Woody Shaw's train accident.

[John Tapscott]

Thanks, Paul. My fault for the off-topic.

[marcello]

His eyesight was very bad, and particularly at night, when I met him in '77. I led him and Maxine on foot during a snowstorm, on a 3 AM walk to the WHAM studio for a interview with Harry Abraham there.

We each held a arm to guide him.

[PHILLYQ]

For the original question, he was hit by one of three trains: R, N or D.

As I recall reading somewhere, Woody had seen Max Roach that night, and Max gave him money to take a cab. Woody pocketed the money and tried to take the subway instead.

[relyles]

This is such a morbid and depressing thread.

[John Tapscott]

This is such a morbid and depressing thread.

←

When I was really discovering jazz in the decade of the '70's, Woody Shaw was one of the musicians I listened to most. He really did have a pretty high profile in those years (and though Columbia eventually dumped him they record 5 albums under his name, which let's face it, was not bad at all) Yes, his life story is sad and tragic on many levels. But the music still stands and it's great. Listening to it helps to overcome the morbid and depressing thoughts one might have in reflecting on his life.

And he was playing very well (perhaps even better than before) right up to near the end of his life. I think of how well he played on Neil Swainson's "49th Parallel" album (from '87, I believe). I read somewhere that he couldn't read the music for that date because of his eyesight, but learned it by ear.

Edited September 26, 2005 by John Tapscott

[Hardbopjazz]

For the original question, he was hit by one of three trains: R, N or D.

As I recall reading somewhere, Woody had seen Max Roach that night, and Max gave him money to take a cab. Woody pocketed the money and tried to take the subway instead.

←

The sadest part of this post is, that he had to get money from Max Roach to get home. Dispite how great a musician he was, Woody never really made much money. I guess that could apply to many jazz artists in the 1970's and 1980's. Hopefully it has gotten a little better.

Edited September 27, 2005 by Hardbopjazz

[John Tapscott]

[Pistol]

I stumbled onto this thread searching on how Woody Shaw died. Damn, what a way to die; and young too. A tragic loss for jazz.

Two new CD issues for Woody Shaw coming out this week. I believe both are first time on CD.

[AllenLowe]

I thought Woody Herman's problems were with the IRT -

[deeznuts]

wasn't it well known that woody shaw had retinitis pigmentosa?

he was wearing big ass glasses on the covers of his earliest albums.

[deeznuts]

For the longest time I was thinking of Woody Herman. Man, seems like only yesterday he as recording Unity...

weren't you like twenty years from being born when "unity" was recorded?

[ValerieB]

I thought Woody Herman's problems were with the IRT -

i think you meant the IRS!!!

[AllenLowe]

jeez, I was hoping SOMEBODY would notice -

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

i dont believe woody was on his way to brooklyn to buy H-bomb in 19*89*

[Gheorghe]

Hi!

I´d like to give you some impressions I had about Woody Shaw. First I didn´t know he was on drugs and everything. When I first became aware of him, he was at the peak of his power and on interviews he told that great trumpet players got to have a great physical condition and that´s the impression he made to me when listening to him on records or live with his band. Young,powerful, for me a reason to believe that jazz goes further, while Miles was inactive and Diz, though still was playing great, was from the earlier generation.

Some years later, it was in 1987 I was astonished to hear that he was scheduled to play with a local rhythm section (?!) at a really nice club in Vienna/Austria. I didn´t expect him there since I was used to hear him only with his own groups at concert halls.

Naturally, I was one of the first guys to be at the club, to make sure to get the best seat.

Woody was already there, I noticed he was almost blind, but what really shocked me was the fact that until he started his first set he already had consumed at least 7 or 8 little bottles of brandy, and some beer. Though he didn´t seem to be drunk, his playing seemed to be unsure and I was astonished he didn´t play his original stuff (maybe because the local rhythm section felt more comfortable with "real book"-stuff), he played stuff like "Tea for Two" or "Star Eyes" which is ok for me, but more so if the older trumpet players would have played it (Harry Sweets Edison, Joe Newman and of course Art Farmer played frequently at that nice club). Woody Shaw had to be led on stage, smoking a cigarette. Each time after he played his relatively short solo , he quickly lit up a cigarette, smoked it and threw it down on the stage. Well, it´s ok for me if musicians smoke between sets or during an extended drum solo, but it was quite unusual for me to see a guy lighting up a cigarette imediatly after taking his horn out of his mouth. During intermissions, he drank more small bottles of brandy.

