SOUND PROJECTIONS

AN ONLINE QUARTERLY MUSIC MAGAZINE

EDITOR: KOFI NATAMBU

WINTER, 2017

VOLUME FIVE NUMBER ONE

ORNETTE COLEMAN

Featuring the Musics and Aesthetic Visions of:

TYSHAWN SOREY

(November 4-10)

JALEEL SHAW

(November 11-17)

COUNT BASIE

(November 18-24)

NICHOLAS PAYTON

(November 25-December 1)

JONATHAN FINLAYSON

(December 2-8)

JIMMY HEATH

(December 9-15)

BRIAN BLADE

(December 16-22)

RAVI COLTRANE

(December 23-29)

CHRISTIAN SCOTT

(December 30-January 5)

GIL SCOTT-HERON

(January 6-12)

MARK TURNER

(January 13-19)

CRAIG TABORN

(January 20-26)

https://www.jaleelshaw.com/welcome

Jaleel Shaw

(b. February 11, 1978)

Biography

Alto & Soprano saxophonist and bandleader, Jaleel Shaw, won the 2014 Downbeat Critics Poll's for Rising Star Alto Saxophonist. He is a longtime member of the Roy Haynes Quartet, 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, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jimmy Cobb and several others.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Shaw picked up the alto saxophone and surrounded himself with music at an early age. Immersing himself in the local jazz scene, he studied and performed with many of the city's great musicians and educators and, following high school, received a full-tuition scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where he received a dual degree in Music Education and Performance. While at Berklee, Shaw was awarded the Billboard Endowed Scholarship for Outstanding Academic and Musical achievement (1998), Woodwind Department Chair Awards (1998 & 2000), The Boston Jazz Society Award (1999) and The Outstanding Student Teacher Award (2000). He later received a scholarship to Manhattan School of Music in New York, where he obtained a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance.

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 2006, Jaleel joined the Roy Haynes Quartet and was featured on the legendary drummer’s Grammy-nominated album Whereas. Two years later (2008), Shaw founded his record label, Changu Records, on which he released his second album entitled Optimism. The album received reviews from The New York Times, Downbeat and All About Jazz among others. That same year, 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.

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. In 2013, he released his third album of original compositions entitled The Soundtrack of Things to Come (Changu Records). The album features his current working quartet, and has been favorably received by various publications including the New York Times, New York City Jazz Record, and All About Jazz.

Short Bio

Long Bio

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/perspective-jaleel-shaw-fresh-sound-new-talent-review-by-joel-roberts.php

Jaleel Shaw: Perspective

by JOEL ROBERTS

August 26, 2005

AllAboutJazz

Jaleel Shaw certainly knows how to make an entrance. The first cut on the alto saxophonist's first outing as a leader has already earned the Philadelphia native an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award. That tune, "Heavyweight Champion, an inspired tribute to one of his heroes, John Coltrane, is just one of many treats on this impressive debut.

Shaw, who's recorded with the Mingus Big Band, Boston's Either Orchestra, and young trumpet firebrand Jeremy Pelt, among others, has a maturity and assuredness in his playing and even more so in his composing that's well beyond his 26 years. Seven of the ten tunes here are originals and several of them, like the melancholy waltz "Binky's Lament and the knotty bebop workout "Conflicts of Interest, are memorable.

Shaw also shows a fine touch as a ballad player, with a slow, tender take on the obscure chestnut "My Future Just Passed. And in a test of his mettle as a soloist, he goes head to head with Mark Turner, one of the top tenors on the scene, on a brisk version of Coltrane's "Grand Central.

Like many young musicians, Shaw's influences sometimes overshadow his own personality, but his idols are well chosen—chief among them Coltrane, Wayne Shorter and, in his powerful, slightly sharp alto sax sound, the great Jackie McLean. With able assistance from a talented young band featuring piano star on the rise Robert Glasper, plus guitarist Lage Lund, bassist Vicente Archer, and drummer Jonathan Blake, Jaleel Shaw has made a convincing opening statement in what promises to be an important career.

Track Listing: The Heavyweight Champion, Binky's Lament, On a Humble, Miss Myriam, Conflict of Interests, Lagelude (Miss Myriam), Empty, Grand Central, My Future Just Passed, Leellude.

Personnel: Jaleel Shaw, alto sax; Mark Turner, tenor sax; Lage Lund, guitar; Robert Glasper, piano; Vicente Archer, bass; Johnathan Blake, drums.

Title: Perspective | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Fresh Sound New Talent

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jaleel-shaw-philly-soul-jaleel-shaw-by-george-colligan.php?page=1

Jaleel Shaw: Philly Soul

JALEEL SHAW

Photo Credit: Lafiya Watson

by GEORGE COLLIGAN

December 17, 2013

[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth ]

Jaleel Shaw has been one of my favorite young alto players for about a decade. We first played together with the Charles Mingus Band, and we kept in touch over the years. I've worked a few times in his band and he's worked with me a number of times. You might know him from the Roy Haynes group, which he has been working with for a long time. Shaw has that amazing balance of depth and innovation in his sound and his improvisation. He's on my latest CD on the Steeplechase label, entitled The Facts (2013) and we just finished a great weekend with a quintet at the famed Smalls Jazz Club in New York City. I was glad to catch up with him and get an interview with one of the baddest cats on the New York jazz scene.

George Colligan: OK. What's your earliest memory of music?

Jaleel Shaw: Wow! My mom told one of the first movies she took me to see was The Muppet Movie and that I came home and was singing the music a few days later. I guess that impressed her! She had me in these music theory classes for children around five or six. My mother always had lots of recordings laying around. She checked out a lot of late John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Ornette Coleman, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, [and] Prince. So I heard a lot of that as a kid.

GC: Do you believe that alto is your instrument, and if so, why? Some guys double or triple, but other focus on one. And when did you know that alto was the one?

JS: I originally wanted to play drums and trumpet. I think my mother thought both were too loud! So I ended up picking the saxophone. Maybe she secretly wanted me to play saxophone now that I think of it. There were no saxophones available when I signed up, and I had to start off on clarinet. But a year later, I got an alto sax.

I honestly didn't think of playing anything else for a while. I don't really remember having the opportunity to switch, but I think the alto stuck to me like a glove. I really got into it and started checking out as many alto saxophonists as I could almost immediately.

Today, I play soprano as well and I'm really into it. I've been thinking about baritone too. There's something in that sound that I like. But ultimately, I think that alto is a very difficult instrument and I'm still working out my sound and I feel like I'm always trying to find better set ups, better mouthpieces, etc.

GC: Who are your saxophone heroes? Who are your non- saxophone playing musical heroes?

