Woody Shaw – Song of Songs (Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf)

Woody Shaw's Song of Songs catches the trumpeter at a crucial early point in his career: his 1972 second album for Contemporary, following Blackstone Legacy, and a clear statement of how far he could stretch post-bop without losing shape or swing. Shaw writes all four pieces here, and the set moves between hard bop drive, modal exploration and more open-ended avant-garde thinking.

The title track is the key to the record's emotional reach. Built on an Indonesian five-note scale, Shaw dedicated it to the people of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, giving the album an immediate historical weight rather than treating it as abstract virtuosity. Elsewhere, he turns inward on “Love: For the One You Can't Have,” written in the aftermath of a separation from his wife, while “The Awakening” reads as a personal manifesto for a bandleader finding his own musical language.

The sextet setting is a big part of why the album lands so well. George Cables and Henry Franklin help give the music both momentum and depth, while Emanuel Boyd, Ramon Morris and a guest appearance from Bennie Maupin widen Shaw's tonal palette. Heard now, Song of Songs feels less like a side chapter than the sound of Shaw defining the path he would follow across more than two dozen albums as a leader.

Features

• LP, 33RPM, 180g, Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf
• AAA lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
• Gatefold tip-on jacket

Reviews

• his solos throughout the date are both original and consistently exciting. - AllMusic.com