Two events recorded five years apart by two entirely different line-ups. To set the record straight, the 1976-77 dates were originally billed as being by ‘The Louis Hayes-Junior Cook Quintet featuring Woody Shaw’, whereas the 1982 concert (also taped in Germany) presents Shaw fronting his very own tightly knit quintet. The earlier disc sees the participants (McLean replacing Cook on just one selection) working out on tried and tested mainstays (‘All The Things You Are’, ‘Night In Tunisia’, ‘’Round Midnight’, etc). By way of contrast, three of the four extended performances taped in Hamburg in 1982 (‘Katrina Ballerina’, ‘Joshua C’ and ‘To Kill A Brick’) are all penned by Shaw and revisit his Columbia label collection. Yet, despite topping several DownBeat polls, among other accolades, receiving an endorsement from Miles Davis and finally beng promoted as “the last great trumpet innovator”, mysteriously Shaw failed to fully maximise his position. From the start of the Hamburg concert, Shaw dashes full pelt out of the starting gate on the opening ‘Katrina Ballerina’, with Turre and the Mulgrew Miller rhythm section snapping at his heels in hot pursuit. While Turre is a fine frontline partner, much of this session’s enjoyment can be derived from Miller’s two-fisted piano work, be it feeding the two horns or his exceptional prowess as a truly inventive and exciting soloist. Bursting with an abundance of fresh ideas and in complete control of his instrument, this amounts to a fine representation of Woody Shaw close to his very best.