The Tour: Voume One

The first live release from the High Note Woody Shaw series in about a decade as far as I know - hopefully more to come.Any archival Shaw release is a reason to celebrate, this show is very strong, typical rapid-fire from the greatest trumpeter of his generation.I would agree the sound leaves a little to be desired - a little metallic and cymbal heavy, but not "bad" by most standards.If you don't have them, "Woody Shaw Live Volume One" and "Volume Two," from the same label are probably superior recordings and shows - those are absolutely essentials for Shaw fans. Three and Four are great as well, but One and Two are masterful.Recommended if you have the others.Hopefully we see a Volume Two from "The Tour" series too.

I was of the opinion that any Woody Shaw was better than no Woody Shaw. Well this CD makes me think twice about my opinion. Unfortunately many Shaw live releases of late are badly recorded. This recorded live CD is the worse I've heard and I've heard them all. I suspect that many of these recent Shaw live releases were not meant to be issued to the public, but instead were transferred from some tape deck brought to the gig and set up on a table or chair. Probably no attempt was made to get the balance and sound right prior to the band starting to play. Just turn on the tape deck and let it run . . . I believe Shaw's son inherited his father's estate and has made a few bucks issuing these tapes to producers, i.e., HighNote and others. While the group is hot on this night, the horrible recording quality allows me to listen to it for only a short time. And these CDs go for big bucks. Would I buy it again? No. But you might be of the opinion that any Shaw is good Shaw.. You make the call.

The music here is great - fierce, classic Woody Shaw circa 1976. Re: the sound quality, I think it is fine. Highly likely the recording was not made with the intent of release some day. Does it detract from the enjoyment of the music? No. This is "70s bootleg" sound quality, not "late 40s" bootleg sound quality. All instruments clearly delineated. Cymbals perfectly crisp? No. Piano sounds fine, as does the bass. If you love Woody, this is a no-brainer.

Absolutely great. The worry about the sound quality is pure BS. It is a live recording that is better than most you will hear. The performances and the sound are pedal to the metal. This set swings and drives a person to bob your head & tap your toes. This band led by Louis Hayes on drums proves for sure that jazz was alive and well in the mid 1970's (no fusion needed/intended). Woody and the band are great. Thanks to his son for sharing. If you are a Woody Shaw fan and don't get this, you are truly missing out. Hope there is more.

Never heard of these guys when this disc arrived and DAMN!! These are real players schooled in the jazz idiom. Not only that but the collective players go like a new sports car. Most of all this is an all star band playing live like a howitzer was aimed straight at them ready to fire if they bore the audience. No ballads, no filler, just plain GO. Can't wait for volume two to come out. If you love steaming live jazz GET THIS DISC NOW!!

Love Woody but not exactly at par with other recordings...

Outstanding performance with underwhelming sound quality.Truly, it sounds like it's a cymbal weary low grade MP3 source through my home system.Sounds ok through a small portable CD player.Any thoughts or explanations ?Plenty of live recordings from this time frame that are great sounding.Should there be a caveat?

A slice in time for the brilliant trumpeter and the band he co-led with Louis Hayes in the mid-70s. There will never be enough Woody. #TrumpetOfFire

This disc seems to have garnered extremely enthusiastic reviews in all sorts of places bit I am not wholly convinced. It's a very good band, Shaw, Junior Cook, Ronnie Matthews, Stafford James and Louis Hayes, recorded live in Stuttgart in 1976. Recording quality is good. Each of the musicians had an honourable history in hard bop and some of the developments from it. The music here is in that tradition. Although it could have been recorded fifteen years earlier it is not some form of revivalist music. It is intense and played with great fire. Several reviews I have read liken this to the music of Art Blakey but it isn't really. Blakey's music was intense, even violent, but never lost control. He always managed, even in his most exciting moments, to stay on the tightrope. I'm not sure Shaw does.He is an exciting, brassy trumpeter, a little like Freddie Hubbard but without the same melodic gift. Much of his solo work is of high quality but there are occasions when he seems to be scrambling to get to the end of his solo. Junior Cook, a fine Coltrane influenced tenor with an easy swinging style, here seems to be playing slightly beyond his comfort zone (not necessarily a bad thing) and loses his swing and relaxation to play in an aggressive, stabbing style. Ronnie Matthews solos well and at length but in a tense, pushing style. Bass and drums are aggressive and forceful, driving the band along relentlessly.All the tracks are long, averaging about ten minutes each. All are taken at a fastish tempo with little relaxation. Two of the tracks, 'Book's Bossa' and Bronislaw Kaper's 'Invitation' where you might have expected a more relaxed treatment, receive the same aggressive treatment as the others.Make no mistake, these are very fine musicians. With a little more variety in approach this would have been a five star disc. As it is, the unremitting attack is a little enervating.

Woody Shaw's On Tour is one of the most exciting take-no-prisoners jazz albums I've ever heard. I own most of Woody's studio and live albums and On Tour is one of his very best. Woody's effortless improvising and distinctive style place him among history's greats on the instrument, underlining the tragedy of his untimely death at 45. He kept the torch of modern, straight ahead, swinging jazz alight in difficult times.On Tour, I hope, will be just the first of many to follow up the earlier outstanding HighNote series of Woody Shaw: Live.It's hard to believe this recording is 40 years old. It could easily have been made yesterday as the sound quality is excellent. All the band members excel as well, especially the unsung Junior Cook.This is truly goose bump jazz, like the 1956 Ellington at Newport.