JS: I could be here all day with this one! My first alto saxophone hero was Bobby Watson. I was really into his playing and compositions and I got to meet him. When he came to Philadelphia, he became a close mentor and I still consider him a very close friend. Then, I started checking out lots of Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, then Sonny Stitt, Johnny Hodges, Charlie Parker, and Lee Konitz. Of the younger alto saxophonists I was checking out Antonio Hart, Kenny Garrett, [and] Myron Walden.

Since I'm a Philly native, I got to be around Grover Washington Jr., and a man named Byard Lancaster. I was studying with a lot of great saxophonists [like] Robert Landham and Rayburn Wright. I also checked out lots of Maceo Parker.

In terms of non-alto players, I'm a huge fan of Mark Turner and Chris Potter. I also came up under the wing of Tim Warfield and got to play with him in Philly. Of course Trane, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Branford Marsalis, Joe Lovano, Steve Wilson for alto and soprano, and I'm really into Sam Newsome on soprano.

GC: Ok, maybe a few guys who aren't saxophone players who are really big influences?

JS: Oh right! Mulgrew Miller, Kurt Rosenwinkel, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Roy Haynes and Elvin Jones, Lennie Tristano, Freddie Hubbard, and Lee Morgan were all big influences.

GC: When did you know that you wanted music to be your life?

JS: When I was 12 probably. I came up in a jazz ensemble that was run by a man named Lovette Hines. He's a well known jazz educator in Philly and he's responsible for Christian McBride, Joey DeFrancesco, Johnathan Blake, Bilal, and a bunch of [other] people. He'd have these rehearsals every Saturday and we'd all get together and learn standards. I joined that when I was around 10 I think. So, being with so many young people that were into the music really helped. It naturally became my life. The kids in the band became my best friends and we'd spend hours on the phone playing records to each other and we'd perform whenever Mr. Hines had gigs for us. Have you seen this?

[Jaleel shows me a video]

GC: I did see that actually...

JS: So that was kind of the environment I was in. It was great!

GC: It's actually inspirational because you can see what an educator who cares can do for students and for the preservation of jazz. Without Mr. Hines we may [not] have McBride and may not have you!

JS: I honestly don't know how much I'd love music if it wasn't for my mom and Mr. Hines—he made it fun.

GC:Do you feel like you have a lot to live up to being from Philly? Was it a big deal to move to the New York area?

JS: I honestly think about Philly lineage a lot, especially when I see Christian McBride. That show on that video was one of my first performances. So I've always looked up to him ever since then and he's amazing. But I mean McCoy came out of Philly, Kurt Rosenwinkel is from Philly, and Lee Morgan was from Philly—that alone is insane to me! All of them were great musicians and great composers. There's definitely a vibe from Philly that I'm proud to be part of. I shouldn't say I feel like I have a lot to live up to—I definitely want to do my thing—but I think it's amazing to be from Philly. That energy is amazing.

I used to be afraid of New York, but once I moved to Boston and experienced that scene, I don't think I was nervous about NY anymore. Boston was intense. There were a lot of great musicians there, most of who are in NY now. And these cats just kept me on my feet, kept me influenced and motivated, so that fear I had wasn't the same after Boston

I can say that as far as gigs go and my actual future goes, I was scared to death about moving to the city! But things kind of fell into place

GC: Which sideman gigs have been your favorite? Don't feel any pressure to say The George Colligan Quartet!

JS: [Laughs]Someone just asked me a couple days ago! It's really hard for me to pick one because I'm always thankful to play new music and learn new changes. I'm really into challenges, even if it means I fall on my face and end up embarrassing myself. So it's really hard to say. My first gigs were with the Mingus Big Band and the Count Basie Big Band, which were two completely different musical settings.

I couldn't play the things I played with the Mingus Big Band in the Count Basie Big Band and vice versa, of course. I learned so much about time, swinging, and the blues from the Basie Band, and so much about being open and more free [sic] in the Mingus Band. With Roy Haynes, I've learned more about playing time. Roy has a looser ride beat so he's not playing ting-ting-a-ling, he's accenting what I play! So I really had to get my time together. Roy [has] always talked about Trane and Bird and how they both had impeccable time. But I've learned something from everyone. I'm playing with Tom Harrell's Colors Of A Dream group now, and to play with Tom, who's so lyrical and melodic is amazing. His phrasing and sense of time are just perfect! I just can't pick a favorite, though. Your session, The Facts, with the quartet was the first session I did where I went in the studio without a rehearsal. I don't remember rehearsing... did we? I was scared to death! But when I listen to it, I realized as much as it was a challenge, there's something fresh about recording music like that. I read a book about Lee Morgan that spoke about how he did that sort of thing pretty often. I hope to try that someday!

GC: Do you think social media/technology is helping or hurting the jazz scene? Or both?

JS: Maybe a little of both. I often wonder what Trane or Bird would tweet if they were alive now, or if they would even do that sort of thing at all. It's clear that it took lots of time and dedication for them to get where they got. We're talking about days when there were no TVs, and in some situations no phones, certainly no cell phones or smart phones. Now there's so much going on, so many distractions, and sometimes too much information. I wonder how much imagination and mystery is lost. On the plus side, as an independent artist, it's helped me a lot. I've put out two CDs on my own and I know it's really helped to get me out there. You couldn't make a post on your Facebook page 50 years ago to let people know your new CD was out. It's amazing that you can do that now.

GC: Any upcoming gigs or projects we should know about? Or past projects which we didn't hear enough about?

JS: I'll be performing at the Charlie Parker Festival on August 24th with my quartet, at the Philadelphia Art Museum with my group on the 23rd, and with Roy Haynes at the Newport Jazz Festival on Sunday the 4th. I'll be with EJ Strickland's band at Smoke on the 7th of August.

GC: Do you have any advice for the multitudes of young jazz students who are sitting in practice rooms around the globe, wondering what their next move should be?

JS: I would say practice like crazy, but get out. Go check out the artists you're into and try to get to know them. Ask questions; ask for lessons when cats come in town. I think it's important to get as much information as possible. Learn standards and get out to the sessions when you can and get together with your friends to play your originals. Start a separate bank account for your recordings and try to put a little bit of what you make into this account if you can. Don't sit around waiting for record labels to sign you! Try booking your own gigs and getting venues that may not normally have music to feature your group. I think it's time to try to open the scene up a bit more and try new things and create new opportunities.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/optimism-jaleel-shaw-changu-records-review-by-donald-elfman.php

Jaleel Shaw: Optimism

by DONALD ELFMAN

May 6, 2008

AllAboutJazz

Jaleel Shaw has been a member of the Roy Haynes Quartet since 2005 and his playing reflects the kind of smart professionalism and driving energy that has always been evident in the drummer's work. Shaw recorded his first disc in 2004 and he's back with an album that suggests growth and mature diversity. He's fortunate enough to have an old colleague, pianist Robert Glasper, as well as a handful of bright lights in the modern jazz arena.

