Biography

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 TW 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 TW decided to form his own band: the Tony Woods Project to provide an outlet for his own folk inspired compositions.