STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A jazz saxophonist known for touring and recording with Quincy Jones, Billy Joel and others has died. Phil Woods 83.
Funeral director Philip Bensing says Woods died Tuesday in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and his family plans to complete arrangements Wednesday for private services. Bensing owns Bensing-Thomas Funeral Home in Stroudsburg.
Woods played his last show Sept. 4 at Pittsburgh's Manchester Craftsman's Guild, using oxygen to complete the performance. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Woods announced he had emphysema and was retiring due to health concerns.
Woods had a solo on Joel's hit, "Just the Way You Are," and Jones says, "There was a very specific reason Phil played on nearly every album I've made since 1956" calling him "the best jazz also sax player there was."