In a brief interview included at the close of side two, Shaw refers to the high level of creativity in evidence on this album. For once, that’s no idle boast since this live recording captures the trumpeter and his cohorts in uplifting form.
Shaw’s style is really a synthesis of mid-period Miles and current Hubbard, the stance exploratory while always retaining coherence. His finest moments come on Misterioso where his lengthy solo is a stunning tour de force, varied in dynamic terms, full of stabs, flurries and rests, the whole thing beautifully sustained.
He’s also arresting on Diane, taking the theme on flugelhorn before moving into a spirited examination of this old song. Hutcherson’s presence is a bonus, his card-shuffling facility leading to a series of extraordinary virtuoso solo passages, harmonically complex and never merely percussive.
The instrumentation allows for attractive voicings, with Turre a trombonist to watch. His performance, along with that of the rhythm team, emphasises that many young players are still attracted to the landscape of post-bop jazz rather than to the arid wastes of fusion. Recommended.
Discography
400 Years Ago Tomorow; Diane (20.55) – Misterioso; Sweet Love Of Mine; Woody Shaw Interview (29.45)
Woody Shaw (t/flh); Steve Turre (tb); Bobby Hutcherson (vib); Mulgrew Miller (p); Stafford James (b); Tony Reedus (d). The Jazz Forum, New York City, February 25, 1982.
(Elektra Musician MUS K 52402)
