Friends Re-United: Tribute to Michael Cuscuna and Woody Shaw

“Many years ago, Woody Shaw said of Cuscuna, ‘No matter what you produce or do in your life, the thing you’ll be remembered for is rescuing all that Blue Note material.’

‘Looking back all these years,’ Cuscuna said, ‘I’m content with that.’”

——

The bond between Michael Cuscuna and Woody Shaw transcended music into something of a deep brotherhood aligned through mutual intellectual devotion to what Michael termed “modern jazz”; to a sense of friendship and respect that epitomized the communal essence among colleagues in the music world and the type of spiritual connection that only jazz made possible.

Michael produced most, if not all of Woody Shaw’s albums, from the beginning of his leadership in the early 1970s until the end of his solo career, was present through the bulk of his touring and recording career as a leader, particularly on Columbia Records, and was responsible for continuing the release of Woody Shaw’s music for decades following his death.

When it seemed for years that no one would mention the name or play the music of Woody Shaw consistently, Michael remained unwaveringly loyal and devoted to his dear friend, and to the historic works of so many others, by persistently releasing and reissuing recordings of Woody, ensuring that his name, his music, and his dignity and artistic sacrifice were made continually aware of by the Jazz public, as proud reminders of Woody’s greatness and contribution to the historical evolution of the trumpet, and to American music. In many ways, it’s as if the two of them were somehow One. And it seems that is indeed now the case.

Michael stood out as a maverick among conformists and anti-jazz critics and as a hero of unyielding individualism among a rising herd of opportunists (musical and otherwise) that sought the glamours of emulation over the perils of originality, and who underestimated the intellectual demands of the high craft of jazz producership that only he could meet, and meanwhile he stood up for the music as if his own life depended on it; in fact, one might argue that it did. If you knew him, you knew that he was just that serious.

It was a blessing to have known, worked with, and witnessed the man’s genius at work; his unrelenting drive, probing intellectual curiosity and penchant for intricate, fast-paced, multilevel problem-solving, and, it seemed, his staggering ability to answer a question (or correct you) before you even finished asking it. The dude was impossible to keep up with or pin down, always on the move! Working for Mosaic Records for 2 years and co-producing and co-writing multiple reissues with Cuscuna were some of the most demanding, intense, character-building experiences of my life, and professional development. Michael did not pull any punches and he did not believe in unearned favoritism; if you were full of it, weak, imprecise, or lazy, he would let you know it! And thus was the legacy he so gracefully passed on through lessons in the school of hard work, which he held multiple doctorates in and had gleaned much from through close ties with his fellow colleague and musical task master, Woody Shaw.

I have perhaps never seen anyone as professionally, intellectually, and personally devoted to the legacies of the musicians who he knew and worked with most intimately, namely Woody Shaw, and many, many others who he never even met but greatly admired and respected, besides perhaps the musicians themselves! And it is in this spirit that I will continue to pay respects to Cuscuna and the many creators of this music that he so proudly fought for and prolifically archived through his work.

Thank you, MC, as we called him, the world of true music lovers owes you an immense debt of gratitude.

Rest well.

—Woody Shaw III