Finally, a WOODY SHAW thread...

[CJ Shearn]

I will be picking this one up ASAP.

[Cliff Englewood]

Looking forward to the re-release of "Stepping Stones: Live At The Village Vanguard", but in the meantime, does anyone have an opinion on this one,

Woody Shaw/Art Blakey: Jersey Blues

Only two long tracks, one of them being "Night In Tunisia".

Worth €14, yea or ney.

Edited August 15, 2005 by Cliff Englewood

[johnagrandy]

That's one of the very few Shaw discs I don't own. I heard that the sound quality is terrible ... so I stayed away.

My recommend would be to take a look at what you don't have ....

All Shaw as leader is extremely good. He never recorded a bad studio session as leader. In the later 80s his playing is much more oriented towards standards and ballads ... and by that time Wood had understandably lost a fair amount of the ferocious fire present in his playing in the 70s to early-80s as he confronted and dealt with the almost unfathomably bad run of hard luck that ultimately brought him down.

(But more than a few people out there prefer this later "more lyrical" period.)

Also, do you own Eric Dolphy "Conversations" and "Iron Man", Larry Young "United", Louis Hayes "The Real Thing", Woody Shaw-Louis Hayes "Lausanne 1977", Dexter Gordon "Homecoming", "Sophisticated Giant" and "Gotham City", and then there's some late 60s Joe Henderson discs with Woody.

All of the above is outstanding.

I'd definitely get all of the above sessions with Wood as a co-leader or sideman before I got "Jersey Blues". Also, the less "Woody centric" discs such as Andrew Hill "Passing Ships" and McCoy Tyner "Expansions" ... and even the more obscure stuff such as Hank Mobley "Reach Out".

Plus ... more Woody is on the way. They can't keep it locked up in those vaults ! It's too good and eventually all of it will cleverly figure how to sneak out ... well, that's what I think anyway.

On a trumpet sidetrack ... Randy Brecker's '86 "In The Idiom" is very fine modern straight-ahead jazz. Until recently, I'd forgotten how good this one is. Carter, Henderson, Foster ... and unknown-to-me Dave Kikoski absolutely deserves to be right there with those stars -- anyone know what happenned to him?

If only Randy had recorded more straight-ahead sessions ... not that he still couldn't.

Here's a review I found ... :

Woody Shaw Quintet

Jersey Blues

Lone Hill Jazz

by Germein Linares

Unfortunately, the poor recording on this CD is, by far, its

most prominent feature. Considering the potential fireworks from a cleaner

pairing of Woody Shaw and Art Blakey, it is a shame that the recording is not

better. The material in question was recorded on April 15, 1969 in New Jersey

and is being issued on CD by Lone Hill Jazz, a European label that focuses on

releasing previously un-issued (on CD) live and studio recordings. It seems that

Lone Hill did the best they possibly could to clean up this recording, but the

quality of the original seems to be the real problem. Another point of contention

is in the content of this CD. Priced at nearly 18 dollars (import), there are only

two tracks on the CD, the often-approached "A Night in Tunisia," and another

piece titled "Original Theme." Better versions of the first song abound, while the

second song is decent, at best. For such a price, Jersey Blues is solely recommended

for zealous fans of Shaw.

Lone Hill on the web: www.freshsoundrecords.com.

Track Listing: A Night in Tunisia/ Original Theme

Personnel: Woody Shaw- trumpet; Carlos Garnett- tenor sax; George Cablepiano;

Scott Holt- bass; Art Blakey- drums

Edited August 17, 2005 by johnagrandy

[marcello]

Dave Kikoski records plays around constantly!

He's at Iridium in NYC next week with Beatle Jazz.

Edited August 17, 2005 by marcello

[Cliff Englewood]

Nice one John, judging by the sound quality of some of the other Lone Hill releases I've bought recently, and the very specific references to the lack of sound quality on this one, this is definitely going to be avoided. Unless it's really, really cheap!!!

