His first three releases gave notice: In a sea of well-regarded tenor saxophonists, Houston-based Woody Witt was forging an independent voice as performer and composer, as well as displaying a penchant for assembling casts of innovative and complementary musicians. Released in quick succession over the past year, Witt’s fourth and fifth projects find him continuing his artistic development in two different and equally satisfying contexts. A Conversation (Blue Bamboo Music), recorded in late 2007, presents Witt in an intimate trio setting with Fred Hamilton alternating bass and guitar, and Ed Soph on drums. Willows, to be officially released on Apria Records in January, features a two-sax quintet, with Tim Armacost sharing horn duties with Witt, along with bassist Lynn Seaton and long-time Witt cohort Joe LoCascio on piano.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Woody Witt has forged a diverse career in music as a performing musician, composer, jazz educator and arts manager. He earned a Bachelor’s in Music (classical saxophone) at the University of Houston, then a Masters in Music (Jazz Studies) from the prestigious University of North Texas, where he taught saxophone and jazz methods; in 2000 he earned a Doctorate in Musical Arts (saxophone performance) at the University of Houston Moores School of Music. Currently Witt teaches fulltime at Houston Community College and is an affiliate artist at the University of Houston, as well as serving as the manager/artistic director of one of Houston's few jazz clubs, Cézanne’s. Witt’s maiden voyage Woody Witt (2002) was followed by acclaimed releases on Apria Records, Square Peg/Round Hole (2005) and Live at Cezanne’s (2007).  His recordings and live performances to date have documented a tenor voice distinguished by the fat tone of tenor legends and the innovative approach to melody and harmony of modern day lions. Noted Frank Rubolino in Cadence, “There is nothing academic about his approach. It is all soul and emotion and his solos ring out with authority.” 

The two new recordings find Woody Witt in familiar company, despite the lack of personnel overlap across the two projects. Joe LoCascio, who has partnered with Witt for nearly two decades, has appeared on Woody Witt and Live at Cezanne’s and is a frequent collaborator on stage. Fred Hamilton, Lynn Seaton and Ed Soph are all on the jazz faculty of Witt’s alma mater, University of North Texas. Fred Hamilton played bass on Live and has partnered with Witt and Soph on live gigs. The quintet with Armacost, LoCascio, Seaton and Hart formed in early 2007, recording Willows live over two performances in October 2007. 

A Conversation

A Conversation

“Oddly Even” opens the CD with the first bass track (no overdubs—we hear Hamilton on one or the other instrument), a twisting exercise for Witt on tenor, played out against a roving bassline and nonstop subtle percussion effects. Soloing over Soph, Hamilton effectively double-times the percussionist. “Barracuda” features the two deep voices of Witt’s tenor and Hamilton’s bass. Hamilton is the conversation starter here, his tone rising as if from the bottom of the ocean where the “barracuda” slinks along. Witt and Soph join, the drummer initially pushing the trio ahead with quietly assertive statements, a repeating pattern of hollow pops and cymbal splashes that gradually increases in intensity. Hamilton solos over clickety-click rhythms from Soph who occasionally adds punctuation from cymbals. The threesome engage in friendly banter, Witt the thematic leader but the others hold up their end of the discussion. Soph’s increasingly insistent cadence takes over, his rim rattles demanding the last word. The aptly titled “Steppin” climbs and descends as if on a staircase. Witt leaves no part of the horn out of this discussion, maybe his most forceful statements of the recording, while Hamilton similarly takes his bass along a spiraling staircase of notes. 

The remaining five tracks feature Hamilton on guitar and Witt trading off tenor and soprano sax. “Clear Skies” takes full advantage of the additional melodic texture of guitar and the mournful heart of the soprano sax. Hamilton maintains a balladic line while Witt varies his tempo and energy, from softly melodic to furious, at time an argument, a times a calming exchange. “Ne as Jah” introduces Witt’s tenor with ambient strings, the sax sounding its highest register before tumbling into low growls. Hamilton again takes charge of an animated dialogue with his single-line phrases, off-center arpeggios adding character. Hamilton and Witt (on soprano) weave a beautiful introduction to “Empty Room,” their thoughts in sync but not unison with Fred slightly behind, more of a reflection of Woody’s statements.  Both offeri delicate suggestions as if teens on a first date, gradually taking risks, increasing the intensity of the interaction to expand their palette of ideas and expectations. 

