A little about our film, Play It in Woo
“Everybody Loves the Sunshine” by Roy Ayers and Ubiquity.
“Before I Let Go” by Frankie Beverly and Maze.
Both songs are anthems in the Black music soundtrack, and are candidates for, as the New York Times says, "The song of every summer."
And both songs feature the keyboard playing of Philip Woo, who is one of the first Asian American musicians to make a name in the funk and soul genres of the 1970’s and 1980’s, recording and touring with such legends as Roy Ayers, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Ashford & Simpson, Patti Labelle, and more. Philip’s playing has continued to live on through the countless artists that have sampled his keyboard playing, from Notorious B.I.G. and A Tribe Called Quest to Mary J. Blige and Beyonce.
Philip Woo’s story is one of stubborn self-belief in the pursuit of your dream, and having to constantly break the mold of Asian American stereotypes at every stage of life. It’s a truly American story of art and activism, of community and displacement, and the intertwined paths of the Black and Asian American communities in all its beautiful complexity. And it is the story that we will tell in our film, PLAY IT IN WOO.
"Everybody Loves the Sunshine " by Roy Ayers and Ubiquity
"Before I Let Go " by Frankie Beverly and Maze.
OUR PRODUCTION STORY (STILL IN PROGRESS)
The majority of our film has been shot, with production beginning in Fall of 2022. Since then, we’ve had 15 total days of filming in Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, Vallejo, and New Jersey. Although Philip Woo lives in Tokyo, we built all our shoots around his concerts in the U.S. and have filmed 26 interviews to date, with a wide range of musicians that span generations and genres including: Roy Ayers, Valerie Simpson, saxophonist Kenny G., Merry Clayton (singer for Ray Charles, Rolling Stones, featured in the film 20 Feet From Stardom), George Murray (bassist for David Bowie and Philip’s brother in law), Emilio Castillo (saxophonist and bandleader, Tower of Power), drummer Mike Clark (Herbie Hancock, The Headhunters), singer Maxayn Lewis (Ike and Tina Turner), bassist Byron Miller (Roy Ayers, George Duke, Santana), Felicia Collins (guitarist, CBS Orchestra/World’s Most Dangerous Band), guitarist/composer Makoto Horiuchi; former Maze members Robin Duhe, Ron Smith, Billy Johnson, and Anthony Beverly; Philip’s singer in Japan, Brenda Vaughn; hip hop producers Jake One and Large Professor; DJ Supreme La Rock (KEXP), and DJ / culture writer/academic, Oliver Wang. We also filmed an interview with Philip’s high school mentor and band teacher, James Gardiner, as well as members of the Woo family, and of course, Philip Woo himself.
And now in September 2025, we are heading back to Seattle to film more interviews and kick off a new crowdfunding campaign. We're hoping that your continued support will propel us in our third, and final, phase of production, which will consist of our upcoming Seattle shoot, and production in Japan that will take place in 2026. Click below to support!
AFTER THIS…
With as much great footage as we have, there are still many more notes we want to hit, and we'll need to do that in Japan, where Philip has lived for over 20 years. We couldn't have gotten this far without your help, and we hope you'll be able to join us for this next round. We know that, with your help, we will be able to film the remaining chapters that we need to properly tell Philip Woo's story and finally start editing the full film!
Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @playitinwoo for fun behind-the-scenes photos, footage, and more updates!