Shaw is not your cookie-cutter post bopper—he sounds like no one, really, but himself—and he writes tunes that show his compositional approach is also independent. The vocabulary of the tradition is familiar and yet this doesn't sound like a rehash of a hundred other albums. The use of the Fender Rhodes on several tracks suggests the popular vernacular but the music on those tracks tells us that 'popular' is not necessarily bad.

Particularly engaging, for example, is the waltz, "In 3." Here it's alto, guitar, bass and drums and the sound is quietly impressionistic with Lage Lund

adding especially lovely colors on guitar. It's a song about texture and emotion and the restraint of the players is particularly engaging.

The title track is a pulsing, driving number that somehow also evokes intelligent contemplation. The impressive thing about Shaw's playing is that it never seems to knock a listener out with volume or power. So this tune pulls us along but not forcefully in any artificial way. And Glasper is especially sensitive on the electric keyboard as if fully understanding the feeling that the composer was seeking.

Shaw the bandleader is sensitive enough to choose a little recorded tune, "If I'm Lucky," that originally appeared on a Johnny Hartman album. It shows Shaw's gorgeous and intimate way with a ballad. Glasper chooses the Fender Rhodes again and the performance stays simple, quiet and lovely.

Optimism is a jazz album whose mood, even in up-tempos, suggests thoughtful understanding and a personal way to make a recording. And even when there are effects they work towards telling a story.

Track Listing: Flipside; Almost; In 3; Optimism; If I'm Lucky; Flight; Love for Sale; Muna's Sleeping; Muna's Dream; The Struggle; Optilude.

Personnel: Jaleel Shaw: alto saxophone; Lage Lund: guitar; Robert Glasper: keyboards; Joe Martin: bass; Johnnathan Blake: drums; Jeremy Pelt: trumpet.

Title: Optimism | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Changu Records

https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/the-soundtrack-of-things-to-come-jaleel-shaw/

05/24/2013

By Philip Booth

The Soundtrack of Things to Come: Jaleel Shaw

How best to make a musical representation of a visual medium? That, in effect, was one challenge alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw faced when putting together The Soundtrack of Things to Come, the Philadelphia native’s rangy, accomplished third album as a leader. Four of the disc’s 10 pieces, all of which have Shaw heading his regular quartet, are the outgrowth of commissions he received from two New York museums to compose music inspired by artwork in their collections.

The assignment has resulted in intriguing work, with robust emotional content matched by highly sophisticated playing and writing. “The Wheel of Life,” the first of the art-inspired pieces, features a folkish melody atop a droning, chiming rhythm-section groove that later shifts to straight-ahead walking and, finally, a section featuring bassist Boris Kozlov’s soloing; the tune was inspired by a cloth painting, in the Rubin Museum, illustrating a Buddhist doctrine. Three others are related to pieces from the Brooklyn Museum: The nearly 12-minute long “Chroma” offers space for the exploratory improvisations of Shaw and pianist Lawrence Fields; “Sister” is a slow-moving ballad with a haunting theme; and the free-feeling “Faith,” the disc’s alternately meditative and rousing closer, is injected with gospel-blues flavors.

Other compositions grew directly from personal experiences, starting with opener “I Wish I Didn’t Know,” all searching melody and jagged rhythms. “Ballerina,” aptly, is a series of graceful declarations on soprano sax and then piano, and “Song for Sid,” for Philadelphia pianist Sid Simmons, also featuring soprano, is bright, midtempo swing. Things to come? Shaw’s in-the-present music feels like precisely the right shape and place for the saxophonist. The future can wait.

http://jaleelshaw.blogspot.com/

Jaleel Shaw's Blog

Saxophonist, Composer, Human being...

March 10, 2015

Black History, Black Culture, Black Audiences, Black Lives

I have to first apologize for not being so much of a blogger lately. I'll try to get better at doing more posts, but I honestly can't promise it. The more I get into playing this music, the more I realize I have so much to learn and very little time to do so. But again, I will try... thanks for being patient...

The reason for this post, is to respond in full to a post by a fellow musician, the great pianist Ethan Iverson. I've been listening to Ethan's playing since I first heard him with the band "The Bad Plus". From there I went on to find him on recordings by Reid Anderson (one of the first bassist I used when I first started my band in Philly at the age of 15), and the great drummers Billy Hart and Tootie Heath.

I’ve always been into reading blogs and I’ve been following Ethan Iverson’s blog “Do the math” for years now. He recently did a great post on the movie “Whiplash” that caught my attention. I hadn't seen the movie and was wondering why I was so apprehensive when it came to it. Ethans post pretty much summed up why I didn't want to see the movie. But near the end of his post, I came across these two paragraphs, which I honestly read probably 5 times before I finished his post:

Nobody in jazz these days plays to predominantly black gatekeepers or audiences, whether in the clubs or in the schools. It's essentially an esoteric art music for those who love it, everybody welcome - because we truly do need every goddamn fan we can get!

Naturally, the more black people involved the better. Unfortunately, when the topic of contemporary jazz is at hand, it feels like - although I don't know for sure! - many in black intelligentsia aren't that interested.

A few days after reading that, I was compelled to respond to Ethan, which I did on Twitter with these Tweets to him.

I read your post on Whiplash. Just wanted to address the part about "black intelligentsia not being interested"

For one, I think we have to remember there was a time when blacks couldn't use the same entrance to clubs as whites

If a club told me I had to use a separate entrance, I still wouldn't want to go to that club once things changed.

We also have to remember that there used to be clubs in black communities (like Harlem) that blacks went to & even owned...

Of many things that have changed, It's very clear that there aren't many "jazz" clubs in black communities any more.

We also have to consider education. I never learned about "jazz" or anything that had to do with my culture in grade school.

Luckily I had a mother that was into this music & exposed me to it & other styles of music at a young age.

In school, the (meant to say we) learned about Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart.

I love Bach, but looking back, I wonder why I wasn't taught about Bird, Ellington, & other American musicians in school.

I was a music ed. major at Berklee. When I went to do my student teaching I noticed the urban schools had no music classes.

Meanwhile, the suburban schools were learning all about Ellington, Monk, Armstrong and other American musicians/composers

Almost all of the suburban schools I visited didn't have many if any black students. The urban schools were all black.

I can't say this is exactly why "many in the black intelligentsia aren't interested" in jazz, but I think it's beyond a start.

I wish I would've responded via this blog first instead of posting all of that on twitter, but hey, here I am now. And I'd like to explain every tweet I sent if they aren't clear.

For one, I have to I believe there are many different things that play into why there may not be many african americans/blacks in the audience at "jazz" shows and why it may be perceived that most black people aren't interested in the music. There have been many responses to this question. From the music becoming stagnant, to the location of the clubs, to how the music relates to black culture today.... It's definitely been a topic for a while now. At least it has amongst the black musicians.

