LOS ANGELES, February 9, 2024 — A promising young saxophonist’s career took an unexpected turn after a 2023 diagnosis of bone marrow failure at age 27, forcing him to adapt his artistry to a challenging new reality.
A Breathless Pursuit: Aaron Shaw’s New Album Reflects a Musician’s Resilience
Aaron Shaw’s debut album, “And So It Is,” released February 13, is a deeply personal exploration of adaptation and hope in the face of a life-altering health challenge.
- Los Angeles-based saxophonist Aaron Shaw received a bone marrow failure diagnosis in 2023.
- Shaw has collaborated with prominent musicians including Kamasi Washington, Herbie Hancock, Anderson .Paak, and André 3000.
- His debut album, produced by Carlos Niño, reflects his evolving approach to music-making amid health challenges.
- The album features both tenor saxophone and alto flute, with Shaw leaning into the latter due to its lower breath requirements.
For woodwind players, breath is paramount—the very essence of artistic expression, the force that imbues sound with personality. But a few years ago, Aaron Shaw realized he was becoming increasingly breathless. The diagnosis in 2023 revealed he wasn’t producing enough oxygen-carrying red blood cells, necessitating a shift in his musical approach.
Shaw’s rise in the jazz world was swift. He studied with Kamasi Washington, shared the stage with Herbie Hancock and Anderson .Paak, and even provided music theory instruction to André 3000. He frequently collaborates with LA bandleader Carlos Niño, contributing to Niño’s 2024 new-age jazz album, “Placenta,” and last year’s project with poet Saul Williams. Niño, in turn, produced and added percussion to Shaw’s forthcoming album, “And So It Is,” which carries a West Coast jazz sensibility reminiscent of both Niño and Washington’s work. However, Shaw’s sound is distinctly its own—a lower, darker atmosphere navigated with quiet deliberation.
On the record, Shaw primarily plays tenor saxophone and alto flute. The flute requires less breath, making it easier for him to perform, yet he persists with his original instrument, delivering a Lester Young-inspired sound over Chick Corea’s “Windows to the Soul” and pushing through sustained notes on “Heart of a Phoenix.” Throughout the album, listeners can sense a young musician grappling with the end of one chapter and cautiously exploring what lies ahead. Intimate loops and unexpected flute flourishes offer optimistic moments on this remarkably open and vulnerable record.
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