johnagrandy

Why's it stupid? Sco stopped all drugs a few years ago and he's looks to me to be the happiest guy on the planet, at the top of his game, never played better from what I can hear. Plus, a great family man with a great wife who manages his business and a successful musician daughter. One of my best friends stopped smoking dope after 20 years daily. One year anniversary this weekend. His whole life turned around. Blood pressure and heart rate went way down. Heart started beating regularly. Lost a lot of weight. New girlfriend. All his friends thinks he's a much better man for it. You ever listened to a lot of Suicidal Tendencies, or Metallica, or darker Nirvana, or any death metal band, or any of this new shit Sub Pop puts out there, like Wolf Eyes? I mean a lot, like all day long every day, like I used to. All it does is brings you and everyone around you down down down. Sure, sounds so hip when you're loaded, but then you wake up and realize all these guys are about is some lame ass way to avoid the real challenge of life: which is finding a way to think positive about the "real reality" that's out there. Like Kurt said in his suicide note, all he knew how to do anymore was bum himself out. That's the power of negative thinking: eventually a gallon of smack and a shotgun rammed up your mouth seems like the only way out. You think because someone's a great musician that everything they do is smart? And we won't even start talking about what drugs did to Freddie, because that's just too sad.

Wolf Eyes ... hmmm ... if I'm going to get that bummed out on life and the world I think I'll dig out my Nirvana instead ... What's the point of this shit once you decided you want to live not die but you're gonna die eventually anyway ? I think that's what Kurt didn't figure out in time. Braxton's too old to be smoking dope. He's gonna get heart arrythmia.

Have you seen this guy's website ? Hawking lots of girlie Ts, teddy bears, and panties (!) I think this kid's got a nose for the money ... uh, how come the name "Chris Botti" just popped into my head ? I find his playing to be on the boring side ... But he's obviously talented and best of luck to him ... .... however, "best in 40 years from a trumpeter under 25" ??? That's got to be the most absurd overstatement made by any jazz critic ... ever. Howard Reich ? Who is this guy ? Has he even made a stab at the most remedial study of the history of jazz trumpet ? I'm listening to Woody on Larry Young's Unity almost every day. Every track still blows me away after hundreds of listenings. How old was Woody on that session? 20. And I met a very young keyboard/organ guy the other day who pretty much knew nothing about jazz trumpet ... but he totally lights up when I ask him if he's heard of Woody Shaw and says that after he heard him on Unity (an album which I'm beginning to believe that every keyboardist owns) he went out and bought all sorts of obscure Woody stuff like Blackstone Legacy and the Andrew Hill dates. He puts Woody up in the same category as Coltrane. Plus ... there's (not so young) dudes like Peck Allman and Brian Lynch in NYC playing great trumpet ... not to mention more famous names like Dave Douglas, Eddie Henderson ... and Randy Brecker still plays fantastic ! How come everyone's always looking a little bit too hard for the next teenage trumpet phenom, like they did with Wynton ??

