Stepping Stones: Live At The Village Vanguard

Woody Shaw | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 16, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Columbia
• ASIN: B0009Y26P4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,093 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #86 in Music > Jazz > Bebop > Hard Bop

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the wait is finally over!, August 20, 2005

By 

M. Murphy (birmingham, alabama United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stepping Stones: Live At The Village Vanguard (Audio CD)

There is little I could add to the other joyous reviewer's fine editorial about not only the work[Stepping Stones] but also the historical context of this cd. I will say that as a huge Woody Shaw fan I have been waiting for this crown jewel to be released for too long. Simply put Shaw made many terrific studio cd's[Rosewood,Little Red's Fantasy,Etc.] but NOTHING, NO NOTHING could compare to seeing or hearing this man and his band in a live format. With the recent[excellent]live releases from the Highnote label of Volumes 1 through 4 from San Francisco and the stunning 32 Jazz label's Concert Ensemble from Germany now we finally have the crown jewel. The Vanguard masterpiece. Simply put this cd[Stepping Stones] is the definition of exciting,high flying,creative music called live jazz. As a jazz lover with over 1,000 cd's and dozens of Villiage Vanguard live recordings[including Coltrane,Evans,Etc.]this is absolutely the best recorded concert from that historic venue.

Lastly if you are new to Woody Shaw buy more of his cd's. A tragic figure in jazz Shaw may have been the most creative trumpeter in post bebop jazz that too few know about.

Five stars with the highest reccomendation!

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jazz Masters of the '70's, September 2, 2005

By 

a musician (Takoma Park, Md. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stepping Stones: Live At The Village Vanguard (Audio CD)

Bottom line, this records kills. When Wynton and Crouch would have you believing jazz was dead in the '70's, here's proof positive they were dead wrong. It's sad that guys like Woody were toughing it out in the lean years only to be shunned when the post-Wynton twenty something's were getting all the label and media play. I still can't believe Columbia dropped Woody for Wynton! Maybe now they're trying to make up for it. This document will stand the test of time when many of the "neoclassical" recordings have long been forgotten. This is no rehash. This is music by musicians who clearly know the lineage but have developed a sound of their own. You gotta pay some dues for that! Not only are the performances on "Stepping Stones" stellar, the writing is great as well. Like Miles' legendary ensembles of the '50's and '60's these guys sound like a BAND, this ain't no pickup date. If you want to hear cutting edge hard bop by some of the unsung heroes of the art buy this CD immediately. This music deserves to be heard and it's players given their due.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deepest Passions, Highest Summits, STEPPING STONES, August 19, 2005

By 

Michael F. Hopkins "A Deeper Groove" (Buffalo, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stepping Stones: Live At The Village Vanguard (Audio CD)

For those who have followed the timeless music of Woody
Shaw, the importance of this release needs no explanation.
For those who have just begun to listen to the dynamic
Brass King from Newark, you have quite the treat awaiting
you. For those among you who've never heard Woody Shaw
perform his instrumentally-lyrical sorcery, sit down,
prep your ears up, and get ready to hear one of the
greatest live performances in the history of recorded
Music.
Those who run around confused over what Jazz is about,
given all the parlor room tinsel and archival pimping
scurrying about these days, may consider this Columbia
CD a vital set of STEPPING STONES towards gaining a
finer understanding of Jazz authenticity. As maestro
Shaw and friends demonstrate, authenticity carries a
fiery diversity all its own.

Recorded at the legendary Village Vanguard in August
1978, STEPPING STONES was the first release to concentrate
solely on Shaw's working band. Recent issues by High Note
Records have provided listeners with sterling concert
recordings by subsequent editions of this band between
1977 and the early 1980s, but the long overdue CD release
of STEPPING STONES addresses just how vital THIS edition
of the trumpeter's first working band truly was.

