Photo by Desberg
Jaleel Shaw, saxophone
Alto and soprano saxophonist and bandleader Jaleel Shaw was named the 2014 DownBeat Critics Poll’s for Rising Star Alto Saxophonist. He is a longtime member of the Roy Haynes Quartet and Tom Harrell’s Colors of a Dream, and has performed with Christian McBride, Jason Moran, the Mingus Big Band, Pat Metheny, Stefon Harris, Roy Hargrove, Terri Lyne Carrington, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jimmy Cobb, and several others.
Shaw's debut album, Perspective (2005), received rave reviews from the New York Times and Jazzwise Magazine, and All About Jazz named the album one of the top five debut albums of 2005. His composition The Heavyweight Champion received an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award. In 2008, he received his second ASCAP Young Composer Award for his composition The Flipside and was nominated for the Jazz Journalist Association’s “Up-and-Coming Jazz Artist” award.
In 2006, Jaleel joined the Roy Haynes Quartet and was featured on the legendary drummer’s Grammy-nominated album Whereas. Two years later, Shaw founded his record label, Changu Records, on which he released his second album, Optimism, in 2008, and his third album, The Soundtrack of Things to Come, in 2013. The albums received raved reviews from the New York Times, Downbeat, All About Jazz, and New York City Jazz Record, among others.
Shaw was among the musicians listed in the 2011 JazzTimes Magazine’s Readers Poll for Alto Saxophonist of the Year, sharing the honor with Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Bunky Green and Kenny Garrett.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Mr. Shaw attended the Berklee College of Music and Manhattan School of Music.