Just wondering ... does anyone here view what cats like Josh Roseman, Charlie Hunter, Stanton Moore, Skerik, John Ellis, Steve Bernstein, Sco (when he gets in that groove), and whole lot of other names, etc. are currently doing as possibly being the beginnings of a long-term trend that ultimately makes irrelevant the reconstructionalist motivations (and current success) of the neo-classic jazz movement .... To be sure, the music of this camp is not intended to be purely serious in nature, in many ways it's meant to mix a party and dance element with the social conscious and "deeper meaning" elements of great jazz music -- but , hey, that's what Lee did for a few years -- with some pretty good success ! To me, it's kind of like these cats are saying "f*** this whole Wynton controversy -- forget about it" ... I'm going to listen to Lee, and Larry Young, and Wes, and Miles, and McCoy and Trane ... but I'm also going to listen to a lot of blues, R & B, funk, soul, and even some rock (Nirvana), roots, and all sorts of other lesser-known genres, and try to put it all together in a funky groove where the underlying message still includes what serious jazz is all about -- but we're not going to stick to jazz per se because that's not where the youth counter-culture is at. It's a practical approach to bringing jazz to those who perhaps need it the most in their lives, during their formative years. And all of these cats can play serious jazz when they want. No question. Maybe it's kind of what Michael Franti was about back in his early days -- but I think he was just way too early. What does this have to do with Woody Shaw ? Well, as I've said previously, I think a generational change in how jazz is currently viewed has to happen for Woody's music to be appreciated. The small-club "direct audience communication and participation" is what's sadly missing from a lot of today's technical-prowess-driven, sterile, overpriced, over-orchestrated, derivative -- even pompous -- display-case renditions of the jazz of other ages. Wood's music is very serious to be sure, and certainly not in a party groove, but think about the very direct way in which he (and other hard-bop masters) communicated with the audience. There was immediate emotional participation, not detached appreciation, observation, analysis .... It's all about speaking directly to the people in a way that they go home feeling better about themselves and their lives. Really better, in a serious way (not just 'cause they're drunk or wasted or whatever). By the way, in case anyone has jumped to the conclusion that the "jam band jazz" genre is a revival of "jazz fusion", believe me it isn't. The evolution of Charlie Hunter is the evolution of a very knowledgeable jazz musician steeped in historical tradition, who just does not choose to play straight-ahead jazz most of the time. Check it out for yourself ... buy a just a few of the best of this genre of albums ...

CJ: I gotta jam to work right now, but (in my humble opinion) top of your list for Woody music to get your hands on right now is the following: "The Moontrane" (CD either on Muse, or on 32 Jazz - but the 32 Jazz version is tough to find). This is "the" Woody album you gotta have. Make sure the alternate track of "Tapscott's Blues" is included -- because the way Wood comes into his solo on that one is quite a trip the first time you hear it ! "Little Red's Fantasy" (CD on Savoy) "Love Dance" (CD from the 32 Jazz "Last Of The Line" double-CD set, which also includes "Cassandrite") "Two More Pieces Of The Puzzle" 2 CD set on 32 Jazz-- includes "The Woody Shaw Concert Ensemble At The Berliner Jazzstage" and "The Iron Men" ... the latter is amazing avante-garde "outside" stuff with Anthony Braxton, Arthur Blythe, cats like that -- it was inspired by Woody's work with Eric Dolphy). Unfortunately the 32 Jazz stuff can be pricey to obtain, but keep your eyes open on E-Bay. Also, later I can send you some names of small shops that can get 32 Jazz stuff reasonably priced. And of course the out-of-print Mosaic 3 CD box-set reissue of the Columbia studio sessions is amazing ... but that's a very expensive item to purchase. Lately, they've been going for around $130 on E-Bay. I paid $200 for mine, but it was mint. I'm afraid to open it. Happy listening ! NOTE: Does anyone know what it means here when a thread is marked as "locked" ? John.

Hi CJ. According to Woody Shaw III, Live from the Maintenance Shop on CD (Vol. 1 & 2) will be released next spring -- spring as in spring of 2006 ... so we've got a little while to wait. However, lately I've been gradually discovering all sorts of incredible Woody on various sessions by other artists. Soon, I'll try to post a list of the best stuff that I've heard. FORUMS MODERATOR: Is it possible consolidate to this thread with the other Woody Shaw thread? I've had a few people e-mail me and tell me that's it really cool that they can bookmark a spot to go do some reading on Woody, and the latest developments. Also: if people post often (even if you just say "yeah, man!"), then the Woody thread (whatever it might be) will always show on the first page of the forums list. John.

