relyles Posted August 22, 2003 Report Posted August 22, 2003 Shaw is also my favorite trumpet player and others have already posted quite eloquently about some of his better recordings. I will not repeat anything already said, but a sideman appearance by Shaw that I have been praying to be reissued someday is Gary Bartz' Home on Milestone. Its a 1969 live date from Bartz hometown of Baltimore that catches him in full acoustic fire before he entered into his Ntu-Troop phase. Bartz and Shaw sound great, Shaw plays wonderfully as always and why people are not tearing down the walls to get this one reissued I do not understand. I have also been fortunate to hear some unissued live performances by Shaw, including one with Bartz that reaffirm each and every time how wonderful a musician Shaw was. One of those musicians that I regret never being able to experience live. Quote
Larry Kart Posted August 22, 2003 Report Posted August 22, 2003 Re "Homecoming": I believe that Woody's band was not the only thing that Dexter "borrowed" around that time. He also hooked up with publicist Maxine Gregg (a.k.a. "Little Red" of "Little Red's Fantasy"), a development that went a long way toward lowering Woody's spirits when he discovered upon returning from a summer European tour that Gregg had cleaned out their apartment and left him for Dex. Quote
JSngry Posted August 22, 2003 Report Posted August 22, 2003 Ok, this record might not meet with everybody's "approval", but I'm here to tell you that some of the VERY best playing that Woody Shaw ever commited to recording, regardless of context, is on Harry Whitaker's BLACK RENNAISANCE. Rarely has he sounded so fully like the King he was. The record itself has gotten mixed reviews from some of our contingent back on Board Krypton (I myself dig it very much), but I'm not talking about the record here, I'm just talking about Woody. My Sweet Jesus, what he plays on that album! Readily available on finer Internets everywhere: Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 22, 2003 Author Report Posted August 22, 2003 OK, Jim. You sold me. Actually, “Free For All” already half-sold me on this one back in late July (at least on paper he did), but your additional high-praise of Harry Whitaker's BLACK RENNAISANCE has convinced me I need to get this one - come hell or high water. Never heard it, and I have no idea who Harry Whitaker is, but any Woody that’s THAT good, has to be something that I need to have. If there's still one in stock at my favorite shiny-disc emporium (and there was as recently as a month ago), it's as good as mine within the next 72 hours. Thanks!!! Quote
JSngry Posted August 22, 2003 Report Posted August 22, 2003 Get ready to perform the Magic Ritual! Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 22, 2003 Author Report Posted August 22, 2003 Get ready to perform the Magic Ritual! Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 25, 2003 Author Report Posted August 25, 2003 Heading out now to get the Harry Whitaker disc w/ Woody, if it's still there (was there a couple months ago). Also, some mo' AMAZING Woody Shaw to be had on Stanley Cowell's "Brilliant Circles". Yeah, yeah. yeah - the sound quality sucks (don't we all know it - what the hell??), but Woody in particular, is blowin' has ass off on this disc!!! And what a line-up!!! Stanley Cowell, Woody Shaw, Tyrone Washington, Bobby Hutcherson, Reggie Workman, and Joe Chambers. Piss-poor sound quality or not, this is probably one of my favorite discs with Woody Shaw (top 10, we'll say). Interesting that as small as Tyrone Washington's recorded output is, nearly 1/3rd of it is also with Woody Shaw. ("Brilliant Circles", Tyrone's own "Natural Essense", and Horace Silver's "Jody Grind".) As a front-line, Woody and Tyrone Washington were quite a pair. Yeow!!!! Quote
Vincent, Paris Posted August 25, 2003 Report Posted August 25, 2003 While reading the new liner notes by Michael Cuscuna to the 'Rosewood" reissue (1998) in the Columbia/Legacy series, I was hit by the following : "Our next project [Cuscuna was the original producer]was to record the working band live at the Village Vanguard. Hopefully, the issued album and some unreleased gems will soon see the light of day on CD, because the quintet had reached an astonishing peak with Woody at the height of his power." Was that alluding to the Mosaic box set (I thought it came before '98) ? Did it finally come out on CD? Was that discussed before on the defunct BNBB ? Quote
relyles Posted August 25, 2003 Report Posted August 25, 2003 I think it is referring to Stepping Stones, which has yet to be released on CD. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 25, 2003 Author Report Posted August 25, 2003 Get ready to perform the Magic Ritual! Performing the Magic Ritual right now, even as I'm typing this. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 25, 2003 Author Report Posted August 25, 2003 Get ready to perform the Magic Ritual! Performing the Magic Ritual right now, even as I'm typing this. Let me rephrase that... Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 26, 2003 Author Report Posted August 26, 2003 Also, some mo' AMAZING Woody Shaw to be had on Stanley Cowell's "Brilliant Circles". Yeah, yeah. yeah - the sound quality sucks (don't we all know it - what the hell??), but Woody in particular, is blowin' has ass off on this disc!!! And what a line-up!!! Stanley Cowell, Woody Shaw, Tyrone Washington, Bobby Hutcherson, Reggie Workman, and Joe Chambers. Piss-poor sound quality or not, this is probably one of my favorite discs with Woody Shaw (top 10, we'll say). Just listened to most of this one again today, for the first time in several months. What an incredible album. Really, I would place "Brilliant Circles" right up there with Wayne Shorter's "All Seeing Eye" - for 'progressive-but-not-entirely-out' jazz, created by a mix of progressive guys, and hardbop guys. Really a stunning album!!! Woody, in particular, is totally at the top of his game here. Quote
