Early life and background
Woody Shaw was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina. When Shaw was a year old, his parents, Rosalie Pegues and Woody Shaw Sr., took their son to See more

• Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, Downbeat International Jazz Critics Poll (1977)
• Jazz Album of the Year, Downbeat Readers Poll: Rosewood (Columbia 1978) See more

The years between 2003 and 2013 saw a resurgence of interest in, and recognition of, Shaw's music. In 2003, Shaw's son, Woody Louis Armstrong Shaw III, launched The Official Woody Shaw Website, which helped to bolster appreciation for … See more

Shaw was noted for his mastery and innovative use of "wide" intervals, often fourths and fifths, which are considered relatively unnatural to the trumpet and difficult to employ skillfully due to (a) the technical facility required to do so, (b) the architecture of the … See more

Throughout his career, Shaw gave countless clinics, master classes and private lessons to students around the world. During the 1970s, he and Joe Henderson were faculty members in Jamey Aebersold's jazz camp. NEA Grant recipients who … See more

As a musician and trumpeter, Shaw was held in high esteem by his colleagues and is seen as one of the most technically and harmonically advanced trumpet players in the history of jazz and of the instrument itself. Miles Davis, a notoriously harsh critic of fellow musicians, … See more

Throughout his life, Shaw travelled all over Europe. He first moved to France at 19. As a sideman with Roach, he traveled to Iran in 1969. He also toured such places as Japan, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, and … See more