Here is a short except from an interview with Anthony Braxton in which he talks about the origins of the current "neo-classic jazz movement" -- which has always seemed to me to pretend that jazz in the 60s and 70s didn't exist. I find this to be fascinating because I see Woody's replacement with Wynton at Columbia to be the best historical timepost of this sea change in American jazz culture. Braxton's grammar is a little difficult to understand because the interview was done by a Turk who then transcribed it directly from the tape recorder with no editing. (Nothing against Turks !) If you want to read the entire interview ... well, you might want to grab yourself a cold beer first. Remember, it's Anthony Braxton talking -- the guy who names his tunes with formulas most math post-docs can't understand. Terzioglu - with Wynton Marsalis Braxton - with Wynton Marsalis, many of the younger African American who were come up who went to the university. This is interesting. Wynton with classical people and the jazz people as well as his father. Then he went to New York and studied at Juilliard and while he was studying, it was obvious that he was talented as a stylist, technician at CBS records Doctor Frank Butler, an African American who became an A and R man at Columbia... Terzioglu - A and R man? what is that? Braxton - This is the man who makes the decisions about what musicians they are going to record. Terzioglu - OK Braxton - and so they chose Wynton Marsalis, they kicked out Woody Shaw. Terzioglu - I see, a new commodity has arrived Braxton - A new commodity, not only had a new commodity arrived, but a new commodity whose understanding of reality was just like the market place, in terms of jazz is jazz and everything else is different, we just want to play jazz, we gonna play jazz just like Charlie Parker starting from 1945 and ending for around 1963 with Miles Davis group with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock. This group in effect would say this. African American culture starts at New Orleans and ends at 1963 and restarts again at 1980 and goes forth and from 1960 to 1980, this is not jazz, this is not black, it is anti jazz (laughter). Political implications of that position is profound because it is taken for granted that every other group can learn from any group it was (wants?) to learn from. But the market place is the same. No, no, no! African Americans start here, stop here and you can not go outside of that. So if that is true, the jazz is dead. Jazz is like European classical music from Monteverdi stopping at maybe Wagner. Wagner gets kind of complex, but certainly Mahler and, but of course we know that Europeans continue to evolve their music post Schumann, post Wagner, and went into the modern era. But it is always ironic that everyone is doing this. The market place says "No, African Americans stays right there". And so connected with the same subject is a profound split in the African American community itself. A split that says in one hand you must play the Blues, you must play Bebop, you must think like Malcolm X, not DU BOIS but the 60's writers many of the African American nationalists like Amiri Baraka who came to the fore 1960's. It have an alliance with Joe Hammond and Columbia records when they say, "No, no, no", black must be here and then on the other side you have an African American middle class and upper class that has sent his sons and daughters to the University, they come out as professionals and they are not interested in Blues, they are not interested in jazz, but maybe now, they might like the new neo classic jazz. They wear suits and for this group when they see the Art Ensemble of Chicago, they say "they are painting up and they are playing this African music, I don't like it". And so suddenly you see the Black Community divided into many different sections fighting with another and that is here and then on top of that the composite market place which controls all of the information. It is very interesting. http://www.restructures.net/links/BraxtonConversation.htm

Ok, installment two was going to be a very interesting quote by Steve Turre regarding exactly what Woody was doing that made his sound so unique ... but I can't find it anymore (damnit !) But here's another Turre quote on Woody that I think people will find quite interesting: FJ: How about that Woody Shaw? STEVE TURRE: Oh, man. I'm going to stick my neck out a little bit here, Fred. Some of my best friends have played on my records and I do love them and respect them, but I will have to say that I don't feel that I have heard any innovators on a trumpet since Woody Shaw. Now, there is a difference between being an innovator and a master, even a grandmaster. That means you master your instrument and you've mastered the music. An innovator is somebody that's created a new language. Woody has his own language. I haven't heard any innovators on the instrument since Woody Shaw. The history will tell. Obviously, somebody will come along , but as of now, for my ears, I haven't heard any innovators. Quoted from: http://www.jazzweekly.com/interviews/turre

Ok, here I go with the first installment of an (ill-advised ?) topic that will probably prove completely impossible for myself to understand ... (as I am essentially a non-musician) ... Music-theory-wise , what was Woody doing that made him sound so different from anyone else, on any instrument, ever ? From Jeff Hegelsen : Mark Levine's "Jazz Theory" book has several excellent examples of Woody's approach. To my ear, Woody's inside/outside approach was to construct melodic nodes that were inherently opaque -- lots of implied fourths/fifths combinations, often clustered down into playable constructs on trumpet -- and then sideslip into different key areas, and back again. Because he could execute so quickly, and because most listeners' ears just can't lock in on a key area quickly based on the lines he'd play, he'd rip off a lick and you just kind of shake your head and go...holy cow, what the *** was that??! Transcribing his solos is *hard*. Normally I transcribe at full speed, but when I'm taking off Woody's stuff, I have to slow it way down, especially if it's something bashy where he's got one chord for eight bars and has alot of room to range harmonically. Here is the Woody tribute page on Jeff's site: http://www.shout.net/~jmh/shaw/

