Customer Reviews

Rosewood

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4 star:		(1)
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I have been an avid follower and listener of Woody Shaw since I heard his album Moontrane back in 1976 when I was in high school. If I'm not mistaken, he also plays cornet on this recording, as well as trumpet and flugelhorn. This was his first Colombia records recording, and they are all exceptional. Woody was a passionate, intriguing, intellectual and masterful soloist. Beautiful tunes and arrangements. Strong contributions from all the supporting musicians (Joe Henderson and Woody playing together is worth the price of admission right there!). Besides Onaje's tune, my faves are also "Rosewood", "Theme for Maxine" and "Rahsaan's Run". The addition of a few tunes from his "For Sure" album is a definite bonus. Still listening to Rosewood to this day. Check it out!

This was Woody Shaw's first recording on a major label. It features different combinations of groups from quartets to fourteen-piece esembles. The music cooking and hard-driving (Rosewood, Rashaan's Run), modal (Theme For Maxine), light-hearted (Every Time I See You). Woody was a brilliant composer and improviser. This album demonstrates that emphatically. Woody was the best trumpet player of his generation and he left us too soon. The solo from Joe Henderson on 'Theme for Maxine' is one his all-time greats - an added treat. On the CD, couple of bonus cuts are added from Woody III which are fine, but the material on Rosewood is definitely stronger.

This recording documents the major label debut of one of the finest improvisers to come onto the international jazz scene in the 60's/70's. Here Woody is heard in several differant ensemble formats. The sizes vary from the standard quintet(Trumpet/ tenor sax frontline), to larger groups which includes a variety of woodwinds/ percussion/ and even harp. Woody's arranging/composing is beautifully showcased throughout this classic release.The compositions are harmonically dense however they are still quite accessable melodically speaking. What stands out the most to me is Shaw's modern improvisational concepts that are derived from John Coltrane , McCoy Tyner, and Eric Dolphy to name a few. Standout performances are given by Woody's then working band~ The Late Carter Jefferson- Saxes, Onaje Allen Gumbs-Keyboards (his beautiful composition[included in ths CD] "Every Time I See You" has been putting a smile on my face for 20+ years), Clint Houston-Bass, Victor Lewis-Drums. Joe Henderson is featured on several numbers to really make this a complete package. This CD release includes 3 bonus tracks that were chosen from Woody's Columbia LP "For Sure". This helps the first time listener to hear the developing direction of one of America's True Jazz Legends...I hope that Columbia decides to release it's entire Woody Shaw catolog on CD..It's about time.

Have to concur with the reviewer below. This is a cracker of a CD. I first heard this about 3 years ago and the track that first appealed to me was like the previous reviewer "Everytime I see You". I haven't heard that much else from Woody, but if this CD is anything to go by then I'll certainly be buying some of his other stuff. Great support from the some legendary fusioneers Onaje, Carter Jefferson to name but two and then there are the bonus tracks from a later Woody album. Great solos, nice sound!

Having listened to this album for years on vinyl I was blown away with what the CD sonics reveales. This is one of Shaw's best and now it is even better with the CD quality. It's an "all new" old chestnut that sounds just as fresh and creative as it did in the 60's. He's as creative and more accessable then Miles Davis

After hiding some very impressive composing and playing ability with several masters of the postbop/hardbop era, and even while being chided to wade through the postmodern/fusion push of the Miles Davis 70's, Woody Shaw was still capable of etching a storybook of magnanimous proportions! This is always the true test of pop artistic idiom, as the tendency of followers (and even of some contemporaries) is to associate originality and creativity as an entitlement for ownership. Truth be told, there is no such thing as artistic ownership outside of influence. Of course, I'm not an Ari Gold(nor any other ad exec),and so I must be telling the truth!
What Shaw does achieve is not recreation of an original art form, but the Resurrection of the question of that art forms ownership. Well after the pop mode had gone on its own down "the road less travelled", Shaw treats the drive of the bebop exegesis to a gear shift, proving that there was then - and forever should be - more to come in the quintetbop idiom and the like. And this new reissue of some of Shaw's great material definitely goes the distance. Of most note is the mysterious tune "Why?" which is a perfect example of the Shaw composition method does include some lithe vocal improvisation and is reprised in some other recordings which further prove its fluency! Also not to missed is the full length "Theme for Maxine" which features Joe Henderson and defines the purpose of the "open line chorus," which Shaw uses rather complexly in many places.