Author: Ron Bogart

 November 2, 1931 –  September 29, 2015

Philip Wells Woods, 83, of Delaware Water Gap, peacefully passed surrounded by loving family members on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, at Pocono Medical Center. He was the devoted husband of Jill Goodwin with whom he shared over 40 years.

Born on Nov. 2, 1931 in Springfield, Massachusetts, he was the son of the late Stanley J. and Clara (Markley) Woods. He was a member of the Delaware Water Gap community since 1976.

Phil, saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader and composer, was a graduate of Technical High School, studied at the Manhattan School of Music and Julliard School, and immediately began his musical career traveling to six of the seven continents over the course of the seven decades. Phil was the most renowned alto saxophonist across the globe.

Phil experienced a full life as son, brother, husband, father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. He was also a devoted mentor and master of his craft. He, along with two timeless friends, the late Ed Joubert, and the late Rick Chamberlain, co-founded the Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts Annual Jazz Festival which recently celebrated its 38th year.

In addition to his wife, Jill, Phil is survived by his children, Garth Woods (Lorraine) and son, Christopher Wells; Kim Parker and son, Alek Sellers (Kate Dubray) and their children, Henry and Grady; Tracey Trotter; Allisen Trotter (Rocky Streck) and son, Chase. Also, brother-in-law, Bill Goodwin; sister-in-law, Rita Goodwin; numerous nieces and nephews; and countless dear and wonderful friends. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Aimee’, and brother, Stanley.

Phil was a four time Grammy winner, 2007 NEA Jazz Master, and recipient of the Living Jazz Legend Award from the Kennedy Center. Phil left his imprint on this planet. He lives on in the hearts and minds of those whose lives he touched. He will be immeasurably missed and always remembered not simply for his musical genius, talent and personal presence, but for the countless contributions he made to the Delaware Water Gap community, surrounding areas and the entire world.

Memorial contributions in Phil’s remembrance are welcomed by The Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts (COTA), or COTA Camp Jazz, PO Box 249, Delaware Water Gap, PA 18327; cotajazz.org.

Funeral services will be private and at the convenience of the family.

PITTSTON, PA(WVIA) – For the 17th consecutive year, WVIA FM’s All That Jazz with George Graham presents comprehensive coverage of the Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts (COTA) Festival. Enjoy 10 nights of extraordinary jazz music starting Monday, November 17, 2014 at 7 p.m. on WVIA FM.

The series will feature music from performances from the main stage of the festival which was held in the Poconos town of Delaware Water Gap on Sept. 5, 6 and 7, 2014 and recorded for broadcast by Chiaroscuro Records.

The complete broadcast schedule of featured performances on All That Jazz on WVIA FM is below and can also be found at http://www.wvia.org/radio/all-that-jazz.

Monday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. – Nancy & Spencer Reed / The Matt Vashlishan-Evan Gregor Quartet, Part 1
Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. – The Matt Vashlishan-Evan Gregor Quartet, Part 2 / Najwa Parkins and the After Hours Trio
Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. – Phil Woods and the COTA Festival Orchestra
Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. – Bob Dorough / Miss Ida Blue, part 1
Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. – The Diva Trio + vocalist Sue Giles / Miss Ida Blue, part 2
Monday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. – The Bill Mays Trio / Nellie McKay, part 1
Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. – Nellie McKay, Part 2 / Co-Op Bop
Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. – The COTA Cats (student band), edition 34 / The Vic Juris Trio
Thursday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. – Expansions the Dave Liebman Group
Friday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. – The Shockenaw Mountain Boys featuring Tim Carbone / Tracks cut for time from previous segments

Chiaroscuro Records is a division of WVIA Public Media and is the steward of some of the finest jazz recordings in the world. For more information about Chiaroscuro’s fine jazz recordings, visit www.chiaroscurojazz.org.

