Philip Wells Woods (born November 2 1931) is an American jazz bebop alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader and composer. He also performed in other jazz mediums, such as Progressive jazz, post bop and hard bop. Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and studied music with Lennie Tristano, who influenced him greatly, at the Manhattan School of Music and at The Juilliard School. His friend, Joe Lopes, coached him on clarinet as there was no saxophone major at Juilliard at the time. Once graduated, he quickly acquired a reputation as the pre-eminent bop saxophonist of the day; although he did not copy Charlie "Bird" Parker, bop's greatest saxophonist, he was known as the New Bird, a label which was also attached to other alto players such as Sonny Stitt and Cannonball Adderley at one time or another in their careers. Since 1955 Woods has worked mainly with groups he has led, but he has also worked for or with Charlie Barnet, Jimmy Raney, G

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