Stepping Stones: Live at the Village Vanguard
Reflections
(Liner Notes by Woody Shaw III)
Fortitude, perseverance, courage, hope, joy, celebration, abandon, generosity, love, and an expression of the urgency and need for compassion. These are just a few terms and phrases that come to mind when I listen to this album and think about the time when it was made. This album marks a very important period in Woody Shaw’s life and career. It was a time when Woody chose to deal with the responsibilities of leading a band, a contract with a major record label and, just two months later, fatherhood.
One of the major stepping stones that he confronted during this period dealt with the lack of marketability in jazz due to the rising popularity of fusion, pop, rock and roll, and other ‘commercial’ genres. It seems that just at the height of his career many of his contemporaries, people who he deeply admired or learned from, decided to target their music towards more profitable markets. This ultimately had an effect on the potential direction of jazz music (or lack thereof) and I believe that my father felt a tremendous responsibility in this situation, and that this pressure was part of what led to such an outstanding level of accomplishment for someone who was, at the time, 34 years old. This album is relevant to these unique circumstances. In many ways, it demonstrates that he was very conscious of his goals and was confident in his mission to contribute to the legacy and longevity of the music.
In jazz, there is no distinction between an artist’s work and his life if he is seeking to express himself in a manner that conveys the whole of his character and spirit. I believe that my father consciously chose to embody this principal and was intent on incorporating aspects of his life into the sound and symbolism of his music. This album is extremely reflective of who Woody Shaw was as a man as well as an artist, and of his passion and his ability to devote himself to the development of this music, which was a path that would ultimately lead him to greatness.
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