Woody Shaw Live 1
Woody Shaw was a major voice in jazz when this recording was  made in 1977, a trumpeter with few equals who could balance bravura  skills and saxophone-like fluency with inspired invention, whose every  leaping solo was an amalgam of cool logic and emotive fire. While many  had converted to fusion, Shaw remained loyal to acoustic postbop in its  most advanced form, continuing to develop the mix of complex harmonies,  modality, and demanding rhythms that had characterized the mid-'60s  work ofMiles  Davis,Wayne  Shorter, andHerbie Hancock.  The tracks here are long--"Love  Dance" is over 15 minutes, "Why" nearly 19--but there's no sense  of sprawl. It's a band with an intense focus, and each piece is an  exploration of a tune's possibilities, whether a dive into a deepening  pool (pianistLarry  Willis's "Light Valley") or a quest for a molten, expressive core  (Shaw's high-speed "Stepping Stone"). Real camaraderie shows in the  collective ability to shift direction and in the frequent dovetailing  of Shaw's trumpet and Carter Jefferson's blistering tenor and soprano  saxophones, the latter sometimes compressed to an oboe-like tone. The  horns are driven along by the swarming, fluid detail inVictor Lewis's  drumming, Stafford James's darting, propulsive bass, and Willis's  insistent, prodding piano. Details of date and venue are missing from  the CD, but the sound quality is very good. Only occasional applause  and the spirit of the music testify to a "live" recording.--Stuart  Broomer