Just found this interview with Steve Turre I hadn't seen before that contains some Woody stories I found pretty interesting: RH: Right, so you can really blend with the strings and not overpower. Your relationship with Woody was a particularly close one. ST: Definitely. It was more than just a gig. In fact, it was a deep friendship as well as a mentor relationship. Woody did such wonderful things for me in terms of giving me direction and the confidence to go on and be myself. For instance, I remember one time we were on this big concert in Long Island with Dexter Gordon and Woody Shaw. I guess the gig paid a little bit more, so he said "Steve, come on and make the gig. We're going to do a sextet." I had a car, so I picked up Carter Jefferson and Woody. We were driving out to the gig and Woody and Carter got in a big argument on the way to the gig. We stopped at the stoplight and Carter just opened the door and walked off. Woody looked at me and said, "Well, Steve, play your tail off tonight, and you got the gig." I felt like I really had to struggle at first though, because I had to play the saxophone book, and come up a level to match what Woody was doing. His articulation was so crystal clear, and he had his own way of doing it too. He was an innovator. One time at the Village Vanguard when Mulgrew Miller was taking his solo, Woody came over and whispered in my ear saying, "Man, remember that stuff you played coming out of the second chorus on the bridge." Woody had a photographic memory. He sung the phrase back to me which astounded me right there. He sung back what I played, and I thought I was messing up. I was struggling, trying to get out of a corner I had gotten in my improvisation. I said, "Oh, that was a mess Woody." He said, "No, that was you, and I loved it . . . keep doing that. Remember that kind of approach and develop it." So, he gave me the confidence to go on and be myself. Here's the link: http://www.wbgo.org/library/interviews/sturre.asp

I gotta agree with you on one thing ... on the few occassions when I feel like my life is cruising along, no dark clouds on the horizon, no tough struggles to face, no chance that I go DOWN ... at those times, Woody's music isn't always what I reach for. Sco is great for those times. But, like a lot of us I assume, I ain't got an easy life, and Wood dealt supremely well with the very serious s*** you have overcome if that's your situation or fate or destiny or whatever .... I think most of the really compelling jazz music of the last century came out of the 60s idealism ... the idea that yes it was possible to change the world with positive thinking. Today, I think everyone is resigned to life in the counter-culture as being permanently marginalized economically, politically, socially ... either that or everyone got so rich that they don't care anymore. Yeah, man, I do think his head was about to explode sometimes, -- or his horn, or the entire bandstand, club, or concert hall ! But so is mine -- quite frequently ! And it could be that way for an awful lot of people in this world who have serious problems they have no choice but to deal with, severe challenges in their personal lives, or who see evil s*** going down all around them every day and are powerless to do much about it. Serious music is for serious people. The rest don't need it.

Anyone know what happenned to Azar Lawrence? He's on "The Moontane" and was the regular axe in Tyner's band 73-76 I believe ... also played with Horace Tapscott -- which might be what inspired those ferocious "Tapscott's Blues" takes ! (I would love some bootlegs of that tune ...) What a player ! The man was truly "one of another kind" (to borrow a Freddie title) ...