I have to start by saying that I'm from Philadelphia. And throughout my early stages as a musician, I always played to a diverse audience that not only included many different races, but also included many different age groups. In fact, I can't remember seeing anything BUT diverse audiences every time I've performed in Philly up until now. Though all of that seemed to change once I left Philly. I'm not sure why that is. I do know for sure that Philadelphia is a special place, but is Philly less segregated than other cities around the world?? And do more people know about jazz in Philadelphia than other places in the US? Maybe.

So why is it that we don't see african americans/black people in jazz clubs and why does it seem like some of us aren't interested in it? I'd like to first talk about black history/culture in schools.

I was a dual major in music education and performance at Berklee College Of Music. During my second to last semester at Berklee, I visited many schools inside and outside the city of Boston to decide which 2 schools I was going to go to do my student teaching. While researching the schools in Boston, I was surprised to find that some of the schools in the urban communities didn't have a music class at all, while the suburban schools not only had a music class, but were teaching their students about the great composers and musicians in American history. And I'm talking about Black American composers and musicians like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and John Coltrane....! It was amazing.

When I look back at my education in Philadelphia, I wasn't taught very much about my history as an African American in grade school or high school. I received history lessons about my culture at home from my mother and from the many great mentors and teachers I had OUTSIDE of the Philadelphia school system. That goes for Black art, music, and literature as well. Luckily, my mother was (and still is) a huge fan of jazz music and was listening to John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Pharaoh Sanders, Miles Davis, and more before I was even born. So I was exposed to that music as a child and continued to learn about it as I began playing the saxophone. But where would I be or who would I be if my mother hadn't been exposed to that music or her culture and history? I can surely tell you I would not be here typing this very post right now if it weren't for everything I've learned from her.

The truth is, if a child is not getting exposed to his/her culture and history at home and isn't getting it from school. Where is he/she going to get it? How can we hold him/her responsible for getting that information? My answer? We can't. The sad thing is, in situations like this, it becomes a cycle. And if that child grows up and has children that get the same education at the same kind of school that he/she did, the history becomes lost and that child grows up not truly knowing about his/her culture and heritage and how great it is.

To go even deeper into this, I have to say that I believe black history and black culture is not only important to the black community but is important to our country (and the world) as a whole. When I think about what happened in Ferguson, Missouri with Mike Brown and in New York with Eric Gardner, I wonder what the police officers responsible for those deaths learned about black culture and history when THEY were in school. Or if they were even exposed to anything that had to do with a Black man outside of what they may have seen on TV or in the movies.

If everything those officers saw about black culture came from TV or the movies, that means 9 times out of 10, they've only been exposed to negative portrayals of black men and nothing but stereotypical figures that paint us as uneducated, violent people who's lives aren't worth much and don't have a future. There's definitely tons of that in the media. I don't think those police officers were exposed to the great African Americans that help build this country. Or about slavery and how it was one of the most horrendous things to happen in the history of this WORLD. Or about the great black leaders that fought to end slavery. The civil rights movement.... About the great African American inventors that are responsible for so many things that we all need in every day life.... About the great writers like James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Lorraine Hansbury... Or the great composers and musicians like Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Billy Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus and others that have influenced and inspired people around the world.

The truth is, black culture/history is American culture/history. And it's not taught in most schools. At least not in this country. There are some people that are given the opportunity to attend schools that include black culture and history in their curriculums, and there are those that are fortunate to have parents that teach them about black history and exposed them to the culture. But I truly believe that until it's taught in all schools and is considered as important as the other parts of American history that ARE taught in schools, we can not expect to see more diverse audiences or expect more people to be interested in jazz music anytime soon.

Lastly, I would like to discuss my tweet about the history of black people in clubs. I've always tried to imagine what it was like to perform in a club that didn't allow you to use the front entrance. And how it may have felt for blacks that wanted to attend a show where they had to use a different entrance than the one the white patrons used. I didn't live in those days, but I don't think those days were that long ago. I personally can't imagine wanting to go anywhere that made me use a separate entrance than everyone else, let alone perform in one.

As I say that, I know I would've been in trouble in those days based on the fact that it wasn't only clubs that didn't allow blacks to use the same entrances or bathrooms back in the day. I probably would've had to stay home most of the time to avoid being angered by those discriminating boundaries. But maybe like everyone else, I would've dealt with it if I was around during those times. I often wonder how many people were put off by those rules to the point that they didn't want to go to any clubs to see live music back in those days, but the truth is, many black people had to use separate doors and bathrooms almost every time they stepped out of their own doors. And the African American community has continued to go to the movies, go to restaurants, and go see concerts by artists of other genres today. So maybe I don't really have an argument when it comes to Black people not going to jazz clubs because of that part of history.

There is one thing.. I've spoken to some of the masters of this music that were around during those times, and they all remind me that there was a time when there were many clubs in Harlem and other black communities. I've also been told that there were indeed more diverse audiences Uptown back then. Some of the clubs even had blacks owners. But when all of the black owned businesses in Harlem and the other black communities disappeared, that included many of those clubs and their black patrons. Which to me means that maybe we would see more black people in jazz clubs if there were more jazz clubs in the black communities...

To conclude, I believe it all boils down to exposure and education with this music, this history and this culture. I myself came to this music by being exposed to many different styles of jazz. And I'd be lying if I said I liked all of them at first. Some took time to grow on me, others I got hooked to immediately, while some are still growing on me to this day.

So what can you do to help spread the word about this music?? Buy a friend a recording of something you think he/she may like, or take that friend to a show that you think he/she may be into.. Parents - take your children to performances and expose them to as much music as possible and buy them recordings too. And If you can, buy your child a musical instrument (I personally think everyone should learn to play something at some point in their life), have them take lessons, and expose them to the masters of that instrument. Who knows, you may be responsible for the next jazz master, next jazz journalist, or next huge jazz fan. Push to have more black history classes in your child's school. Write your representatives and let them know this is an important issue to you... So that your child can know the true story of America. What's most important is that you'll be giving someone a chance to better understand this culture and it's history, which is something I think more people need to do today.

https://www.npr.org/event/music/170718004/jaleel-shaw-quartet-live-at-berklee

The Checkout: Live

Jaleel Shaw Quartet: Live At Berklee

February 7, 2013

by Patrick Jarenwattananon

NPR--National Public Radio

Alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw keeps good company. He tours with Roy Haynes, the living legend of jazz drums. He grew up in the Philadelphia music community, where new creative ferment in black pop music abutted multiple generations of jazz elders. He knows the music of Charles Mingus quite well from playing in the Mingus Big Band. And, clearly, his company likes having him around: He's become one of the most in-demand players in New York.

Shaw returns to his alma mater, Berklee College of Music, for this installment of The Checkout: Live. WBGO and NPR Music presented a live radio broadcast and video webcast of the Jaleel Shaw Quartet at Boston's Cafe 939. For the full concert archive of this series, visit npr.org/checkoutlive.