I have quite a bit of the stuff you recommend, Eric Dolphy "Conversations" and "Iron Man", Larry Young "United", Andrew Hill "Passing Ships", Hank Mobley "Reach Out", all of the Joe Henderson "Lighthouse" live material, as leader I have "Imagination", "Solid" and "Moontrane" on a European only(I think) 2-disc set. I even went for Chick Corea "The Complete "Is" Sessions" just to get more Wood, so to speak.

Also Vols 1 & 2 of the High Note live stuff, which I think are some of the best Jazz recordings, live or otherwise or by Woody Shaw or anyone else, that I own.

Which is why I am really looking forward to "Stepping Stones: Live At The Village Vanguard", it really can't fail to be amazing.

P.S. honorable mention should go to Horace Silver "The Cape Verdean Blues" and Jackie McLean "Demon's Dance", for more top notch Woody.

[johnagrandy]

A 2-disc "Moontrane"? Really? Is it the same material as the 32 Jazz or the Muse CDs (2 "Tapscott's Blues" 2 "Katrina Ballerina" ... ?)

Wish I could find "Demons Dance" for less than $50. That is a rare disc.

The biggest problem right now, of course, is Columbia locking up all those studio leader sessions. I talked to Mosaic and they said there's nothing they can do -- the reproduction rights were sold to them only for that 5000 box-set run. I almost wish Woody had never got involved with Columbia. And they continue to disrespect him 20-something years later.

As far as "Stepping Stones" ... they said they shipped mine on Monday ... so where is it already? Heh heh .... I admit it, I'm an addict.

[Cliff Englewood]

I should have been more specific, 2 discs containing the albums

"Imagination", "Solid" and "Moontrane". I only have a burn of "Demon's Dance".

I'll have to wait until I see "Stepping Stones" in the shops over here.

[johnagrandy]

Hmmmm, another middling review of Shaw's music ... including the typical "his music was a combination of this with that with the other" characterization (almost as bothersome as the endless ridiculous Freddie Hubbard comparisons).

I think a big problem with jazz criticism since about the time of ...., well the time time of Wynton's arrival on the scene ! .... is that most of these critics apparently are only capable of seeing anyone's music as a derivative of one or more of the "True Greats" (Satchmo, Prez, Bird, Dizzy, Miles, Blakey, Trane, Tyner etc.) ....

Kind of reminds me of the pedigree-based analysis used in horse racing : you have these "kingpin horses" like StormCat and , and their successful progeny, and everything is related back to them.

But jazz ain't horses, and Woody's music wasn't an amalgam of the music of a couple of other persons.

http://www.musicbox-online.com/ws-live.html

[Guest]

I heard "Stepping Stone" from "Stepping Stones" on local college radio when I was in high school and was lucky enough to find it in a store.

It was one of the first handful of jazz albums I ever owned and I scored big right off the bat with that one.

I can't be sure what was going through my fifteen year old head that made me want to get it, but I think it was the compositional use of harmony, coupled with the overall "feel" of the record. (That record established the idea in my head of New York as a strange and beautiful place where you could just walk down the street and hear shit like this.) I certainly wasn't sophisticated enough to understand how heavy these guys were as impovisers.

Since understanding a bit more about Woody's playing I've held the notion that some of the tenor players who have been hailed for "extending the Coltrane legacy" have merely grafted some of Woody's ideas to sax.

"Unity" and "Homecoming" are also special to me.

I got to hear Woody's band once in '84.

That's the only time I've ever heard a trumpet player play for hours and get stronger and stronger each time he put the horn to his face.

BTW, nice little corner of the "internets" you folks have here.

[John L]

Actually, Jersey Blues should read Art Blakey featuring Woody Shaw as opposed to the other way around. It is an Art Blakey Jazz Messengers date, and had been released under Art Blakey's name before the Lone Hill issue. I guess that Lone Hill decided that the name Woody Shaw would strike a stronger chord among collectors of rare jazz who already have 700 Art Blakey discs.

