Trumpeter Woody Shaw had an urgent sound, even on ballads. There was a take-charge quality about his approach, but unlike many other horns of the 1970s and '80s, his attack wasn't about ice and heat. Shaw had an enveloping warmth. Whenever I listen to him, I can't take his music off. I'm too engaged. He takes you on a thrilling journey with velocity and color. His notes move like hurled darts. [Photo above of Woody Shaw by Jan Persson/CTSImages.com]
Shaw formed his second great quintet in 1980. It featured Woody Shaw (tp,flhrn), Steve Turre (tb), Mulgrew Miller (p), Stafford James (b) and Tony Reedus (d). On tour in January 1983, the group, minus Turre, became a quartet when performing at the Post Aula concert space in Bremen, Germany, on the 18th. Now, Elemental Music has released the music on the Woody Shaw Quartet's Live in Bremen 1983.
The tracks are You and the Night and the Music, Shaw's Rahsaan's Run, Miller's Eastern Joy Dance, Miller's Pressing the Issue, Shaw's The Organ Grinder, Shaw's Katrina Ballerina, Diane, Walter Davis Jr.'s 400 Years Ago Tomorrow/The Theme and Shaw's Sweet Love of Mine.
This album features some of the group's finest blowing from the period. The playing is impossibly rich and daring, making the album an ideal entry point for those curious about Shaw but don't own anything by him. Interestingly, the least engaging pieces on this release are the standards—You and the Night and the Music and Diane. They come off flat and mannered, probably because they bored the musicians to tears. [Photo above of Mulgrew Miller, courtesy of Spotify]
The true art and excitement are found on Shaw's and Miller's original works. On these compositions, the group is speaking a familiar dynamic language loaded with political feeling and invention. And they're in their element, boiling over in places, expressing love in others. Dig Rahsaan's Run, for example. The song has all of Shaw's feeling and ferocity, with a tender overlay. As for the album's sound, it's terrific.
Woody Shaw died in 1989.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find the Woody Shaw Quartet's Live in Bremen 1983 (Elemental Music) here.
JazzWax clip: Here's Rahsaan's Run...
