Woody Shaw

This set is a compilation of performances recorded in different European cities during The Tour, which took place between 1976 and 1977. Following Volume 1 (JZD-149776), it offers a welcome shift in the narrative arc and trajectory of the band's development as well as a kind of a portrait or snapshot into the historical development of jazz at this particular time. Much is to be gleaned from the masterful treatment and sense of ownership over these compositions exhibited by Woody, Junior, Louis, Ronnie, and Stafford. The seasoned, almost seamless manner with which these pieces are covered speaks masterfully to a level of reverence and unrelenting commitment to tradition that belies all claims (by omission) of deceleration concerning jazz's momentum during the 1970s. As Woody put it in an interview referencing this very group "by no means is jazz dead." Clearly, this release proves him right.

PERSONNEL:

WOODY SHAW, trumpet
JUNIOR COOK, tenor sax except 4
RENÉ McLEAN, tenor sax only on 4
RONNIE MATHEWS, piano
STAFFORD JAMES, bass
LUIS HAYES, drums

TRACKS:

01. Sitting Bull
02. Radio Flyer
03. The Angelus Bell
04. Sancho Panza
05. Heureux
06. Deadalus
07. Ghost Dance