High Note Live Vol 1,2,3 are all extraordinary. All three sessions consist almost entirely of compositions from Wood's studio albums, but mostly taken at faster tempos -- in some cases, much faster tempos. The band is incredibly cohesive, the communication amongst the rhythm section (I believe it's Willis, James, and Lewis on every number) and their anticipation of how the soloist is constructing and building his composition is at the very highest level. Most of all I would say that this is true small jazz club music at the very top of its game -- and that's as good as music ever got for me. There's almost no point in me picking out tunes because every single one is stellar. It's either Carter Jefferson or Steve Turre upfront with Wood. Vol 2 is my favorite. It contains what I consider to be perhaps the greatest live jazz trumpet improv ever recorded: Wood on "Isabel, The Liberator". Not that I've heard every trumpet jazz improv on record, but some blow your mind so bad that you can't think how anything could be better. I used to think that Lee live with Blakey on "A Night In Tunisia" couldn't be equaled, but I don't know anymore .... .... and if you're a Carter Jefferson fan ... oh man ... he follows Wood with a statement of such fire and intensity that I wonder how anyone slept that night ! Live Vol 4 is not like 1,2,3. It's mainly slow-medium tempo numbers, some standards, Wood in a harmon twice, I think a flugel too -- a different variety of Wood, if you will. However, it also includes the indescribable burner "OPEC" which might have been better placed on Vol 1, 2, or 3. Wood and Steve play some insanely b** a** s*** on this one. Vols 1,2,3 are the the CDs I've listened to more than anything in my entire jazz collection.

Yeah, from what I understand, Woody Shaw III is planning all kinds of stuff. But first he's got to put it all together, his father's life story I mean ... which is no easy task considering he was only 10 when his father left us. Myself, only the slightest excuse for a musician, I struggle to comprehend just the basics ... like where do those rapid descending lines with the trick articulation and outside harmonics come from? He uses a lot of these runs in his mid-late-70s and very-early-80s playing ... in different settings ... mainly uptempo numbers, but sometimes even slow stuff. I don't remember Trane, or any sax player, ever playing anything like that ! I think some of Tyner's trademark riffs kind of remind me of that stuff. I saw some transcriptions but I don't think the transcriber even knew how to notate that stuff properly. I couldn't play it. That's part of what I mean when I say that he re-invented the trumpet ... he invented an entirely new style of playing. But on a technical level I'm probably just babbling ... problem with not knowing music theory is that you can't describe very well what you hear to real musicians ! BTW. I just learned that Woody had perfect pitch and a photographic memory. Really. Not just the way lots of people throw those terms around. Explains to me a little bit about why he actually plays the trumpet in tune ! Through the lower, middle, and upper ranges. Unlike almost any other jazz trumpeter I can think of, except Arturo and the modern conservatory trained guys. And that was on a Bach -- an ferociously difficult instrument to play in tune.

Yeah, it's gotta be Lewis ... he was Wood's most consistent sideman. I love how he uses just the sticks sometimes. Isn't he still playing quite a bit? Is anyone interested in trying to figure out who would have the connections to put together a Wood tribute concert or a touring band or something along those lines and composing a letter and sending it to the various parties? Turre is the most obvious candidate, but Tyner or Miller are possibilities, Hayes is still around, and what about Todd Barkan or Michael Cuscuna? Or maybe it could be that Wynton himself has regrets about how "the powers that be" effectively deposed Wood at the peak of his powers for a Young Lion who could produce big sales numbers ... Wood never really recovered from that. Especially since he never sold-out in any manner in the 70s and had the guts to diss everyone who did, including Hancock, Corea, and Hubbard. Myself, I really don't know anything about what's currently going on in jazz except for what John Scofield, Charlie Hunter, and Dave Holland are up to.

Apparently Woody's son has plans to release lots of DVDs. Check it out : http://www.woodyshaw.com/videography.htm Mainly overseas stuff. But seems like with the Jazz At The Maintenance Shop date it would almost be possible to write a polite, well-composed letter to PBS convincing them to show it on that weekly jazz show they have. "Jazz at the Maintenance Shop" Woody Shaw Quintet. Iowa Public Television w/Carter Jefferson, Onaje Allen Gumbs, Stafford James, Volumes 1, 2, & 3 I hope they have some Keystone Korner videos somewhere. That little stage could get awfully crowded with greats ! Probably pure fantasy, but I'd trade a year of my life to see again that show I saw with Rahsaan, Wood, and Turre side by side. Anyone know what happenned to Todd Barkan ?

