Born: Los Angeles, California - January 8, 1942
An almost completely self-taught drummer, Bill attributes his early interest in the drums to Shelly Manne's playing on the movie soundtrack of “The Man with the Golden Arm.” Before that he had taken piano lessons and studied the tenor saxophone. His father's extensive record collection gave him the opportunity to hear and learn songs, and he still hears the form of the music first.
From 1959 to the present, Goodwin has been a professional drummer, playing
with Bill
Evans, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Jim Hall, George Shearing and Bobby
Hutcherson, and singers such as June Christy, Joe Williams, Tony Bennett and Manhattan Transfer.
The drum chair with Gary Burton brought him to the East Coast in 1969. After a three year stint
with Burton's group Bill settled down in an old farmhouse in the Poconos and worked the resorts. It
was there that he and bassist Steve Gilmore became a team. Goodwin, like Gilmore, is a charter member
of The Phil Woods Quartet(now Quintet), joining at it's inception in February 1974.
Phil Woods says, "Bill is the magic ingredient in our all acoustic group. Bill is one of the masters who plays the song, not just the time. He shades and tints beautifully. He plays the music."
Bill Goodwin has produced all of the The Phil Woods Quartet/Quintet
and Little Big Band recordings since 1980 including the Grammy Award winning albums MORE LIVE (Adelphi),
AT THE VANGUARD (Antilles) and the 1992 Grammy nominee ALL BIRD'S CHILDREN
(Concord Jazz), as well as THE PHIL WOODS QUINTET MEETS DIZZY GILLESPIE on Timeless
Records and FLOWERS FOR HODGES by Phil Woods and Jim McNeely duo. He has also produced
several Tom Harrell recordings and was Omnisound's main producer of jazz product
including: PHIL WOODS/LEW
TABACKIN (soon to be rereleased on Evidence) and Dave Frishberg's SONGBOOKS,
VOLUME I and VOLUME II. His most recently released production efforts are Keith
Jarrett's LIVE AT THE DEER HEAD for ECM Records, and THE PHIL WOODS QUARTET/QUINTET 20TH
ANNIVERSARY ALBUM for Mosaic, Phil Woods’ ASTOR & ELIS for Chesky
Records and the Quintet’s MILE HIGH JAZZ for Concord Jazz.
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
Hal Galper: WILD BIRD; INNER JOURNEY; DREAMSVILLE
Tom Waits; NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DINER
Gary Burton/Stephane Grappelli: PARIS ENCOUNTER
GARY BURTON & KEITH JARRETT
Tom Harrell: VISIONS*; UPSWING*
Phil Woods Quartet: THE NEW PHIL WOODS ALBUM;
LIVE FROM THE SHOWBOAT;
SONG FOR
SISYPHUS; I REMEMBER; LIVE, VOLUME I*; MORE
LIVE*;
BIRDS OF A FEATHER*; AT THE VANGUARD*; LIVE
FROM NEW YORK*
Phil Woods Quintet: INTEGRITY; BOP STEW; BOUQUET;
HEAVEN*; GRATITUDE*;
FLASH*; ALL
BIRD'S CHILDREN*; FULL HOUSE*; AN AFFAIR TO
REMEMBER *(Evidence ECD
22125-2);
THE PHIL WOODS QUINTET PLAYS THE MUSIC OF
JIM McNEELY* (TCB 95402);
MILE HIGH JAZZ* (Concord CCD-4739)
Phil Woods' Little Big Band: EVOLUTION*; REAL
LIFE (Chesky JD47)
THE PHIL WOODS QUARTET/QUINTET 20TH ANNIVERSARY
ALBUM*
(MosaicMD5-159 & MQ5-159)
Bill Goodwin: SOLAR ENERGY*; NETWORK*; NO
METHOD*;
THREE IS A CROWD* (TCB 93402)
*Produced by Bill Goodwin