Born in Southampton, Tony Woods grew up in Chilworth Old Village and began
playing folk music with his father at the age of five. Classical studies on
clarinet and piano followed, becoming principal of Southampton Youth Orchestra
in 1979, and a member of the British Youth Wind Orchestra in 1980.
From 1980-'84 he was a student at Keele University, where he gave frequent
performances with the New Music Ensemble (directed by Roger Marsh,) including
'Screaming in the Sky' by Tom Williams, a piece written especially for Tony.
In 1984 he studied jazz at Leeds College of Music, winning prizes for
saxophone, outstanding performance, and also the Associated Board's Lloyd
Hartley Memorial prize for piano. In 1986 he won the soloist's prize at the
Dunkirk International Jazz Festival and the following year graduated from Leeds
with a First with Distinction.
In 1988 he attended the Guildhall School of Music as a post-graduate student,
studying with John Harle and Jean Toussaint (of Jazz Messenger fame) and playing
in the Guildhall JazzBand, which performed at Ronnie Scott's, the Bass Clef
(with Kenny Wheeler) and also won the 1989 BBC Big Band Competition. Around this
time Tony also began working with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and playing
in a band called Within The Word which performed at various jazz festivals
including Soho, Southampton, Swanage, Bath and London, and completed a tour in
1992, sponsored by Jazz Services.
From this time he worked as a session musician at many of London's major studios
including Angel Studios, Lansdown Studios, Abbey Road, BBC Maidavale (with the
BBC Radio Big Band) and for Paul Hardcastle.
Following these successes Tony decided to form his own band, the Tony Woods
Project, to provide an outlet for his own folk inspired compositions.
Andy Hamill, double bass. Since moving to London from Scotland in 1993
Andy has worked with jazz singers Mark Murphy, Annie Ross, and Salena Jones, and
has many recording credits to his name, including Two Pages and
Creating Patterns with 4 Hero, Beyond Skin with Nitin Sawhnie,
June Babies with Rebecca Hollweg, Live at Ronnie Scott's and
Heart of the Sun with Theo Travis...
Mike Outram is one of the UK's foremost guitarists. Mike has worked with
Herbie Mann, Dave O'Higgins, Cinematic Orchestra, Martin Speake, Nikki Iles,
Stan Sulzmann, Photek, Asaf Sirkis, Gwyneth Herbert and has played with
guitarists Martin Taylor, Jim Mullen and John Etheridge. He has toured
internationally, recorded over 30 CDs for Universal, Sony, Candid records and
others and won the 'Best Group in Europe' award with Grooveyard in Spain.
Recently activities include a European tour with soul-funk legend Carleen
Anderson, performances with Rolling Stones saxophonist Tim Ries and
Sebastiaan Cornelissen's quartet, recordings with jazz folk songstress Gwyneth
Herbert and Asaf Sirkis' group and playing classical guitar at the Sao Paulo
Film Festival, Brazil, for composer Laura Rossi. Mike is also Guitar Professor
at Trinity College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, Middlesex University,
Thames Valley University, Guitar-X and the Royal Welsh college of Music and
Drama and has also taught for the Glamorgan and Wavendon summer schools, Live
Music Now!, the Purcell School and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama,
and has given numerous workshops and clinics internationally. His website is at
www.mikeoutram.com
Robert Millett, vibraphone. Robert trained at the Royal College of Music
as an orchestral percussionist. He has worked in many different settings
including Ballet Rambert, English National Touring Opera, Tim Whitehead's
Homemade Orchestra, contemporary music group Icebreaker, the London Philharmonic
Orchestra and others. Recent solo work includes a recital in Cambridge and
performances at the Isleworth Festival. Robert has undertaken education and
community projects for several organisations, and has written the music for
several dance pieces created by Rambert's education team. He teaches
percussion and music technology at the Lady Eleanor Holles school in Hampton.
Milo Fell, drums. Milo was born in London in 1970. In 1989 he moved to
Manchester where he played and recorded with John Ellis, John Thorne, Rare
Birds, Graham Clarke and various jazz, fusion, funk and Latin groups. He also
played with visiting soloists including Tim Whitehead who invited him to record
a CD (Personal Standards) and play at Ronnie Scott's. He moved back to
London in 1999 and since then has played with The Cinematic Orchestra,
prize-winning Amsterdam-based band Dalgoo (which toured Russia in autumn
2002) and Tides with Colin Riley and Tim Whitehead.
The group has its own website at
www.tonywoods.org
The Tony Woods Project are Appointed Artists to South East Music
Schemes 2007-2008
~~~
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| 01/07/2005 John Fordham
Jazz UK |
Tony Woods must be one of the least-known saxophonists in
the UK ever to lead one of the circuit's most imaginative bands. Woods'
group played London's Lauderdale House in mid-June, mingling hard-hitting
post-bop and the folk music (some of it adapted for the sax from fiddle
pieces). Woods probably first got acquainted with through his
concertina-playing father. A startling young vibraphonist, Rob
Millett...brought the group close to the sound of the 70's Gary Burton band
in his funkier exchanges with gifted guitarist Mike Outram, bassist Andy
Hamill was immaculate, and Milo Fell whipcord-tight. If Woods' fine
Lowlands album suggested reflective world-jazz, this gig was as punchy as
they come. |
| 06/02/2004 Yorkshire Post |
Saxophonist, flautist and composer Tony Woods has drawn
on British folk traditions for this inventive and imaginative new release
and the results are lovely. There are moments of genuine beauty throughout
the music as Woods forges a highly personal programme that owes nothing to
the American jazz tradition. Instead, there is a pastoral feel to much of
the material that is quintessentially British. But for all that, this is
music of drive and authority. Woods' soloing on his own Presence,
Penny's Whistle and Rollo's Monkey is invigorating, and there is
excellent support from guitarist Mike Outram, vibist Rob Millett and the
bass-and-drums team of Andy Hamill and Milo Fell. It's jazz of admirable
freshness and originality. |
| 2002 Live Wire Listings
Swanage Jazz Festival |
The Tony Woods Project is a pulling together of quality
contemporary musicians who are adept at classy improvisation aimed at your
soul... Our senses were lulled into submission with an old English folk tune
played with a very contemporary sound ... Wonderful Bulgarian and folk
influences came together ... and we drifted in a wonderful sea of sound,
doing nothing but let the musical colours touch us. To contrast, the
Latinised What Is This Thing Called Love? was next, and several of
the barefoot audience were aching to dance, myself included... Tony's
mesmerizing and emotional sax reduced me to tears as the music crept under
my skin and coiled its way into my soul. |
| Sep/Oct 2001 Jazz UK Magazine
Brian Blain |
If ever a band deserved a higher profile, it has to be
the Tony Woods Project. Woods a sax/flute player with a superb alto sound
... many regulars thought it one of the best bands the venue had presented.
A cool and cerebral approach might have been suggested by the yards of sheet
music and tricky time-signatures, but there was nothing reserved about the
playing ... and the sheer engaging intelligence of Woods' compositions. Some
of them have a folksy edge, but Old Joe Clarke, a traditional tune
that surfaced on Pat Metheney's 80/81 album turned into one of the
most disciplined high energy explosions, with Outram's guitar really flying.
European sensibility and American grooves united. |