Set List

All compositions by Jaleel Shaw.

"I Wish I Didn't Know"
"Chromo"
"Muna's Sleeping"
"Faith" [video highlight]
"The Heavyweight Champion"

Personnel

Jaleel Shaw, alto saxophone
Lawrence Fields, piano
Boris Kozlov, bass
Johnathan Blake, drums

Credits

Producer and Host: Josh Jackson; Audio Engineer: David Tallacksen. Recorded Feb. 7, 2013 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. Photo courtesy of Michael Borgida/Berklee College of Music.

AUDIO: <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/170718004/171435662" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"></iframe>

Jaleel Shaw Quartet: Live At Berklee:

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jaleel-shaw-almost-there-jaleel-shaw-by-edward-zucker.php

Jaleel Shaw: Almost There

by EDWARD ZUCKER

April 21, 2008

All AboutJazz

"If you are happy and love what you are doing, that should be the ultimate goal. For me, I am happy, I love what I am doing - come on, I am playing with Roy Haynes!”

--Jaleel Shaw

Barely thirty, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw has was won two ASCAP Young Jazz Composer awards, received the Billboard Endowed Scholarship for Outstanding Academic and Musical Achievement (1998), the Outstanding Student Teacher Award, The Boston Jazz Society Award (1999) and he was also a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition (2002).

Currently Jaleel holds a regular seat with the Roy Haynes Quartet and the Mingus Big Band. He's also released Optimism (2008), the follow-up to his 2005 Fresh Sound New Talent debut as a leader, Perspective, on his new Changu label.

Chapter Index

New CD

All About Jazz: Your new CD Optimism, did the finished product come out how you envisioned the music sounding when you went into the studio?

Jaleel Shaw:: It did and it did not at the same time. Originally I intended for an acoustic set, but the CD has some Rhodes and I did not plan to have any Rhodes electric piano, except possibly on one song. We arrived at the studio, the Rhodes was there, and [pianist] Rob Glasper would suggest using the Rhodes on this or that song. It sounded good, so we just went with it. Besides the use of the Rhodes, it turned out exactly how I wanted the CD to sound. I wrote at least four of the tunes on this CD around the same time as I finished my first CD [Perspective], so the music was there. The exceptions were the interludes; they were written in the studio.

AAJ: Guitarist Lage Lund also embraces the use of electronics by loops and pedals.

JS: Lage always uses effects; you might miss them if you are not listening closely. On the tune "Muna's Dream," we had Lage go into a room and play some light effects. But after listening to it, I said, man, I want to play over this. The use of electronics opens so many possibilities. They made me think about being as open as possible in my writing, instrumentation, or with anything in the music. Sometimes I find I am always thinking about acoustic settings,

It is a long process, the mixing and mastering. I hope one day to do a strings album and a big band album. The doors have been opened in so many ways, so why not take advantage?

AAJ: The new CD is on your own label, Changu. Tell us about your label.

JS: It started with me not having the best experience with my first CD [Perspective] as far as a label goes. I really wanted to see this business as someone who owns a label. I wanted to see how many CD's I sell, what it is like to deal with a publicist, what it is like to advertise. That way I can see how my sales are going, how my publishing is going. I saved up the money to do the CD, and I thought maybe I would do the CD and shop it around to someone. In the end I felt that I had put too much into the CD to shop it around, so I decided to put the CD out myself.

A lot of younger guys are doing the same thing; you have Marcus Strickland, Mike Moreno and Kendrick Scott. We are making and releasing our CD's on our own. With Tower Records gone, who knows what is going to happen with record stores—especially with iTunes and the rest of the on-line distribution companies taking over. If you can sell your own music on-line, why not own it?

AAJ: What have you learned so far as label owner?

JS: Someone told me that when it comes to sales, jazz is at the bottom of the totem pole. I have not seen any results yet, because the CD is just coming out. I am conscious of the fact that I may not sell a lot of CD's. Although I have learned that it costs a lot of money and takes a lot of work, we started in June 2007, and I am still not done. I want to do some more advertising, and I still have been working on the CD. It has taken a lot of time away from me practicing, or working on new music.

AAJ: Your first CD was on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. How did a Philly musician wind up on a Barcelona-based label?

JS: Before the trend of putting out your own CD, everyone wanted to be on the FSNT label. I am not sure that it is the same today, [but] it meant something back then. Then, it meant you made it, you were part of the group. It was the label where young musicians started and made their mark. Kurt Rosenwinkel, Brad Mehldau, Seamus Blake, The Bad Plus, among others, were on the label before I came there.

Influences of Hip-Hip

AAJ: In your liner notes you mention J. Dilla. Robert Glasper who is on the CD has also referenced hip-hop in his music. Can you discuss what influence hip-hop music has on the current generation of jazz musician, insomuch as it may have been part of the soundtrack of their youth?

JS: I cannot really speak for everyone.

AAJ: For the older generation of jazz musician, the Great American Songbook was the soundtrack of their youth. For the current generation, they have grown up with hip-hop and alt rock as their soundtrack.

JS: For me I grew up listening to it. I was born in 1978, which is supposed to be the year hip-hip started. I grew up hanging with my cousins listening to hip-hop, and I used to break dance when I was little. I was always a hip-hop fan. There is a group called A Tribe Called Quest. When I first heard them, they took me someplace else; they really inspired me. Some people do not like to say this; I could tell they were inspired by jazz music.

That brought my world together, because on one hand, there I was with peers that did not listen to jazz and could not relate to what I was doing. On the other side, I grew up here in Philly with guys who were listening to jazz. Both worlds started to come together when I started listening to A Tribe Called Quest. From there I got into Da La Sol and The Roots. The Roots were from Philly, and I was able to sit in on their jam sessions. I still listen to hip-hop and feel that J. Dilla is amazing.

When I write today, it is hard for me to say, okay I am a jazz musician and won't put any other influences in my music. For example, I love Ravel, Bjork, Radiohead, James Brown, and I also love Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter—that is just who I am. The one thing when I think about jazz today is that people are afraid of being who they are, based on what the authorities say is jazz. One has to be who you are in the music. Jazz music is an art form, we are artists. When you think of an artist, they draw something from their perspective. Therefore, I draw my music from my perspective, from my environment, and from the experiences that I have had.

Working with Roy Haynes

AAJ:How did you begin your association with the legendary Roy Haynes?

JS: It started with me subbing for a tenor saxophonist named Walter Smith, whom I believe was himself subbing at the time. He was leaving to attend the Monk School in Los Angeles. Walter called and said Roy is looking for a saxophonist, do you think you want to do the gig? He said that Roy needed me for a tour of Europe and a week at the Iridium in New York, but the first gig was actually in Vermont. Walter and Roy's bassist John Sullivan both recommended me to Roy. When I said that I could do it, I basically had the gig.