I really was worried about him and I wasn´t surprised when a year later (1988) I read that he was sick and couldn´t play anymore.

I hope this informations are useful for you.

Gheorghe

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

yes, very interesting story you share/ thats twisted, woody, and graham bond of the graham bond orginzation shared the same fate...

[Hardbopjazz]

Regardless, Woody remains one of the greats.

[Niko]

Hi!

I´d like to give you some impressions I had about Woody Shaw. First I didn´t know he was on drugs and everything. When I first became aware of him, he was at the peak of his power and on interviews he told that great trumpet players got to have a great physical condition and that´s the impression he made to me when listening to him on records or live with his band. Young,powerful, for me a reason to believe that jazz goes further, while Miles was inactive and Diz, though still was playing great, was from the earlier generation.

Some years later, it was in 1987 I was astonished to hear that he was scheduled to play with a local rhythm section (?!) at a really nice club in Vienna/Austria. I didn´t expect him there since I was used to hear him only with his own groups at concert halls.

Naturally, I was one of the first guys to be at the club, to make sure to get the best seat.

Woody was already there, I noticed he was almost blind, but what really shocked me was the fact that until he started his first set he already had consumed at least 7 or 8 little bottles of brandy, and some beer. Though he didn´t seem to be drunk, his playing seemed to be unsure and I was astonished he didn´t play his original stuff (maybe because the local rhythm section felt more comfortable with "real book"-stuff), he played stuff like "Tea for Two" or "Star Eyes" which is ok for me, but more so if the older trumpet players would have played it (Harry Sweets Edison, Joe Newman and of course Art Farmer played frequently at that nice club). Woody Shaw had to be led on stage, smoking a cigarette. Each time after he played his relatively short solo , he quickly lit up a cigarette, smoked it and threw it down on the stage. Well, it´s ok for me if musicians smoke between sets or during an extended drum solo, but it was quite unusual for me to see a guy lighting up a cigarette imediatly after taking his horn out of his mouth. During intermissions, he drank more small bottles of brandy.

I really was worried about him and I wasn´t surprised when a year later (1988) I read that he was sick and couldn´t play anymore.

I hope this informations are useful for you.

Gheorghe

oh my god! thanks very much for sharing this story, depressing as it is...

[king ubu]

Hi!

I´d like to give you some impressions I had about Woody Shaw. First I didn´t know he was on drugs and everything. When I first became aware of him, he was at the peak of his power and on interviews he told that great trumpet players got to have a great physical condition and that´s the impression he made to me when listening to him on records or live with his band. Young,powerful, for me a reason to believe that jazz goes further, while Miles was inactive and Diz, though still was playing great, was from the earlier generation.

Some years later, it was in 1987 I was astonished to hear that he was scheduled to play with a local rhythm section (?!) at a really nice club in Vienna/Austria. I didn´t expect him there since I was used to hear him only with his own groups at concert halls.

Naturally, I was one of the first guys to be at the club, to make sure to get the best seat.

Woody was already there, I noticed he was almost blind, but what really shocked me was the fact that until he started his first set he already had consumed at least 7 or 8 little bottles of brandy, and some beer. Though he didn´t seem to be drunk, his playing seemed to be unsure and I was astonished he didn´t play his original stuff (maybe because the local rhythm section felt more comfortable with "real book"-stuff), he played stuff like "Tea for Two" or "Star Eyes" which is ok for me, but more so if the older trumpet players would have played it (Harry Sweets Edison, Joe Newman and of course Art Farmer played frequently at that nice club). Woody Shaw had to be led on stage, smoking a cigarette. Each time after he played his relatively short solo , he quickly lit up a cigarette, smoked it and threw it down on the stage. Well, it´s ok for me if musicians smoke between sets or during an extended drum solo, but it was quite unusual for me to see a guy lighting up a cigarette imediatly after taking his horn out of his mouth. During intermissions, he drank more small bottles of brandy.

I really was worried about him and I wasn´t surprised when a year later (1988) I read that he was sick and couldn´t play anymore.

I hope this informations are useful for you.

Gheorghe

oh my god! thanks very much for sharing this story, depressing as it is...