JSngry Posted August 26, 2003 Report Posted August 26, 2003 Get ready to perform the Magic Ritual! Performing the Magic Ritual right now, even as I'm typing this. Let me rephrase that... Well? Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 26, 2003 Author Report Posted August 26, 2003 Well? Harry Whitaker's BLACK RENNAISANCE Damn, that's one strange record. Not strange 'bad', but definitely 'strange'. Hey, maybe it's "strange baad!!!!" B) In any case, I've only listened to it one-time through, and my initial reaction was one of surprise, delight, and just a general "where the hell is this going???", as it took me on it's wild, wild, wild ride. Not for the faint of heart (or 'hardbop', for that matter). Reminds me of a slightly more 'inside' version of what I suspect Eddie Gale's two Blue Note albums must sound like -- which I've never heard, before, save for one cut on an a BN 'Rare Groove' compilation. (I'm talkin' about "Ghetto Music" and "Black Rhythm Happening".) Am I close?? I was also reminded of the Sun Ra track "U.F.O." (from the rarely heard Saturn LP "On Jupiter", circa 1978), which is an all-out disco-funk jam with some serious jazz chops goin' on (and 'free'-jazz chops, at that!!). But you are definitely right about Woody knockin' it out of the park on "Black Rennaisance". I plan to spin the disc again tomorrow, this time with less shock in my eyes and ears, and more of a focus on Woody. DEEP album, on many levels I suspect. And maybe not so deep on a few too. Quote
ralphie_boy Posted August 26, 2003 Report Posted August 26, 2003 I'll have to check out Black Rennassance soon. Hey RT, I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of Brilliant Circles - it's a great session, despite the piss-poor sound quality. Fortunately, Woody's parts tend to be high in the mix, as opposed to Tyrone Washington's and Hutch's. I hope someone re-releases this one in the near future. Quote
JSngry Posted August 26, 2003 Report Posted August 26, 2003 I think of BLACK RENNAISANCE as a Strata-East-esque take on one of those hip CTI sides where Don Sebesky wrote arrangements AFTER the fact, and weaved them in and out of the already performed small group jams. Only in this case, instead of brass and strings, it's the voices that weave in and out. Don't think of it as a CTI side where Sebesky wrote the charts up front, though. THOSE were pretty much a drag. As for the comparison to the Gale, BNs, well, yeah, sorta kind of, maybe, just a little, not really, but ok... If you get my point. Quote
Joe Posted August 26, 2003 Report Posted August 26, 2003 Leave us not forget his fine work with Horace Silver... Quote
relyles Posted August 26, 2003 Report Posted August 26, 2003 Don't think this one has been mentioned. It features excellent playing by Shaw. Tone Jansa Quartet featuring Woody Shaw - Dr. Chi Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 26, 2003 Author Report Posted August 26, 2003 Don't think this one has been mentioned. It features excellent playing by Shaw. Tone Jansa Quartet featuring Woody Shaw - Dr. Chi How does that compare with this one??? Woody Shaw with the Tone Jansa Quartet I have the latter, but not the former. Quite a good date too, I'll add (meaning the one I have, but I presume the date lead by Tone Jansa is just as good). Quote
Jim Dye Posted August 26, 2003 Report Posted August 26, 2003 Harry Whitaker's BLACK RENNAISANCE A friend just hipped me to this. Nice grooves. I have to give it a good deep listen, though. A potential AOTW?? B) Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 26, 2003 Author Report Posted August 26, 2003 By the way, speaking of some of Woody's later work, I often cite this as being my all-time favorite Woody Shaw album. (Not always, but often.) In My Own Sweet Way (1987, In & Out) Well worth searching for. Every tune is a winner!! Quote
relyles Posted August 26, 2003 Report Posted August 26, 2003 I don't have the other date with Jansa and therefore can not compare. In My Own Sweet Way is also one of my favorites. Shaw's tone on this recording is particularly exceptional. An essential recording IMO. Quote
relyles Posted August 26, 2003 Report Posted August 26, 2003 This thread motivated me to pull out something from my unheard music box featuring Shaw that I had been meaning to get to for a while. I was only able to give it one listen so far, but Buddy Terry's Pure Dynamite on the Mainstream label has some good solos by Shaw. The recording as a whole is pretty much of its time, but it is fairly enjoyable. Another one to check out is Chick Corea's 1966 Atlantic date, Inner Space. Good early Shaw teamed up with Joe Farrell in the front line. Chick Corea - Inner Space Finally, did anyone mention Carlos Ward's Lito? Great pianoless quartet, which is a format that I do not think Shaw recorded in often, if at all and you can really hear him stretch. Carlos Ward - Lito Quote
relyles Posted August 26, 2003 Report Posted August 26, 2003 (edited) One last thought. How is it that we neglected to mention the recordings Shaw did with Eric Dolphy and Bobby Hutcherson, Iron Man and Conversations. Excellent recordings and highly recommended to fans of any of these artists. These predate Dolphy's Out To Lunch and I can't help but wonder how that Blue Note album (which is an indisputable classic) would have sounded with Shaw instead of Freddie Hubbard. Edited August 26, 2003 by relyles Quote
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