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Jimmy Woods was a talented musician who made few recorded appearances before vanishing into
obscurity. Conflict is the second of two '60s solo records on Contemporary, the first already
reissued in a previous batch of limited edition releases. It’s tempting to judge Woods solely on the
company he keeps--certainly the likes of Andrew Hill, Elvin Jones, and Harold Land don’t have to be
bothered with middling talent. However, Woods proves he can more than handle the
responsibilities on a program consisting entirely of forward-thinking, advanced hard bop originals,
which also utilize inventive call-and-response riffs.
“Conflict” is a lopsided blues with an edgy vamp from Hill which allows the front line to indulge
in some grand exploratory work. On the other hand, “Apart Together” features a complicated head
and the type of restless chord progressions that serious musicians love to dig in to. Woods
demonstrates his ability to handle the changes and aptly deserves the company he keeps. Elvin
Jones fits in his usual thunderous moments, and the rest of the sidemen, Hill and Carmell Jones in
particular, are models of creative expression.
Contemporary signed Woods after Ornette Coleman’s departure to Atlantic. While not quite an
equal replacement, Woods proved that he was a talented musician whose time in the spotlight, for
whatever reason, was brief.
~ David Rickert
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Track Listing: 1. Conflict 2. Coming Home 3. Aim 4. Apart Together 5. Look To Your Heart 6. Pazmuerte 7.
Conflict (alt take) 8. Aim (alt take) 9. Look To Your Heart (alt take).
Personnel: Jimmy Woods-alto sax; Carmell Jones-trumpet; Harold Land-tenor sax; Andrew Hill-piano;
George Tucker-bass; Elvin Jones-drums.
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