Onaje Allan Gumbs remains, even now, a grandmaster of
a pianist, with a writing hand that dips as nimbly into
groove as it draws mightily from the Blues. Listen to
his "All Things Being Equal Are Not", newly released
for this CD, and feel the balladry of his contemplative
touch, tuning us in.
Bassist Clint Houston, prominent on Shaw's first album
back in 1970, unleashes his finest work here. Rock
steady, impossibly pliant, his fleet fingers dig into
each tempo, plucking personality into every moment with
color, dancing momentous harmony which augments Onaje's
own polyharmoic sprinklings into the concert's righteous
swing and step.
Too, Houston showed that vision for original composition
so resplendent in that generation of Jazz artists (and so
lacking in much of the current generation of performers).
"Escape Velocity", with all its virtuoso ensemble work,
soloing interplay, and conceptual freedom, brings home the
simple point with impeccable swing. For those truly about
this Music, there is no escape from discipline, and the
liberation it holds for all who go there.
Of course, there is Victor Lewis. Time has shown what an
incredible timesifter this drummaster is, and his work
alongside the likes of David Murray, John Hicks, and Randy
Weston has revealed his genius a thousandfold. It was
with Woody Shaw, however, that Lewis' mastery was first
revealed in all its glory, and STEPPING STONES may
astonish those whose only exposure to Lewis has been
to his studio work. Live, Lewis is Shango on fire, an
all-permeating foundation to the deep flight of Shaw's
trumpetuous song. It was also through Shaw that Lewis
revealed his incredible hand for composition; listen
to the urban savvy and sensual sway of "Seventh Avenue",
and find yourself walking different paths.
Not nearly enough respect has been given to reedmaster
Carter Jefferson, his tenor and soprano mastery a sinewy
complement to Shaw's aerial summations. On soprano, his
voice merged the fragile knowhow of Bechet and the
humble dare of Coltrane into a personal beckoning which
ran a number on those seeing the instrument as a mere
backup horn. His tenor poured tide and magma into the
fold, singing with unabashed might and originality, and
a gentleness which made his power all the more compelling
to hear.
Put all this into the focus of a leader drawing upon the
whole of this Music and others, and the result is pure
dynamite.

The vitality of Woody Shaw is in just how comprehensive
his art could reach. The roots of his intervals are as
much in the extensions of Cecil Taylor as the groundwork
of Art Blakey, let alone the maverick mentoring of Eric
Dolphy, or his love of Bartok. For a peak into Shaw's
genius as a composer, listen to the abbreviated version
of "Theme For Maxine" here, then listen to Charles
Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" sometime. Only the finest
compositional minds can utilize the changes of a classic
theme, then write their own original selection upon those
changes.
For those who think that such a feat is simple, or facile,
go elsewhere and check out Shaw's epic tribute to John
Coltrane, "The Moontrane". A closer listen will show the
classic to be conceived upon the thematic changes of Billy
Strayhorn's epic theme for Duke Ellington, "Take The A
Train". Thus, Shaw's lively masterwork stands as a stunning
tribute to THREE grandmasters.
No sampling here! Playing and creating one's own Music,
inspired by -not slavishly imitating- those who came
before, makes the difference in artistry.

Then, there's the sheer depth of his brasswork, whether
playing trumpet or -as he does here- flugelhorn and
cornet. Daring majesty, warm authority, and adventurous
wisdom all spell the rich harmonic tones, melodic leaps
of faith, and saucy strut of Woody Shaw. His is a truly
signature sound which compels all who listen to get wise,
be true, and come home.
For all this, the special nature of STEPPING STONES is
in the extraordinary empathy that this particular band
enjoyed. Listen to Shaw's "Stepping Stone" itself, a
dazzling clarion call to consciousness stepping proud
through harmolodic thoroughfares and polyrhythmic
rhapsodies. Each artist sprinkles seeds for one another
to grow upon. Each, hearing, addresses one another. All,
in turn, addresses the listener with one of the great
expositions of collective play, full of fun and charged
with drama. Dare we add, it swings!!
Among the seven performances which comprise this CD,
we have a monster rendition of McCoy Tyner's tribute
to Cannonball Adderly, "Blues For Ball" which -like
everything else on this set- bears extended listening.

Liner notes by Woody Shaw III (the trumpeter's son),
longtime producer Michael Cuscuna, and trombonist
Steve Turre offer invaluable insights into the
trumpeter's rich legacy; although Turre, in his
very heartfelt reflections on his old friend,
inexplicably neglected to mention one of his finest
collaborations with Shaw; namely, the trumpeter's
final work with Columbia, UNITED. (On the other hand,
given the less-than-ideal nature of Shaw's parting
with the label, one can understand Turre's apparent
lapse of memory on the date marking that departure,
even if the recording was a classic).
The remastering of this material is superb, and will
floor those with memories of their vinyl copies from
long ago.

If you're still with me after all this, you're one
hearty and hardy reader! Be even sturdier. Walk
the STEPPING STONES, and greet the journey
which awaits, full of promise made sound...