Yes, thanks - and yes, depressing

Quite some of what you read about Woody has at least depressing components, alas... will have to dig out "Stepping Stones" again soon (the LP and the CD, the CD lacks one track from the LP, I think). Funny imagining Woody playing "Tea for Two"! "Star Eyes" less so as it was a staple of many hard/post-boppers, it seems (another over-recorded tune, in my opinion, and so often it comes with that opening bass/piano ostinato-figure... who invented that? I mean it's kind of cool, but not if you hear it in the forty-seventh version by the thirty-fifth musician...)

Oh, and did he play with Fritz Pauer? Or who else would there be in Austria to accompany such a great guest?

[Gheorghe]

[Niko]

thanks again! recollections of gigs like yours are the things i always hope for in books and rarely find... (is there a biography on shaw, btw?)

actually i haven't heard any of the very late woody shaw recordings, the last one i know is "in my own sweet way" from Switzerland February 1987 which is excellent; then come a number of american recordings in may and june 1987, one with hubbard and imagination which reportedly are not bad... then comes a year of absence from the studios until june 1988 - this is when you heard him i suppose... and afterwards three more albums two with the paris reunion band and carlos ward's lito (which i've been trying to find for quite some time now without success)...

this gig looks more interesting than the one you described...

__________________________

Prince Lawsha & Firebirds

(France Culture radio broadcast) rec. 87.09.16

broad. 1987

6 tracks including Nuttin' Out Jones - Music Matador - Oriental Flower.

Prince Lasha : baritone and alto sax. Woody Shaw : trumpet, vocals. Mark Thompson : piano. Jack Gregg : bass. Prince Lawsha Jr. : drums.

Rec. at Magnetic Terrasse, Paris, France.

______________________________

and a few weeks earlier in August there had been this one

Date: August 25, 1987

Location: Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival, Tokyo, Japan

Label: [radio broadcast]

Jackie McLean (ldr), Jackie McLean (as), Woody Shaw (t), Grachan Moncur III (tb), Bobby Hutcherson (vib), Ron Carter (b), Tony Williams (d)

_____________________________

in de valk's bio of baker it is mentioned that baker's looks/form changed dramatically from week to week, quite telling that when he died the police initial estimate was that he was aged 35...

Edited March 6, 2009 by Niko

[marcello]

this gig looks more interesting than the one you described...

__________________________

Prince Lawsha & Firebirds

(France Culture radio broadcast) rec. 87.09.16

broad. 1987

6 tracks including Nuttin' Out Jones - Music Matador - Oriental Flower.

Prince Lasha : baritone and alto sax. Woody Shaw : trumpet, vocals. Mark Thompson : piano. Jack Gregg : bass. Prince Lawsha Jr. : drums.

Rec. at Magnetic Terrasse, Paris, France.

Another thing that's interesting is that Woody is playing with Maxine Gregg's ex-husband.

[Niko]

interesting indeed... maxine had already made the shaw gordon transition at the time? (and gordon and shaw continued to play together after said transition?)

hadn't known maxine had been a musician herself btw...

Gunter Hampel-People Symphony

Birth 005 D LP Frankfurt, Congresshalle 3/22/70

Willem van Manen-tb; Willem Breuker-cl,sax; Gunter Hampel-bcl,vib,fl; Maxine Gregg-cel; Arjen Gorter-b; Jack Gregg-b; Jeanne Lee-voc

[Gheorghe]

this gig looks more interesting than the one you described...

__________________________

Prince Lawsha & Firebirds

(France Culture radio broadcast) rec. 87.09.16

broad. 1987

6 tracks including Nuttin' Out Jones - Music Matador - Oriental Flower.

Prince Lasha : baritone and alto sax. Woody Shaw : trumpet, vocals. Mark Thompson : piano. Jack Gregg : bass. Prince Lawsha Jr. : drums.

Rec. at Magnetic Terrasse, Paris, France.

Another thing that's interesting is that Woody is playing with Maxine Gregg's ex-husband.

At that time, Woody himself was Maxine Gregg´s ex-husband. As much as I know, Woody Shaw was married to Maxine Gregg, and after their divorce Maxine Gregg married Dexter Gordon.....

[marcello]

I don't believe that Woody and Maxine were "married" in the legal sense. I could be, and often am, wrong.

Here's a photo of mine of the Maxine and Woody from 1978 or so:

I'm in contact with her from time to time these days. She's a fine and intelligent lady.