Customer Reviews

Stepping Stones: Live At The Village Vanguard

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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...

I'd venture to say that at this period of his career he was the best trumpet player of all time. He was the total package...composer, brilliant technician, melodic and adventerous.
After hearing this album its hard for me to listen to Freddie Hubbard in the same way any more since Woody takes Freddies style up about 10 notches.
Woody's career was too short and inconsistant to be considered the Greatest of all time but at his peak (on this album) there was nobody better in my opinion.

By the way, I would not have happened upon Woody's music if it hadn't been for sites such as amazon, allmusicguide etc etc.
Needless to say this music isn't advertised at your local record store and is rarely stocked.
I ordered this album a few months ago off of amazon and since then I've picked up pretty much everything I can find with Woody on it.

One last note, the sound quality on this recording is incredible..it sounds better than most studio recordings.

Great post bop jazz.

This album is the greatest example of how obeying precedent eventually turns about. Compared to most live albums in the jazz genre, Woody Shaw's Live:Stepping Stones album is, by far, an improvement upon the standard. The era is the 1970's and so of course, you must listen more deeply to hear the influences of past greats, but the statements are eloquent and obviously fluent. This cd reissue is the August 1978 concert in its entirety and the only shortcoming is the postlude, "Theme For Maxine" (appears completely on Rosewood-LP) which only lasts through a full chorus. Still this album is a must have for students and aficianados alike. I challenge you to find a more meticulous live album.

This is a great session. I am reviewing this because I am ordering the CD, finally. Woody was definitely the anti-Wynbag. Wynbag and his progeny seem sterile by comparison.

For whatever reason, Columbia sat on this after the initial vinyl release in '78 and never released it to CD during Woody's lifetime. Mosaic did not include it in the recent Columbia retrospective. I have owned this on vinyl since 1979 or so and I still find it exciting and fresh. Most of this was recorded at the Vanguard. This is a document of a real, working quintet with NY-style aggressive hard-edged playing by some scary first-call people active on the NY scene at that time and even now. Remember that this style of music was just emerging from a long period of obscurity due to the coming of age of baby boomers and the powerful impact of commercial pop music on the jazz world from the early 60s - and yet - and yet it continued to develop in the hands of Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson and all those others who would just not give up. These guys played like they'd been touring together for years, which of course they had been. I hear an awful lot of music by current players, and in my biased opinion, this group is pretty hard to beat these days.

If you're looking for an LA rehearsal band or a college pick-up band or some jam session laboring through Stella and Straight no Chaser, then you should give this one a pass.

But that's just my opinion, K?

I listen to this recording at least once a day in between my booker little and lee morgan,art blakey listenings.What a fresh and exciting,sentimental,fiery live recording this one is tops,peace!

It's so nice to read such wonderful, positive words about my homeboy, Woody Shaw! You guys wrote so well, all I can add is, buy the record, and hear what all the fuss is about. The best review, of course, is best post hard bop trumpeter (with the best hard bop trumpeter being Lee Morgan, his idol and my favorite musician). All the cuts are great, but my favorite is "Escape Velocity", the only cut released while Woody was here. It was on Woody III, my favorite Shaw record; if you can, buy that one, too!
OK, I think you get the gist--buy this record!

Woody Shaw is fantastic and I remember being captivated by his tone and solo lines when I first heard him in the 70's and 80's.
This was one of my favorite albums and am really pleased to see it re-released. However an Onaje Allen Gumbs composition "It all comes back to you" is missing on this release. Which is an incredible bummer because I absolutely love that tune. And I can't find it anywhere on the net.

The only solution to get that tune is to find the original LP recording then digitize it I guess.

Anyone know why it's not on this release?

Great album but just be aware that the song "Theme For Maxine" is only one minute long (that was partially the song that I bought the album for).