“Forever and Always” (which will be repeated on the later quintet recording) is a haunting melody, Witt’s tenor tale complemented by Hamilton’s prose and Soph’s delicate brushes, the guitar filling in the spaces with somewhat unpredictable but highly compatible voicings. Hamilton’s own soliloquy is eloquent, each note sustained just enough to linger into the next without overdoing the ambient nature. Woody Witt is at his most songful, his slightly nasal vibrato conjuring a slow dance in a quiet after-hours corner. This is a song with worldless lyrics that nevertheless carry immediate meaning, forever and always.  The short finale, “5x 5,” finds Witt exploring the length of his tenor tubing, Hamilton’s sustained guitar chords holding up the structure over its brief lifespan.  

A Conversation was recorded appropriately at a studio in Humble, TX. This is humble, unpretentious, soulful music. 

Willows

Willows

On Witt’s Dolpyish “Passacaglia,” the two sopranos seem to harmonize slightly out of register, one holding a high note as the other descends, leading into long and luxurious explorations. LoCascio follows in similar fashion. Another from Witt, “Trance” has the tonal range and energy of a big band arrangement. First appearing on his eponymous debut recording in one-sax quartet, here we’re treated to a more complex layering of sound, starting with an intro solo from drum master Hart that alternates splash and pop, rumbling across a wide dynamic  and rhythmic range. One by one, bass then piano join in creating a satisfying trio prelude for the two tenors, primarily in unison before Armacost breaks away with a slightly coarse tone, a bit of squeal on top and a bit of buzz in the vibrato. Witt follows with some slippery gymnastics, especially in the lower register while Hart continues his assertive support. This track extends over14 minutes, giving each soloist plenty of exploring opportunities that dissipate in Hart’s rumbles and LoCascio’s phrases. A tighter circle of ideas marks a second round of improvisation before the horns reunite, compatible voices with distinct timbres, their “trance” unbroken as they close in a cacophonous conversation.  

An even longer track, Witt’s “Howard Street” starts with horns together before Witt takes the lead. LoCascio weaves a thick web of chords around spiraling single lines, creating a fine and eccentric braid with Monkish overtones. Seaton keeps the form alive and well. The second horn (Armacost) develops a bluesy pattern reminiscent of “Bemsha Swing” before Seaton’s solo, bowed with some freaky buzzes in the bottom notes, like a creaky door in dire need of a squirt of WD40. The bow’s scraping along multiple strings, sliding and slashing, creates the most intriguing set of sounds of the long track. Hart then launches a drum clinic that explores each part of the kit, every sound in the arsenal. Eighteen minutes is a long while to sustain the listener’s attention, particularly on record, but “Howard Street” succeeds. The shortest track of the set, the quintet version of “Forever and Always” opens with LoCascio’s dissonant chord voicings, providing a darker color and more abstract melody relative to the trio version on A Conversation. Seaton follows, his solo displaying a reflective side as well as his agile pizzicato chops. Hart’s shimmer of cymbals is a segue for the horns, first Witt, then Armacost, evolving into conversation between intimate friends who can finish each other’s thoughts.   

Joe LoCascio contributes two sumptuous compositions to Willows: “Not Far Away” begins with mellow horn harmonies that shifts chromatically, Witt then taking the lead over LoCascio’s spacious comping. It has the feel of a 40s ballad although the harmonies are 21st century, retaining a sense of lyric in the phrasing. Seaton provides a counter bassline that supports and gently propels the ensemble. The pianist’s solos with legato ascents and descents, while Hart lays back with a gentle tingle, throwing out an intermittent cymbal accent. With a sharper edge, Armacost asserts himself, while Hart revs up with some more forceful combinations of the big drums. With both horns harmonizing the final chorus, the voicings take on an edgy tension that seems headed toward resolution, jolted awake by a final piano cadenza and cymbal crash. The pianist’s title track closes the set, with the most orchestral, and perhaps the most freely improvised, composition. “Willows” has the majesty of a Maria Schneider score, with Witt on soprano, Armacost on tenor. At times as danceable as a big band ballad, Hart washes it all in sheer elegance.  

Anyone looking for an introduction to the musical magic of Woody Witt will find this pair of recordings an ample sampling of his gifts as performer, composer and bandleader. Each composition and arrangement brings forth diverse ideas and intelligent cohesion, displaying a clear nod to tradition with an equally clear vision of where that tradition can be pushed and stretched, giving the listener plenty of enjoyment and intrigue. One can hope that Woody Witt will continue his explorations with both sets of musical partners, in trio, quintet, or other combinations. 

More about Woody Witt, his performance schedule, and CD availability at www.woodywitt.com. Watch for a new release of Alec Wilder tunes from Witt with Joe LoCascio in early 2009 (Seasons Ago on Heart Music), and a new quartet recording on Blue Bamboo Music later in the year.    
 

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