WITHIN THE GENEOLOGY of post-bop trumpeters there are names that immediately come to mind—Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, and of course, Wynton Marsalis. But with the globalization of jazz music during the last thirty years and the proliferation of reissues, the contemporary scene has yet to fully acknowledge the artistry and legacy of Woody Shaw (1944–1989). Those who knew him use appellations such as “genius,” “extraordinarily talented,” or “the last innovator in the trumpet lineage.” It is clear that Shaw was viewed by his contemporaries as being significant in advancing the “straight ahead” aesthetic during the 60s, 70s, and into the 80s. Although he lived only forty-four years, Shaw’s creative activity chronicled the development of post-bop styles during the avant-garde movement of the 1960s and the jazz-rock and jazz-funk trends of the 1970s. As others made the transition to free jazz and the fusion styles, Shaw remained grounded in an acoustic aesthetic that reflected a range of musical influences.

The Shaw family migrated from rural North Carolina to the urban landscape of Newark, New Jersey, where a highly-developed music curriculum in the public schools and the collective support of his community and family led to the development of Shaw’s exceptional musical talent at a very early age. Endowed with the gifts of perfect pitch and a photographic memory, Shaw pushed beyond the conventional ideas of his time. His musical style reflected an acute knowledge of jazz’s early traditions, a developing understanding of the musical cultures of Africa and Asia, and clear conceptions of his own musical voice. At times he easily sounded as if in each solo he had fused the virtuosity and technical brilliance of Dizzy Gillespie with the warm, full-bodied soulful sound of Clifford Brown and harmonic complexity of John Coltrane. His use of polytonalities and choice of harmonic and tonal colors stretched beyond performance conventions associated with modal jazz and the free jazz aesthetic. His oeuvre, particularly the albums Rosewood, Woody III, and Stepping Stones reveal his conscious efforts to push the music beyond the set boundaries.

These recordings show Shaw unconstrained by the environment of the recording studio or the time limitations of recordings, free to explore all the musical possibilities that his intellect and creative acumen could muster.

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Dr. Tammy Kernodle, Associate Professor of Musicology at Miami University (Ohio), graduated "cum laude" with a BM in choral music education and piano from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia.Ms. Kernodle received a MA and PhD in Music History from The Ohio State University. Her scholarship has focused mainly on various genres of African American music, American music and jazz. She has served as the Scholar in Residence for the Women in Jazz Initiative at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri and has lectured extensively on the operas of William Grant Still, the life and religious compositions of jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams. Her work has appeared in "Musical Quarterly," "American Music Research Journal," and a new anthology addressing the contributions of women to music entitled "Women's Voices across Musical Worlds." She is the author of the biography "Soul on Soul: The Life and Music of Mary Lou Williams,"(Northeastern University Press) which chronicles the life and music of Williams, whose career in jazz spans over six decades.