Shaw and Jefferson blow some fast and furious yet soulful lines over Gumbs staunch piano riffs, while the rhythm section somehow keeps the whole affair together.Īs with many jazz musicians, Woody Shaw’s demise was a tragic one, after getting dropped by Columbia in 1982 (the records may have been critical hits, but predictably were commercial failures) he would never again reach the heights he achieved in the previous decade. It’s a post bop adventure showing off what this fiery group was capable of on any given night, and is reminiscent of some of the excellent post bop work by the likes of Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter on their final albums for Blue Note at the end of the ’60s. Clint Houston and Victor Lewis are both excellent (Lewis is still doing fine work today), and Houston’s contribution to the record “Seventh Avenue” might be my favorite tune on there. Carter Jefferson’s is pushed to grand heights by Shaw’s attack on the cornet, and the lesser known Onaje Allan Gumbs (who might rank up there with the finest post bop pianists if his career hadn’t started in the late ’70s) is phenomenal. The group on hand here is easily one of the best that Shaw would record with, and as with the best jazz outfits even though it’s Shaw’s name headlining the album this is clearly a collective of musicians on equal footing.
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