Roy still had not heard me play. Then a week after I spoke with the booking agent, Roy called and said, why don't you come over so I can hear you play? Roy's place is in upstate New York, and I went there and we played some duos. He did not say that I had the gig; he sat down and started to talk to me. He was talking about styles and how he once had an offer to play in Duke Ellington's band and he turned it down. He said that he knew the direction he was heading musically and the fact that he could turn that down, at the time that was a big decision—turning down Duke Ellington.

We went on tour, and during the first gig a promoter in France was talking to Roy. Then Roy looked over at me and said to the promoter, "I do not know." Then Roy came over to me and asked if I could make the gigs next year. I was thinking after the current tour was over, that was it. So I told Roy that I was free next year, and then I stayed on with the band.

AAJ: Can we go back to that first meeting with Roy at his house?

JS: It was crazy. I was nervous, but when I walked in and started talking to him, I was relaxed. After playing the first song, I was completely comfortable. He is cool, he is a human being, he is a legend, but he made me feel like we are both human beings.

AAJ: How did it feel the first time you took the stage in Roy's band?

JS: I was nervous—not just because it was my first time with Roy; it was my first time with a small group in front of huge audience. A small group differs from a big band. It challenges your endurance, and it is different on your chops. My chops did develop fast! That first night was rough. I was very nervous but was comfortable playing with Roy. At the same time, it was a relief. I really wanted to play in a small group, and now it was finally happening.

AAJ: Now that you lead your own small ensemble, what, if anything, have you learned from Roy that you incorporate into your leadership style?

JS: Wow! To be honest with you, I have not had too many gigs with my band. The one thing that Roy reinforces is to let everyone be who they are. I was talking with someone the other day, and he said the leader of that band told them what to do and what to play. Roy never told me to play anything. He hired me because he wants me, and I have something to say that he can use. When you want to use someone in your music, you have to make sure they fit. If they do not fit, do not try and change them. Go in a different direction, find someone else.

The Mingus Big Band

AAJ: You are also in the Mingus Big Band. How did you get that gig?

JS: Drummer Johnathan Blake was playing in the band, and I was attending Manhattan School of Music and living in New Jersey. I did not have a car at the time, and I had a late class every Thursday that ended around 7:30, 8:00 pm. The Mingus Big Band started their sets at 9:00 on Thursday, so after my class I would head down to catch them and get a ride home with Johnathan, as he lived in my apartment building in New Jersey.

I would hang out, catch the band, and I had my horn with me, as I was coming from class. One night I was asleep in the back, and I heard someone call my name to come on stage and play. The next day Sue Mingus called me, and that was it. I have been playing with them for eight years now.

AAJ: Describe the difference in playing in a small ensemble versus a big band.

JS: First, in a big band you are not soloing as much. It is more about blending and hearing other musicians and supporting each other. I look at it as a big fortress, and we are all supporting each other. The rhythm section is the foundation, and then you have trumpets and saxophones...

With a small group like Roy's, we are all supporting each other, but we have bigger jobs since there are only four of us. For me as a horn player, I have to know the melody. Roy is a stickler for melodies. I can't tell you how many times I played a melody I thought I knew—I guess I heard off a record or got it out of a fake book—and Roy would stop me. Whenever we are about to go on stage, or at a sound check, Roy will ask, what do you want to play? I would call a song, and Roy will say play it. If I play one note wrong, or the rhythm wrong, or if a phrase is wrong, Roy will stop me and say it is not right. He will sing it to me, and we will continue back and forth until I get it right. For me, I have to be on point—not just for the audience but for Roy. Roy knows all the melodies; I mean, he knows the lyrics.

In the big band, not that you should, but if you make a mistake, it is not as noticeable as if you made it in a small group.

Influences and Background

AAJ: Was there one musician whose music that you transcribed and/or went to the shed with regularly?

JS: I probably did that most with Cannonball. He has a great sound. He has everything.

AAJ: Was it only saxophonists that influenced you, or were there other musicians?

JS: I would have to say a lot of saxophonists. Bobby Watson, a lot of Bobby, he was my first huge influence. When I was in Lovett Hines' group, every time he drove me to a gig or back and forth from practice, he would play Cannonball, Sonny Stitt, Maceo Parker, Kenny Garrett, Antonio Hart in his car. I am not sure if he was doing that on purpose, or if it was a coincidence.

For me, it would have to be Bobby Watson. I love Johnny Hodges and Cannonball Adderley and of course Bird and Lee Konitz. Everyone—there really is no one that I did not check out. As far as pianists, it would be McCoy [Tyner], Herbie [Hancock], Sonny Clark and Mulgrew Miller.

AAJ: We are going to back up now. Tell about your background; was there music in your house growing up

JS: My mother loves all styles of music. That is how I got into being so open about different types of music. She has everything from Pharaoh Sanders, Yusef Lateef and Trane. She was really into that period and everything. Tchaikovsky—I remember when I was a little kid, she took me to see the Nutcracker Suite. I went nuts; I had to have the record and I listened to that record over and over. Music was definitely played when I was a little kid. I remember dancing as a kid to Miles Davis' Tutu. I would put that record on myself when I was a kid and dance along. When I was four, she took me to violin lessons. At six, I took piano and drums.

When I was eight, a guy came to my elementary school and played a cartoon of the history of music and instruments. You can still see that cartoon, as it is on the DVD Fantasia. Anyway, when I came home from school that day, I told my mom that I wanted to play an instrument. I wanted to play the drums, but somehow I wound up on saxophone. The school did not have a saxophone that year, so I started on clarinet. The next year I switched to sax. I was nine and that was it.

AAJ: Talk about your high school years and some of the alum from your school.

JS: My teacher was Lovett Hines, and at the time the school was named Settlement Music School. Mr. Hines moved from there to the Clef Club in Philadelphia. He was the most amazing experience I ever had. It was not about the school, it was about him. Anywhere he went, I would have followed.

AAJ: Why is that?

JS: He is a great teacher and human being. One thing I came to realize about teaching is that when someone has a great energy, I grasp onto them. Mr. Hines cares, and he inspired and motivated me like nobody except my mom. He taught Christian McBride, Joey Defrancesco, Kamal [from The Roots], Johnathan Blake—a lot of people came through him. I cannot say enough about him; it was an amazing experience. We would meet every Saturday and rehearse, learn new tunes, and he gave us the opportunity to play.

That is where I met Johnathan Blake, when I was about eleven. To this day, whenever I play, I play with Johnathan. To me, having that relationship with Johnathan at an early age was important. When I talk about my peers listening to hip-hop, at the same time, I had Johnathan, Duane Eubanks, and other friends who I could call and say, "Hey man, check out this Wayne Shorter or Lee Morgan tune." To me, that is what it is all about—us being in a great environment. Mr. Hines was great for me.

AAJ: From Philly you went to Berklee.

