Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Woody Shaw (32 Jazz: Imagination

336

Woody Shaw (32 Jazz: Imagination

Woody Shaw (32 Jazz: Imagination
Let Me Reintroduce.... Woody Shaw (1944 – 1989) was a popular yet never fully appreciated trumpeter during the 1970s and 80s. Largely influenced by Freddie Hubbard, Shaw is considered by jazz musicologists to be a bridge between Hard Bop and Avant-garde trumpet playing. He played and recorded with Eric Dolphy, Horace Silver, Dexter Gordon, Andrew Hill, and Jackie McLean. In spite of this exposure, he was overshadowed by other period trumpeters. This is unfortunate, because Shaw is a very exciting and imaginative soloist well worth investigation.

Imagination is a re-release of the Muse recording of the same name. It is made up of five standards and a single original (penned by trombonist Steve Turre). The disc begins with explosive start with “If I Were a Bell”, using the famous Big Ben intro. Shaw starts with an open bell and takes the standard a faster clip that Miles originally did, showing much more muscle. Even is muted playing is powerful, infusing the familiar trumpet vehicle with a naked virility that might surprise the listener. Compare this to Bobby Timmons’ “Dat Dere”, here Shaw plays less aggressively but equally effectively. So with the remainder of the disc. Shaw’s Ballad playing is plush yet exact on “Imagination” and “Stormy Weather”. Steve Turre is outstanding in all outings. The rhythm section of Lightsey, Drummond and Allen speak for themselves.

Budget Cut. Joel Dorn’s 32 Jazz continues its re-releases of Muse recordings with this warm and pleasurable Woody Shaw Disc. This is music not to ignore. Other Shaw re-releases on 32 Jazz include The Moontrane (32019), Last of the Line (32024) [ Cassandranite and Love Dance on Muse], Dark Journey (32039), Two More Pieces of the Puzzle (32069) [ The Woody Shaw Concert Ensemble and The Iron Men on Muse]. The label’s modest price makes these recordings attractive.

Track Listing

If I Were a Bell, Imagination; Dat Dere; You and the Night and the Music; Stormy Weather; Steve

Personnel

Woody Shaw
trumpet

Woody Shaw: Trumpet; Kirk Lightsey: Piano; Steve Turre: Trombone; Ray Drummond: Bass; Carl Allen: Drums.

Album information

Title: Imagination | Year Released: 1999

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.