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Jazz Articles about Jaleel Shaw
Kerry Politzer: Alternate Route
by Dan McClenaghan
A first impression as pianist Kerry Politzer's ninth album spins: This is an artist adept at bringing a band together for a one-day studio outing to play a bunch of her forward-leaning compositions to turn out a vibrant, crisp-sounding set. Obvious also, on tune # 1--"Before It's Too Late"--is that guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel has a special genius for pairings with pianists. He proved that with his contribution to Jo-Yu Chen's Stranger (Okeh Records, 2014), and he is in the mix ...
Continue ReadingKerry Politzer: Alternate Route
by Paul Rauch
Pianist Kerry Politzer had released eight albums before Alternate Route (Whirlwind, 2025), though to many jazz listeners they essentially flew under the radar. Politzer is a Portland, Oregon-based musician on the faculty at the esteemed jazz studies program at Portland State. With this, her ninth offering, more attention and accolades are bound to come her way. The album of ten original compositions not only lends a strong focus on her adept compositional and instrumental skills, it also welcomes in a ...
Continue ReadingJaleel Shaw with the John Toomey Trio at the Attucks Jazz Club
by Mark Robbins
Born on February 11, 1978, in Philadelphia, Jaleel Shaw emerged from the city's rich musical landscape, studying at Greene Street Friends School and the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. He earned a dual degree in Music Education and Performance from Berklee College of Music in 2000, followed by a Master's in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2002. Shaw gained early recognition as a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition ...
Continue ReadingJaleel Shaw: Painter Of The Invisible
by Carl Medsker
For twenty years, Jaleel Shaw has steadily built a robust career that includes a lengthy apprenticeship with Roy Haynes, steady work as an in-demand sideman and mentoring the next generation at the Manhattan School of Music. Painter Of The Invisible caps two years of significant events: Dave Holland enlisted him in his 2024 quartet along with Kris Davis and Nasheet Waits, after which he fronted a band at the 2024 Newport Jazz Festival for the first time. Then, in March ...
Continue ReadingBrian Landrus: Red List
by Jerome Wilson
Saxophonist Brian Landrus created this project with a purpose summed up in its subtitle, Music Dedicated to the Preservation of our Endangered Species. The album was made to create awareness about all the animal species on Earth in danger of extinction, thirteen of which are explicitly referenced here. For most of these, such as the Malayan tiger and the snow leopard, only a few hundreds or thousands are still alive. For the Javan rhino, there were only 67 left at ...
Continue ReadingBrian Landrus: Red List
by Jack Bowers
No matter how one receives his music, there is no doubt that woodwind specialist Brian Landrus' heart is in the right place. Red List, his eleventh album as leader, is dedicated to the preservation of Earth's endangered animal species. Landrus names thirteen, at least five of which--the kakapo, Malayan tiger, gharial, vaquita and Javan rhino--are all but gone, with less than three hundred of each species remaining. In fact, it is estimated that only eight vaquitas (a species of porpoise ...
Continue ReadingBrian Landrus: Red List
by Angelo Leonardi
L'undicesimo disco di Brian Landrus è un progetto a difesa di tredici specie animali minacciate di estinzione. Vegetariano dell'età di 12 anni e poi vegano, il sassofonista di Reno (Nevada) ha sempre operato a sostegno del mondo animale. Per sua stessa ammissione è questa la passione della sua vita, assieme al jazz. L'anno scorso, dopo aver aperto una sottoscrizione su Gofundme.com, Brian ha raccolto un settetto base più ospiti, per registrare quindici nuove composizioni dedicate alle specie minacciate, ...
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