Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) at a local music shop. His heroes on the alto saxophone included Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges. He studied music with Lennie Tristano at the Manhattan School of Music and at the Juilliard School.
After moving to France in 1968, Woods led the European Rhythm Machine, which tended toward avant-garde jazz. as well as Paul Simon's "Have a Good Time" from the 1975 album Still Crazy After All These Years.
thumb|left|200px|Woods in 1983
Although Woods was primarily a saxophonist, he was also a clarinet player, and solos are scattered through his recordings. One example is his clarinet solo on "Misirlou" on the compilation album, Into the Woods.
Woods, along with Rick Chamberlain and Ed Joubert, founded the organization Celebration of the Arts (COTA) in 1978 late one night in the bar at the Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania. The organization would eventually become the Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts. Their initial goal was to help foster an appreciation of jazz and its relationship to other artistic disciplines. Each year, the organization hosts the Celebration of the Arts Festival in September.
In 2005, Jazzed Media released the documentary Phil Woods: A Life in E Flat – Portrait of a Jazz Legend, directed by Rich Lerner and produced by Graham Carter.
Woods was married to Chan Parker, the common-law wife of Charlie Parker, for seventeen years and was the stepfather to Chan's daughter, Kim.
Awards
- Grammy Award, Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance: Images, 1975
- Grammy Award, Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group: Live from the Show Boat (1977), More Live (1982), At the Vanguard (1983)