months on the smooth jazz charts and was featured on the Music Choice cable network. Building on his success and momentum, his fourth and most compelling CD to date, 'The Hear and Now' on Whaling City Sound was released in September 2006.
Given that he is the son of professional violinist Lee Kanter, it’s not surprising that Woods, who was born in Englewood, New Jersey, started out on strings. However at the age of nine he discovered a much greater affinity for piano and developed a passion for both improvisation and composition. A tragic side note to his musical development was written when, as a student of New York City composer and musicologist, Ernest Lubin, he arrived one day for class to find that his instructor had been murdered. He was able to move on from this horror and pursued his studies at Juilliard where he first performed some of his original works.
Woods graduated from Princeton and from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He works as a radiation oncologist treating cancer patients and, over the years, has found a satisfying balance between the rigorous schedule of a physician and the process of jazz composition and recording.
His music has been likened to ‘an edgy brand of adult contemporary jazz that exists somewhere between a hip Boney James and a cerebral David Benoit’ but this summation completely misses the point of where William Woods is at. Certainly there is some Benoit in there and at times a little Culbertson too but what Woods brings to the party is smooth jazz for grown ups and as such is far closer to Bob James or the sound of Fourplay.
'The Hear and Now' features Woods on piano and keyboards, Denny Jiosa on Guitar, Jeffrey Scott Wills on saxophone, Chris Kent on electric bass, Alana Rocklin on acoustic bass, Derico Watson on drums and Glen Caruba on percussion. The music provides a fresh approach to smooth jazz combining beauty, passion, grace and energy. Best of all, 50% of profits from the CD will go to Habitat for Humanity.
reviews
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Older and bolder
author: Susan Hugo...a more mature, deep and diversified sound than his previous CDs.
Love it!!!!
author: TeriReally enjoyable music!! I'll be buying more of William Woods' CD's! Smooth, relaxing, etc.
Superdooperly cool!
author: Laurie RoosamWilliam Woods is the king of smooth jazz, and this CD is just another jewel in his crown. If this is what he is able to produce within the parameters of smooth jazz, one can only imagine the amazing music he could conjure up if he let his creativity run loose. Congratulations on a job superlatively done!
Wonderful stuff. Don't miss it.
author: E LubellReally smooooth jazz. If this is what you like, don't miss this one.
A superb collection!
author: Smoothjazz.com ReviewWords that always come to mind when listening to pianist Williams Woods are integrity and class. Here are some more... graceful, harmonious, artistic, and elegant. Dr. Woods' (he's also a radiation oncologist) fourth release, THE HEAR AND NOW, continues to elevate his art. This is a superb collection of tasty, tasty Smooth Jazz, with the emphasis first and foremost on jazz. No covers. He doesn't need them. Instead he treats us to a dozen solid, organic originals, with the assistance of a world-class support team. Denny Jiosa collaborates once again with Michael Moryc for the production wizardry, and Denny, of course, lends his killer guitar work as well. Also on this project are Chris Kent on electric bass, drummer Derico Watson, Glen Caruba on percussion, Alana Rocklin on acoustic bass, and sax man Jeffrey Scott Wills. After a number of listens to this album, I find that narrowing it down to a handful of favorites is difficult. In fact, the more I listen, the more I like the idea of just leaving my player on endless repeat. I do love the ballad "Paradigm Shifted Again," but then again there's the hooky first radio single, "Under My Skin," and then there's the gently Latin "Pensacolada," and... see what I mean? There is just so much here to savor again and again. William Woods has truly outdone himself on THE HEAR AND NOW. He is indeed next in line to become a Smooth Jazz star. Pick up a copy - stat! ~ SCOTT O'BRIEN
A new favorite
author: MitchFirst time to buy a William Woods' CD. Absolutely a must-have. Exceptional, really.