Blues for Wood is a jazz instrumental track written by Ronnie Mathews and Woody Shaw. It appears on Woody Shaw’s 1981 Columbia studio album United, which was recorded in March 1981 at Right Track Studios in New York City and released the same year. The tune was originally recorded by Carter Jefferson in December 1978 and released in July 1979, making Shaw’s version a later interpretation of the piece. The track runs 7 minutes 17 seconds and features a core group including Mulgrew Miller on piano, Steve Turre on trombone, Stafford James on bass, Tony Reedus on drums, with Gary Bartz on alto sax for this track. United is described by AllMusic as a fairly straight-ahead and accessible yet adventurous date, a blowing session with room for exploration. Blues for Wood sits within the jazz tradition of Shaw’s Columbia years.