WVIA FM can be found at 89.9 FM in northeast PA, 99.3 FM in Allentown, 105.7 FM in Bethlehem, 90.3 FM in Clarks Summit, 100.1 FM in Lewisburg, 89.7 FM (WVYA) in Williamsport, 89.3 FM in south central PA, 88.3 FM in Mainesburg, 91.5 FM (WPAU) in the Palmyra Township/Hawley/Lake Wallenpaupack region, 94.9 FM in Pottsville, 94.3 FM in Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg, 105.7 FM in Sunbury, and 103.5 FM in Wellsboro. WVIA FM can also be heard via an online stream at http://www.wvia.org/radio/listen-live.

The Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts (COTA) is proud to announce that it has selected the artwork of Tim Helman, as the winner of the 2014 poster competition.

Helman, a Pocono native, has been a visual artist for more than thirty years, painting in three-dimensional mixed media, incorporating musical instruments and found objects into his art. His style is innovative and unique and has been exhibited in the Bixler Gallery, Sweet Creams Café, Designer Crafts on Main, the Willowtree Inn, and the Red Run Gallery, to name a few. Throughout his career he has been commissioned to do face and body painting by numerous festivals and several private gatherings in the Tri-State Area, including the Knowlton River Festival and the Celebration of the Arts. In the past, he has also done airbrushed body art for the ESPN/EXPN X-Games. He has won many awards at the Music Motif Art Show at the COTA Jazz festival and in 2004, was the recipient of the COTA Volunteer of the Year Award. He is also the Director of the Artisan Area at the COTA Festival itself. Additionally, his work is currently displayed in many private collections across the country.

The poster competition is held annually and is open to all visual artists. The poster is widely displayed throughout the Tri-State area, and is the primary marketing tool of COTA. In addition to the poster, the design is used on the official COTA t-shirt, as well as the brochure and printed program.

COTA is an all-volunteer jazz festival, started in 1978, which presents local jazz talent to the community. In the following 37 years it has grown into a 3-day event featuring 16 bands, theater and dance a musically themed art show, food vendors from area restaurants and non-profit organizations and local artisans selling their handcrafted wares. The festival is held in Delaware Water Gap every year the weekend after labor day. The festival this year is September 5, 6 and 7.

The 37th Annual Celebration of the Arts will feature the music of Bob Dorough, Vic Juris, David Liebman, Nellie McKay, Sherrie Maricle & the Diva Trio, Najwa Parkins, Tim Carbone, the COTA Cats, the big band sounds of Phil Woods and the COTA Festival Orchestra, and much more. For additional information about the COTA festival, the full schedule and advance ticket sales please visit cotajazz.org or contact COTA at (570) 424-2210.

 

The Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts is a non-profit 501c-3 presented in cooperation with the Borough of Delaware Water Gap, Castle Hill Development, Inc, and the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.  

The 34th edition of the Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts student jazz ensemble, THE COTA CATS, will rehearse 8-10 times at East Stroudsburg HS South in August and September and will subsequently perform at the 2014 Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts Jazz and Arts Festival on Sunday, September 7th in the afternoon.

APPLICATION MUST BE RETURNED BY JUNE 9!
       

Members of the COTA Cats are expected to:

-Attend all rehearsals, sectionals in addition to the performance
-Practice the music diligently in your own personal time and arrive to rehearsals promptly with music prepared
-Listen to jazz a minimum of 2 hours per week (recordings and artists can be recommended upon request)
-Attend 1 work session in August: to clean up/set up at festival site COTA. REMEMBER: You will be supporting the COTA organization that is giving you this outstanding educational opportunity to work with world-class artists and educators at no cost to you.     

If you would like to be considered for this fine student ensemble and be coached be accomplished professional musicians at no cost, please save the top portion of this sheet, fill out all the student information on the bottom portion and return to your music teacher immediately.  If you are selected to participate, you will be notified by mid-July. Please feel free to reproduce this application as needed. Questions may be directed to Lance Rauh at 570-296-1800 x7161.

