Jazz / Post-Bop, Hard Bop
Woody Shaw - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Alice Su Photography
Becky Wisdom Production Coordination
Buster Williams Bass
Cedar Walton Piano
David Gahr Photography
Dick Smith Art Direction
Joel Dorn Producer
Michael Cuscuna Liner Notes
Page Simon Graphic Design
Rudy Van Gelder Mastering, Engineer
Victor Jones Drums (Snare), Drums
This Muse release finds the brilliant trumpeter Woody Shaw in fine form. Heard for the only time in his career on a full set with just a rhythm trio (pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Victor Jones), the focus is very much on Shaw's attractive sound and his creative improvising skills. He performs four stnadards (including "There Is No Greater Love" and "What's New"), plus his own "Spiderman Blues" and Walton's "When Love Is New." The music is reasonably accessible and swinging yet imaginative in a subtle way. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Woody Shaw
Active Decades: '60s, '70s and '80s
Born: Dec 24, 1944 in Laurinburg, NC
Died: May 10, 1989 in New York, NY
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Neo-Bop, Post-Bop, Hard Bop, Mainstream Jazz, Progressive Jazz
Woody Shaw was one of the top trumpeters of the 1970s and '80s, a major soloist influenced by Freddie Hubbard but more advanced harmonically, who bridged the gap between hard bop and the avant-garde. Unfortunately, his career was hampered by failing eyesight, and his premature death from injuries incurred after being hit by a subway train was a major loss. Shaw grew up in Newark, NJ, where his father was a member of the Diamond Jubilee Singers. After starting on bugle, he switched to the trumpet when he was 11. Shaw left town for a tour with Rufus Jones when he was 18, and then joined Willie Bobo at a time when Bobo's band included Chick Corea. Shaw played and recorded with Eric Dolphy and, after being invited by Dolphy, he traveled to Paris in 1964 just a little too late to join the late saxophonist's band. After a period in Europe playing with (among others) Bud Powell and Johnny Griffin, Shaw spent periods in the groups of Horace Silver (1965-1966), Max Roach (1968-1969), and Art Blakey (1973), in addition to making many recordings (some as a sideman for Blue Note) with such players as Jackie McLean, Andrew Hill, and McCoy Tyner. Other than playing with Dexter Gordon in 1976, Shaw was primarily a leader from this point on, recording for Columbia (important sessions reissued in a Mosaic box set), Red, Enja, Elektra, Muse, and Timeless, plus two Blue Note dates co-led with Freddie Hubbard. His album Rosewood from 1978 earned a Grammy nomination and won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for Best Jazz Album. Although considered a titan in the jazz world during his life, interest and respect for Shaw's music has only grown since his passing.
--- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