[Rooster_Ties]

Are there only two (separate) double-CD issues from 32-jazz that collect full albums (2 per set, 4 total)?? I have both of these (below), and a good handful of Muse issues (singles), and am wondering am I specifically missing any other double-CD 32-jazz issues (that I might have covered, or half-covered by the other Muse CD's of Woody that I own)...

Last of the Line, including "Cassandranite" and "Love Dance"

and

Two More Pieces of the Puzzle, including "Concert Ensemble, Live at the Berliner Jazztage", and "The Iron Men"

(I know there was one other 32-jazz double CD of Woody Shaw, but I think/thought it was a compilation.)

[GA Russell]

Rooster, I have Dark Journey, which is a 2-CD compilation.

[EKE BBB]

FWIW: Ad for the February 5&6, 1982 concerts of the Woody Shaw Quintet at the CMU San Juan Evangelista, Madrid

Edited January 26, 2007 by EKE BBB

[EKE BBB]

February 22, 1983 concert

[mr jazz]

the Stepping Stones rerelease was a highlight for me last year. I'm glad I got to see him, if only once. I remember I saw the first show and went back to the dorm and dragged a few folks over for the second.

[brownie]

Woody Shaw with the Jackie McLean Quintet (Cedar Walton, Buster Williams, Billy Higgins) playing 'Cool Struttin'' at the Mount Fuji festival in 1986

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fZnZnU7F0R8

[sidewinder]

the Stepping Stones rerelease was a highlight for me last year. I'm glad I got to see him, if only once. I remember I saw the first show and went back to the dorm and dragged a few folks over for the second.

Similar for me. After catching two sets by the Shaw/Turre/Miller/James/Reedus lineup at Ronnie Scotts I went back the next night for more of the same. Sadly, those two nights were the only times I caught Mr Shaw but it made me a fan for life !

[sidewinder]

Heck, that poster from EKE BBB was at a gig that was within days of the ones I saw !

[jmc]

Stepping Stones is available on disc, it is on Columbia and the recording number is CK 93646.

jmc

Great idea for a thread RT. I love Woody and have never been disappointed by anything that I've heard, either as a leader or sideman.

One session that comes to mind that I really like is Lotus Flower on the Enja label. Nice playing by all, particularly Woody and Steve Turre.

I also dig the Mosaic set - it has a nice balance between his smaller and larger working units.

The Muse output is real good too; particularly Little Red's Fantasy.

I've never had an opportunity to hear the infamous Stepping Stones, but I'll probably grab a vinyl copy in the near future since I don't know if it will make it to CD.

As an aside, I recently found out that Woody's sister used to work at my job. I would have loved to speak to her had I known.

[Guest donald petersen]

but it wasn't on CD 3.5 years ago, when this person wrote the post you are responding to.

[mr jazz]

audio interview with WS from 1979

http://www.jazzcorner.com/innerviews/

[riverrat]

After listening to "The Moontrane" via headphones last night, I resolved to expand my supply of Woody Shaw.

I also have "Two More Pieces of the Puzzle" and "Lotus Flower". I ordered "Little Red's Fantasy" before I went to bed, and I can see that "Stepping Stones" is another must have.

Reading through this thread, it seems its hard to go wrong with virtually any Shaw date.

Couple of questions though:

1. Are the CBS recordings available on CD other than the OOP Mosaic?

2. In view of the fact that Shaw has (thankfully) a rather extensive catalog, are there any particular OOP CD reissues that I should focus on before they become even more difficult to find and expensive? Some of the 32 Jazz reissues seem to fit this category.

Thanks in advance!

[John L]

Are the CBS recordings available on CD other than the OOP Mosaic?

Rosewood had a single CD release a few years back. You should be able to find a copy.

[riverrat]

Are the CBS recordings available on CD other than the OOP Mosaic?

Rosewood had a single CD release a few years back. You should be able to find a copy.

Thanks, yes Rosewood seems to be widely available. I guess I need to go the Mosaic website and figure out the names of the CBS sessions.

I also drummed up some responses by cross-posting in the "Recommendations" forum.

[Niko]

link to that recommendations thread

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...c=34704&hl=