Friday, May 02, 2008
See a New Video Interview with Doc Woods at UticaOD.com

There's a wonderful new video interview with "Doctuh" Michael Woods at UticaOD.com. Watch it at http://www.uticaod.com/archive/x1382803297.
posted by Dr. Alicia Zizzo 9:58 AM

Friday, May 11, 2007
Doc Woods as Teacher and Mentor

Read about Doctuh Michael Woods' work as a special teacher and mentor to young saxophonist Morgan McMillon at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/may07/MW_050907.htm.
posted by Dr. Alicia Zizzo 9:07 AM

Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Two New Articles by Doc Woods

Read Doc Woods' New Articles About Black History Month (http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/feb07/woods_history.pdf) and the late James Brown (http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/feb07/woods_brown.jpg ) .
posted by Dr. Alicia Zizzo 8:24 AM

Wednesday, January 31, 2007
New The Whole Truth Article About Michael Woods

The Church of God in Christ magazine The Whole Truth has published a wonderful article about "Doctuh" Michael Woods. Read it online at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/jan07/woods_truth.pdf.
posted by Dr. Alicia Zizzo 2:45 PM

Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Humanity and the Importance of Jazz

"God has brought many things out of oppression. He has endowed his creatures with the capacity to create - and from this capacity has flowed the sweet songs of sorrow and joy that have allowed man to cope with his environment and many different situations.

Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music.

Modern Jazz has continued in this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument.

It is no wonder that so much of the search for identity among American Negroes was championed by Jazz musicians. Long before the modern essayists and scholars wrote of "racial identity" as a problem for a multi-racial world, musicians were returning to their roots to affirm that which was stirring within their souls.

Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down. And now, Jazz is exported to the world. For in the particular struggle of the Negro in America there is something akin to the universal struggle of modern man. Everybody has the Blues. Everybody longs for meaning. Everybody needs to love and be loved. Everybody needs to clap hands and be happy. Everybody longs for faith. In music, especially this broad category called Jazz, there is a stepping stone towards all of these."
posted by Dr. Alicia Zizzo 12:17 PM

Wednesday, October 11, 2006
The Art of the Quintet, Featuring Original Music By Doc Woods

The Hamilton College Department of Music presented “The Art of the Quintet” featuring music by “Doctuh” Michael Woods on Tuesday, September 12 at Wellin Hall in the Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts on the Hamilton campus in Clinton, New York.

Bassist “Doctuh” Michael Woods was joined by trumpeter Jeff Stockham, saxophonist Bob Cesari, pianist Tom Witkowski and drummer Rick Compton for a program of his original compositions for jazz quintet, including She Don't Do Right, The Waltz On Inn, Askin' Price, Some Lonely Tuesday, Jumpin' At Woods' Hide and The Circumstances.

Photos from the concert can be seen at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/oct06/DW_101606.htm.

Associate Professor of Music “Doctuh” Michael Woods is the Director of Jazz Studies at Hamilton College. Born in Akron, Ohio in 1952, he grew up listening to Black gospel music and rhythm and blues. Woods studied music formally at Akron University where he finished with a B.M. degree in composition. He went on to obtain two masters degrees from the Indiana University. Woods received his doctorate degree in music composition at University of Oklahoma in 1991. Woods also studied jazz arranging and film scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Arts Administration. As a composer, Woods was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has written over 500 pieces in all styles. His compositions have been performed by the Albany Symphony, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Little Rock Symphony, the Tulsa Philharmonic, the Lafayette Symphony (Indiana), the Pro Musica Orchestra (Columbus, Indiana), the Central New York Jazz Orchestra, and the Salt City Jazz Collective.

You can read more about Michael Woods and the recent Albany Symphony Orchestra premiere of his Places of Light in Music & Vision Daily’s feature Three Questions Before the First Night by Carson Cooman at http://www.mvdaily.com/.

He is represented by Jeffrey James Arts Consulting, who can be contacted at 516-586-3433 or jamesarts@worldnet.att.net.

posted by Dr. Alicia Zizzo 10:13 AM

Friday, September 22, 2006
New Profile of Doc Woods

The Hamilton College Spectator newspaper has published "A Man Supreme", a wonderful new profile of Doc Woods.

Read it at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/sept06/docwoods.pdf.
posted by Dr. Alicia Zizzo 11:26 AM



Associate Professor of Music "Doctuh" Michael Woods is the Director of Jazz Studies at Hamilton College.

Born in Akron, Ohio in 1952, he grew up listening to Black gospel music and rhythm and blues. Woods studied music formally at Akron University where he finished with a B.M. degree in composition. He went on to obtain two masters degrees from Indiana University. Woods received his doctorate degree in music composition at University of Oklahoma in 1991.

Woods also studied jazz arranging and film scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Arts Administration. As a composer, Woods was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has written over 500 pieces in all styles. His compositions have been performed by the Albany Symphony, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Little Rock Symphony, the Tulsa Philharmonic, the Lafayette Symphony (Indiana), the Pro Musica Orchestra (Columbus, Indiana), the Central New York Jazz Orchestra, and the Salt City Jazz Collective.

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