Miles Davis famously said of Shaw: "Now there's a great trumpet player. He can play different from all of them."
More than 50 years later, Song of Songs makes a compelling case for why.
Released in 1973, Song of Songs captures Woody Shaw forging a musical language entirely his own. Just a few years into his career as a bandleader, the trumpeter was already stretching beyond convention—blending post-bop, spiritual jazz, and ambitious original compositions into something distinctly his.
Now, as part of Jazz Dispensary’s Top Shelf Series, the album returns to vinyl for the first time in decades. The September 4 release features (AAA) all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Fidelity Record Pressing, and arrives in a tip-on jacket reproducing the album’s original Contemporary Records artwork.
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A BAND OF HIS OWN
By the early 1970s, Shaw had already built an impressive résumé, performing alongside artists like Eric Dolphy, Chick Corea, Max Roach, Art Blakey, and Joe Henderson. But Song of Songs captures something different: an artist increasingly focused on his own musical ideas.
Recorded for Contemporary Records, the album followed Shaw’s acclaimed debut as a leader, Blackstone Legacy, and continued his exploration of the space between hard bop and the avant-garde. Leading a sextet featuring Emanuel Boyd, George Cables, Henry Franklin, Woodrow Theus II, and Ramon Morris, Shaw created a record that feels adventurous without ever losing its sense of purpose.
MUSIC OF ITS MOMENT
Like much of Shaw’s work during this period, Song of Songs reflects an artist engaged with both the world around him and his own evolving identity as a composer.
Across four original compositions, Shaw balances spiritual inquiry, personal reflection, and adventurous improvisation. The music moves freely between structured composition and open exploration, creating an album that feels ambitious in scope while remaining grounded in the chemistry of the ensemble.
A COLLECTIVE SOUND
For all of Shaw’s brilliance as a trumpeter, Song of Songs is very much an ensemble record. Keyboardist George Cables brings harmonic color and momentum, while bassist Henry Franklin and drummer Woodrow Theus II provide a flexible rhythmic foundation.
Meanwhile, the frontline partnership of Shaw, Emanuel Boyd, and Ramon Morris allows the music to move fluidly between tightly arranged passages and open-ended improvisation.
Rather than simply showcasing Shaw's virtuosity, Song of Songs captures six musicians listening, responding, and pushing one another into new musical territory.
LISTENING NOTES
- “Song of Songs” — The album’s centerpiece unfolds across nearly 12 minutes, blending modal exploration, lyrical improvisation, and sweeping ensemble passages. Inspired by an Indonesian five-note scale, Shaw dedicated the composition to the people of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
- "Love, For the One You Can’t Have” — A reflective ballad that highlights Shaw’s gift for emotional storytelling through composition as much as performance. Written in the wake of his separation from his wife, the piece reveals a more intimate side of the trumpeter.
- “The Goat and the Archer” — Inspired by Shaw’s Capricorn sign, this blues-leaning piece features a guest appearance from Bennie Maupin and provides one of the album’s most grounded, groove-oriented moments.
- “The Awakening” — A spiritual jazz journey that closes the album on an expansive note, showcasing the ensemble’s chemistry and Shaw’s evolving musical vision.
THE SHAW EFFECT
Song of Songs arrived early in what would become a remarkable career. Over the next two decades, Shaw would record more than two dozen albums as a leader, earn multiple GRAMMY® nominations, and influence generations of trumpeters, including Terence Blanchard, Wynton Marsalis, and Chris Botti.
As Jazz Dispensary continues celebrating its 10th anniversary through the Top Shelf Series, Song of Songs stands as another essential rediscovery: adventurous, uncompromising, and every bit as rewarding today as it was in 1973.
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