JS: In high school, I went to the Performing Arts High School and was actually discouraged from going to Berklee, and I have no idea why. Teachers always told me, do not go to Berklee, it is a horrible school. When I was thirteen years old, I had it in my head that I was going to Berklee. I remember being interviewed by another student when I was thirteen in high school, and they asked where I saw myself in five or six years. My response was, I saw myself either at Berklee or the Manhattan School of Music, and from there I wanted to play professionally. I was always determined that I was going to Berklee. When I was sixteen, my mother took me to Berklee to audition for a summer program, and I was offered a partial scholarship. I did not attend that summer because, even with the scholarship, it was too expensive. When I was seventeen, I auditioned again, and I received a full scholarship to attend Berklee. Mr. Hines and Berklee—I do not know where I would be without them. At Berklee I was around a lot of great young musicians.

AAJ: Lage Lund was there.

JS: Exactly! Lage, Jeremy Pelt, Miguel Zenon, Wayne Escoffery, Avishai and Anat Cohen, Patrick Cornelius, Kendrick Scott, Walter Smith, Helen Sung, Warren Wolf, and Julius Tolentino was in the area. There were a lot of us up there [laughing]; it was amazing. Bassist John Sullivan who helped me get the gig with Roy Haynes was there. I had great teachers; I studied with Billy Pierce and Andy McGee. Berklee was a great experience.

Where I lived was two blocks from school and four blocks from a club called Wally's. Wally's is the club where Berklee students from the 1970's to the present play and hang. Branford [Marsalis], Donald Harrison, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mark Turner—all these cats played at this club. Wally's was the hang. Every weekend I went down there and would sit in. The club is tiny, but every cat would be trying to play. There was a jam session that started at midnight. I was playing all of the time, so Berklee and Boston were an amazing experience I had musically. It really inspired me to practice. You could practice from 10:00 am until 2:00 am, and it was great.

AAJ: And from Berklee?

JS: [Laughing] All I can say is that I went to grad school at the Manhattan School of Music—that is all I can say about that—and I received my degree in performance.

Heading to New York

AAJ: Masters Degree in hand, how did you as a young musician break into the NYC scene?

JS: Honestly, I think I am still trying to break into the New York scene in some ways. That is, "The New York Scene." I am not talking about the jazz musicians or jazz networking; I feel I have somehow broken into the jazz network from playing with Roy and the Mingus Big Band gigs. As far as getting my own gigs with my own band, that is extremely difficult. A lot of the clubs are very cliquish and exclusive. You can go to one club and see the same person playing there once a week or more.

It is hard. So far, I have performed at the Jazz Gallery regularly. The other clubs I have not really been able to break into. It is wild. You think when you get to New York that everything is going to be cool. If you practice and work hard, you are going to get in. But it is very political, and a lot of it does not have to do with how well you play. It has to do with who you know and who likes you on a personal level. Again, I am not saying that there are not great musicians playing at these clubs—there are great musicians. I am just saying that it is hard, really hard, to break in. It takes a lot of networking. Maybe since I have been playing with Roy and the Mingus Big Band, my time is limited, and it is hard for me to network the way I would like. I would love to go to these clubs and bug them like I should.

I remember arriving in New York and speaking with musicians who arrived a generation before me—like Antonio Hart telling me that it was so easy. You arrived and got a record deal and gigs. When I arrived, it seemed like everything stopped. Labels stopped signing people, artists were being dropped.

AAJ: : I remember, Mark Turner was dropped around that time, and it was a big thing.

JS: Right! I remember when Mark was dropped. I was supposed to study with Mark at Manhattan, and he quit a week before school started. We stayed in contact and he is one of my favorite musicians. I remember Mark telling me that he was dropped. That is when I really got scared. If Mark Turner is not signed to a label, then what does it mean for the music?

My mom always reminds me that I could be making a lot of money and still not be happy. Sometimes if I am not gigging, or if I do not like a gig, I have to remind myself that I am doing what I love and I have control. I can turn down a gig. I am not stuck in anything. You can always leave, and another opportunity will turn up.

If you are happy and love what you are doing, that should be the ultimate goal. For me, I am happy, I love what I am doing—come on, I am playing with Roy Haynes! That is a dream. That overshadows everything. It overshadows the business, the financial aspects of being a jazz musician. If you keep that in mind, it eliminates any doubt you may have.

When I arrived in New York, I was scared. I was never that afraid in my life. When students come to me and ask how can they break into the scene... I really had no idea how it was going to happen for me. Fortunately I got into the Mingus Big Band. There are a lot of people who have been in New York for years and have not made it happen. It is all about opportunity, having the opportunity. Sometimes I think there are enough clubs, just not enough opportunities. Club owners and booking agents need to be more open. The people who are the most open are the musicians. When you get down to the critics, the clubs, it closes; they are not open to the fact that the music is art. It is not sports, it is not different groups, it is art and should be wide open. But it is not.

AAJ: You have received quite a bit of recognition for your composing. Do you consider yourself more of a composer or saxophonist?

JS: I would have to split it down the middle, although people hire me to play my sax. People are not hiring me to write music.

Selected Discography:

Jaleel Shaw, Optimism (Changu, 2008)

Roy Haynes, Whereas (Dreyfus, 2006)

Rick Parker, Finding Space (WJF Records, 2006)

Jaleel Shaw, Perspective (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2005)

Mingus Big Band, I Am Three (Sunnyside Records, 2005)

Photo Credits

All photos courtesy of Jaleel Shaw

http://jazztruth.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-jaleel-shaw-interview.html

Jazz Truth

August 8, 2013

The Jaleel Shaw Interview

Jaleel Shaw has been one of my favorite young alto players for about a decade. We first played together with the Mingus Band, and we kept in touch over the years. I've worked a few times in his band and he's worked with me a number of times. You might know him from the Roy Haynes group, which he has been working with for a long time. Shaw has that amazing balance of depth and innovation in his sound and his improvisation. He's on my latest CD on the Steeplechase label, entitled "The Facts" and we just finished a great weekend with a quintet at the famed Smalls Jazz Club in New York City. I was glad to catch up with him and get an interview with one of the baddest cats on the New York jazz scene.

GC:OK. What's your earliest memory of music?

JS: Wow! My mom told one of the first movies she took me to see was"The Muppet Movie" and that I came home and was singing the music days later. I guess that impressed her!

Then she had me in these music theory classes for children around 5 or 6. My mother always had lots of recordings laying around; She checked out a lot of late Trane, Alice Coltrane, Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Ornette Coleman, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Prince...so I heard a lot of that as a kid.

GC: Do you believe that alto is your instrument, and if so, why? Some guys double or triple, but other focus on one. And when did you know that alto was the one?

Today I play soprano as well and I'm really into it. I've been thinking about baritone too. There's something in that sound that I like. But ultimately, I think that alto is a very difficult instrument and I'm still working out my sound and I feel like I'm always trying to find better set ups... better mouthpieces, etc...