I might be the only jazzhead out there who believes not only that Woody Shaw was the greatest jazz trumpeter ever, but also the greatest jazz musician ever ... and, actually, the greatest musician ever. It's incredible to find this thread and hopefully converse with some folk whose lives have been truly inspired as mine has been by Wood's music. Of course music is a very personal experience, and perhaps there is no point in asking "who's the greatest?". But when you look at how little credit Wood is given compared to the "big names" of jazz, myself (at least) feels an obligation to argue his greatness: In his life, Wood was ... A man who radically redefined how jazz trumpet was played: technically, harmonically, melodically, and rhythmically. A man who absorbed and respected the entire tradition of jazz trumpet but who nonetheless invented a completely unique style which in many respects is almost untraceable in influences and which is so difficult to understand and absorb that very very few players today have been able to incorporate aspects of it into their playing. A man with a nearly endless mindspring of inventiveness: melodically, harmonically AND rhythmically ... A man whose compositions are unforgettable because they allude to so many possible meaningful experiences, and because they elucidate so many nebulous and mysterious emotions. (A great composition to me is one that somehow relates to a personal emotion I experience in life in a direct, almost uncanny, manner. It doesn't matter so much what the song is really "about" ... it's how it phenomenologically relates to something I've emotionally experienced.) A man whose music consistently courageously tackled the heights, the depths, and the very heart of the human experience in all its pain and joy. A man who never compromised his ideals, never sold-out, never played badly (that I've ever heard), who played with so many greats, and who covered so much territory in the realm of true jazz (standards, hard-bop, modern, modal, avant-garde, outside, and whatever other labels the critics dreamed up). A man who faced almost unbelievable bad luck, pain, and hardship in his personal and professional life, but nonetheless continued to consistently produce music at the highest level imaginable. I can't even make it through one day of life on this planet without listening to Wood. Maybe I need to see a shrink. Current topics ... I don't even know where to start ... except that the High Note Woody Live Volume IV indeed is now available and it's a very nice addition to the repertoire because it's generally a more relaxed mellow groove than Vols I,II,III ... ... well, except for a mind-blowing OPEC in which Woody shows once again why no trumpeter past or present could touch him in terms of uninterrupted flow of complex non-repetitive ideas on uptempo burners. OPEC is a supernova like "Isabel The Liberator" on Live Vol 2, "Bilad as Sudan" on the Berlin date, or any of the versions of "Obsequious" -- although I am partial to the 1976 Berlin version where Wood and Slide Hampton trade bars, followed by the same from Rene McClean and Frank Foster. I was lucky enough as a teenager to see both Freddie's and Woody's bands live at Keystone Korner many times in the late 70s / early 80s when both men were both at the peaks of their powers, with their greatest bands. What I remember most is that although I was fascinated with Woody's music, I really could not understand it. Decades later, after facing a number of severe misfortunes and extreme sadness in my personal life, now I think I finally understand what drove Wood to such heights. His music was his life and visa-versa and creating beauty and courage the way he did was perhaps the only way he could make it through another day on this planet. Speculation, I know, but that's the way I think these days. Is Joel Dorn out there somewhere? With his now-defunct 32 Records label, Joel deserves massive credit for not letting the world forget Wood's genius ... especially after Columbia wrote him off for ... what's that guy's name? The one who plays a bunch of fancy Monette horns and is about 100 times more over-recognized and over-appreciated as Wood was under-appreciated and under-recognized? (No offense ... but jazz trumpet effectively stopped evolving when Wood died). For those who don't know, Woody Shaw III has started a very high quality website http://www.woodyshaw.com .... and yes there are t-shirts ! He has informed me that more unreleased Woody music is on the way ! This Summer, the live Stepping Stones date will be re-released on CD, including some new material, and Live from the Maintenance Shop CD (VOl. 1 & 2) will be out next Spring. I have accumulated at great expense almost the entire known Wood discography ... and fortunately some very generous folks have donated to my cause some live recordings of various mysterious or unknown dates. I'll have to check with Woody Shaw III if it's ok to share this stuff with any of you who are interested, but hopefully he'll agree. One final thing I'd thought I'd mention, Woody Shaw III has requested that discussions involving Woody's demise during his final years, and the circumstances of his death are off-limit topics. Just thought I'd mention that because, while it is difficult not to think about these matters, it really has nothing to do with any of us being alive right here right now today and experiencing the truly inspirational life-giving forces that Woody Shaw created for all of us.