Jaleel Shaw Quartet at The Side Door – Old Lyme, CT

Jaleel Shaw – Alto/Soprano Saxophone

Lawrence Fields – Piano

Alex Claffy – Bass

Nasheet Waits – Drums

Born and raised in Philadelphia, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw came up on one of America’s most storied jazz scenes, immersing himself in the city’s rich musical tradition before earning a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music. He went on to receive his Master’s degree in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where he was recruited by both the Mingus Big Band and the Count Basie Orchestra while still a student.

The New York Times has called him one of the “stewards of a next-generation jazz mainstream that’s inspired, not constrained, by timeworn traditions,” while PostGenre has named him “one of the best saxophonists of his generation.” PopMatters writes that “Shaw’s playing is gorgeous at every turn, filling any listener with the power of feeling.” He has topped critics and readers polls in both DownBeat and JazzTimes, winning the 2014 DownBeat Critics Poll for Rising Star Alto Saxophonist — sharing the honor with Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Bunky Green, and Kenny Garrett.

A longtime member of the Roy Haynes Quartet — appearing on Haynes’ Grammy-nominated album Whereas — Shaw has also performed alongside Christian McBride, Dave Holland, Pat Metheny, Jason Moran, Chick Corea, Robert Glasper, Roy Hargrove, Stefon Harris, and Terri Lyne Carrington, among many others. He has headlined the Newport Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, the Village Vanguard, Birdland, Jazz Showcase, and Blue Note Tokyo, among countless other prestigious venues around the world.

As a leader, Shaw founded his own label Changu Records in 2008, releasing a series of internationally acclaimed albums including Optimism (2008), The Soundtrack of Things to Come (2013), and Echoes (2021), which received a four-star review from DownBeat and was inducted into the Library of Congress’ collection of Pandemic Art. His most recent album Painter of the Invisible (2025) has earned widespread critical praise and follows his first-ever appearance as a bandleader at the Newport Jazz Festival in 2024 and his inclusion in Dave Holland’s celebrated 2024 quartet alongside Kris Davis and Nasheet Waits. A recipient of multiple ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards and a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music, Shaw is as revered in the classroom as he is on the bandstand.

The Side Door Jazz Club is a dedicated jazz listening room located inside the historic Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT. Tickets are reserved seating. Guests dining at the Old Lyme Inn prior to the show receive 10% off their dinner bill.