GC:Who are your saxophone heroes? Who are your non-saxophone playing musical heroes?

JS:I could be here all day with this one! My first alto saxophone hero was Bobby Watson; I was really into his playing and compositions and I got to meet him. When he came to Philly, he became a close mentor and I still consider him a very close friend. Then, I started checking out lots of Cannonball Adderly, then Sonny Stitt, then Johnny Hodges, Bird, and Lee Konitz.

Of the younger alto saxophonists I was checking out Antonio Hart, Kenny Garrett, Myron Walden.... Since I'm a Philly native, I got to be around Grover Washington Jr, and a man named Byard Lancaster. I was studying with a great saxophonists Robert Landham and Rayburn Wright. I also checked out lots of Maceo Parker.

In terms of non-alto players, I'm a huge fan of Mark Tuner, Chris Potter...I also came up under the wing of Tim Warfield, and got to play with him in Philly. Of course Trane, Sonny, Dexter, Getz, Branford, Lovano....Steve Wilson for alto and soprano and I'm really into Sam Newsome on soprano.

GC:Ok, maybe a few guys who aren't saxophone players who are really big influences?

JS:Oh right! Mulgrew Miller was a big influence...Kurt Rosenwinkel....Mccoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Roy Haynes and Elvin Jones. Lennie Tristano as well as Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan.

GC:When did you know that you wanted music to be your life?

JS:When I was 12 probably...I came up in a jazz ensemble that was run by a man named Lovette Hines. He's a well known jazz educator in Philly and he's responsible for Christian Mcbride, Joey Defrancesco, Johnathan Blake, Bilal,.. a bunch of people.....and he'd have these rehearsals every Saturday, and we'd all get together and learn standards. I joined that when I was around 10 I think.

So, being with so many young people that were into the music really helped.It naturally became my life. The kids in the band became my best friends and we'd spend hours on the phone playing records to each other...and we'd perform whenever Mr. Hines had gigs for us.

Have you seen this?

(Jaleel shows me a video)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmmzUP_L0bE

GC:I did see that actually.....

JS: So that was kind of the environment I was in. It was great!

GC:It's actually inspirational because you can see what an educator who cares can do for students and for the preservation of jazz. Without Mr. Hines, maybe we wouldn't have McBride and maybe we wouldn't have YOU!

JS: I honestly don't know how much I'd love music if it wasn't for my mom and Mr. Hines...

Mr. Hines made it fun.

Do you feel like you have a lot to live up to being from Philly? Was it a big deal to move to the New York area?

JS:I honestly think about Philly lineage a lot, especially when I see Christian McBride. That show on that video was one of my first performances. So I've always looked up to him ever since then....and he's amazing....but I mean McCoy came out of Philly, Kurt Rosenwinkle is from Philly, Lee Morgan was from Philly....that alone is insane to me! All of them were great musicians AND great composers. There's definitely a vibe from philly that I'm proud to be part of. I shouldn't say I feel like I have a lot to live up to... I definitely want to do my thing, but I think it's amazing to be from Philly. That energy is amazing.

I used to be afraid of New York ...but once I moved to Boston and experienced that scene, I don't think I was nervous about NY anymore. Boston was intense...there were a lot of great musicians there,most of whom are in NY now. And these cats just kept me on my feet, kept me influenced and motivated, so that fear I had wasn't the same after BostonI can say that as far as gigs go and my actual future goes, I was scared to death about moving to the city! But things kind of fell into place

GC: Which sideman gigs have been your favorite? Don't feel any pressure to say The George Colligan Quartet!

JS: (Laughs) Someone just asked me a couple days ago! It's really hard for me to pick one

because I'm always thankful to play new music and learn new changes.

I'm really into challenges, .even if it means I fall on my face and end up embarrassing myself.

So it's really hard to say....my first gigs were with the Mingus Big Band and the Count Basie Big Band, which were two completely different musical settings.

But I've learned something from everyone... I'm playing with Tom Harrell's group "Colors of Dream" now, and to play with Tom, who's so lyrical and melodic is amazing. His phrasing and sense of time... are just.. perfect! I just can't pick a favorite, though. Your session , "The Facts",with the quartet was the first session I did where I went in the studio without a rehearsal... (I don't remember rehearsing... did we?) I was scared to death! But when I listen to it, I realized as much as it was a challenge, there's something fresh about recording music like that... I later read a book about Lee Morgan that spoke about how he did that sort of thing pretty often. I hope to try that someday!

GC:Do you think social media/technology is helping the jazz scene, or hurting , or both?

JS: Maybe a little of both. I often wonder what Trane or Bird would tweet if they were alive now, or if they would even do that sort of thing at all. It's clear that it took lots of time and dedication for them to get where they got ...I mean.... we're talking about days when there were no TVs, and in some situations no phones, certainly no cell phones or smart phones. Now there's so much going on. so many distractions, and sometimes too much information. I wonder how much imagination and mystery is lost. On the plus side, as an independent artist, it's helped me a lot. I've put out two CDs on my own and I know it's REALLY helped to get me out there. You couldn't make a post on your facebook page 50 years ago to let people know your new CD was out. It's amazing that you can do that now.

GC:Any upcoming gigs or projects we should know about? Or past projects which we didn't hear enough about?

JS: I'll be performing at the Charlie Parker Festival on August 24th with my quartet, and at the Philadelphia Art Museum with my group on the 23rd.....oh and with Roy Haynes at the Newport Jazz Festival on Sunday the 4th. I'll be with EJ Strickland's band at Smoke on the 7th of August.

GC: Do you have any advice for the multitudes of young jazz students who are sitting in practice rooms around the globe, wondering what their next move should be?

JS: I would say practice like crazy, but get out.. go check out the artists you're into and try to get to know them. Ask questions, ask for lessons when cats come in town. I think it's important to get as much information as possible. Learn standards and get out to the sessions when you can AND get together with your friends to play your originals. Start a separate bank account for your recordings and try to put a little bit of what you make into this account if you can. Don't sit around waiting for record labels to sign you! Try booking your own gigs and getting venues that may not normally have music to feature your group. I think it's time to try to open the scene up a bit more and try new things and create new opportunities.

http://www.jaleelshaw.com/

The Checkout: Live

Jaleel Shaw Quartet: Live At Berklee

Jaleel Shaw Quartet In Concert (Full Audio)1:14:55

February 07, 2013
by Patrick Jarenwattananon

Alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw keeps good company. He tours with Roy Haynes, the living legend of jazz drums. He grew up in the Philadelphia music community, where new creative ferment in black pop music abutted multiple generations of jazz elders. He knows the music of Charles Mingus quite well from playing in the Mingus Big Band. And, clearly, his company likes having him around: He's become one of the most in-demand players in New York.