"For woodwind players, breath is everything: the lifeforce of artistry, the thing that furnishes sound with personality. But a few years ago, the Los Angeles saxophonist Aaron Shaw realised he was becoming increasingly breathless. In 2023, aged 27, he was diagnosed with bone marrow failure, meaning he wan't producing enough oxygen-carrying red blood cells. A change of approach was required."
"Shaw had risen quickly. He studied with Kamasi Washington, worked alongside Herbie Hancock and Anderson .Paak, and tutored Andre 3000 in music theory. Shaw works regularly with LA bandleader Carlos Nino, and played on his 2024 new-age jazz album Placenta and last year's collaboration with poet Saul Williams. In turn, Nino has produced and played percussion on Shaw's forthcoming debut album And So It Is, which has something of the West Coast jazz haze you find in both Nino's and Washington's music."
"But Shaw's sound is actually a lower, darker fog, which he navigates with quiet caution. Shaw mostly plays tenor saxophone and alto flute on the record. It is easier for him to play the latter less breath is required yet he persists with his original instrument, floating, Lester Young-style, over the top of Chick Corea's Windows to the Soul, and battling through long sustains on Heart of a Phoenix."
Aaron Shaw, a Los Angeles saxophonist, developed increasing breathlessness and in 2023 was diagnosed with bone marrow failure, reducing red blood cell production. Shaw studied with Kamasi Washington, worked alongside Herbie Hancock and Anderson .Paak, and tutored Andre 3000 in music theory. Shaw collaborates regularly with Carlos Nino and played on Nino's 2024 album Placenta and a previous collaboration with Saul Williams. Nino produced and played percussion on Shaw's debut album And So It Is, released 13 February, which blends West Coast jazz haze with Shaw's lower, darker, cautious tenor and alto flute explorations.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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