Macerata Concert, Vol. 2

by Ken Dryden The second of three LPs recorded from a concert in Macerata, Italy, features nearly an hour of the Phil Woods Quartet; the veteran alto saxophonist is accompanied by bassist Steve Gilmore, drummer Bill Goodwin, and pianist Mike Melillo. Woods is clearly on fire, while Melillo is unfortunately buried too deep in the mix. The program includes the pulsating "Bloomdido," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Long Ago and Far Away," and Billy Strayhorn's "U.M.M.G," all stretched to their respective capacities. Unfortunately, Ira Gitler's informative liner notes were not edited in sequence with the music on each volume, making for very confusing reading.