THE DEER HEAD INN PRESENTS:  
“Library Alive – The Music of Thad Jones”
Monday May 26, 2014 – shows at 7:30 & 9:30PM  $10.00 cover charge

On May 26th, the Deer Head Inn will present a special “Library Alive” event – an evening of big band jazz compositions by Thad Jones. The Deer Head Inn Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Phil Woods, will be joined by Dr. David Demsey – Coordinator of Jazz Studies and Curator of the Thad Jones Archive at William Paterson University and the renowned Jerry Dodgion – lead alto saxophonist for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra from 1965-1979.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Deer Head Inn
Delaware Water Gap, PA

Come join us for a wonderful evening of food, art and music at the Deer Head as we raise funds for a deserving student. The Ralph Hughes Scholarship is presented each year to the COTA Cat high school student who achieves the highest grade point average.

We will also be honoring the memory of our dear departed friend Leon Shiner with delicacies from the MIddle East, prepared by Antelao restaurant and the Deer Head Inn.

Saxophonist “Sweet” Sue Terry will offer the world premiere of her new specially commissioned composition for saxophone quartet, titled “Near the Equator,” inspired by her travels in South America.  It will be performed by Sweet Sue and Dangerous Sax, featuring Nelson Hill, Adam Niewood and Tom Hamilton. The score and parts will be donated to the COTA Cats library, in keeping with the mission statement of the Ralph Hughes Commision process.  The instrumentation is:

Soprano saxophone
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

Seats are extremely limited for this event!
Tickets may be purchased at Antelao Restaurant or the Deer Head Inn. Call 570-426-7226 for more information.

Sundays 6 to 7:30 PM

JUNE 1 – Spencer and Nancy Reed
JUNE 8 – Lost Ramblers
JUNE 15 – Calliope
JUNE 22 – Vinny Bianchi and Jazz Juice 
JUNE 29 – The Wayfarers
JULY 6 – Sound of Strings
JULY 13 – Erin McClelland Band
JULY 20 – SheilaMark Band
JULY 27 – CAMP JAZZ
AUGUST 3 – Tony Dellaria & Friends Blues Band
AUGUST 10 – 3Spirit
AUGUST 17 – Marty Wilson Trio
AUGUST 24 – Louie Setzer and the Appalachian Mt Boys
AUGUST 31 – Bonnie Childs with Danny Lattuca & Evan Gregor

A Tribute To Richy Barz
Monday, January 27, 2014, 7:30–10:30 p.m.

For their January 27 “Last Monday of the Month” performance at the Deer Head Inn, the Deer Head Jazz Orchestra will perform the music of Wolfgang Knittel’s Jazz Artists Repertory Orchestra (JARO) in memory of Richy Barz, an esteemed colleague, personnel manager, and baritone saxophonist in JARO and a beloved member of the Pocono jazz community, who died on Christmas Day 2013.

After completing his education at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY and playing with the United States Army Field Band, Richy began a five-decades-plus career as a performer, road manager, and booking agent for an impressive “who’s who” of the Big Bands (including six years touring and managing the Glenn Miller Orchestra and years contracting and playing with Les and Larry Elgart). Richy worked as a booking agent in the Willard Alexander Agency, The Jim Halsey Company, and his own Richard Barz and Associates. Richy knew everybody in the business.

In 1986 Richy moved to the Poconos, where he and his wife, Nancy, opened their own company, Big Band Productions, producing, directing and marketing top-name Big Band luncheon shows at various hotels in the area and performing especially at Mount Airy Lodge in the heyday of live entertainment at Pocono resorts.

1990 marked the first of his continuous performances with JARO at the Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts (COTA) Jazz and Arts Festival. JARO was founded over a decade earlier by Wolfgang Knittel and the late Ralph Hughes, a trumpet player with shared responsibility for founding the Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection. Richy became the band’s musical contractor and principal booking agent.