For a woodwind player, breath is the essence of artistry, the very force that shapes sound into something personal and profound. Yet, Los Angeles-based saxophonist Aaron Shaw found this vital resource diminishing. In 2023, at the age of 27, he received a life-changing diagnosis: bone marrow failure, a condition severely limiting his body's production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. This personal challenge has now profoundly influenced the creation of his searching and intimate debut album, And So It Is, set for release on 13 February.
A Rising Star Confronts a New Reality
Aaron Shaw's ascent in the music world was rapid and impressive. A student of the renowned Kamasi Washington, he has shared stages and studios with legends like Herbie Hancock and Anderson .Paak. He even provided music theory tutoring to the iconic André 3000. Shaw is a frequent collaborator with LA bandleader Carlos Niño, featuring on his 2024 new-age jazz record Placenta and last year's project with poet Saul Williams.
In a fitting reciprocal act, Niño has produced and played percussion on Shaw's forthcoming album. The record carries the hazy, atmospheric quality associated with West Coast jazz, reminiscent of both Niño's and Washington's work. However, Shaw carves out his own distinct space with a lower, darker sonic fog, which he explores with a palpable sense of quiet caution and introspection.
Navigating Sound with 'Quiet Caution'
The physical demands of his condition have directly impacted Shaw's instrumental choices on the album. He primarily plays tenor saxophone and alto flute, with the latter requiring less breath and proving somewhat easier. Despite this, he perseveres with the saxophone, his original instrument.
His playing style floats, in a Lester Young-inspired fashion, over the rendition of Chick Corea's Windows to the Soul. On tracks like Heart of a Phoenix, he battles through long, sustained notes. The entire album serves as an auditory document of a gifted young musician reconciling himself with the end of one path in his artistic life and tentatively, yet optimistically, feeling his way towards the next.
Intimate loops and unexpected flourishes on the flute provide glimmers of hope throughout this remarkably open and personal record. It is a testament to artistic resilience in the face of profound personal change.
The Week's Best New Tracks
Alongside the spotlight on Aaron Shaw, here is a selection of the week's most compelling new music releases:
Kim Gordon – Not Today
The Sonic Youth icon presents a surprisingly disarming shift. Forsaking her typical abrasive noise, she sings forlornly over warmer, racing synths.
Morgan Nagler – Grassoline
The LA songwriter delivers a shambolic, twang-filled ode to cannabis with instantly memorable lines like, "I know Jesus ain’t gonna save me / And if he does that’d just be crazy."
Raf-Saperra – Butcher’s Scale (ft Benny the Butcher)
Streatham Hill's finest blends Punjabi flow and instrumentation with classic boom-bap beats and a feature from Griselda's Benny the Butcher.
Wu Lyf – Tib St Tabernacle
The cult Manchester rockers return with an 11-minute anthem that evolves from a spirited march into a pell-mell gallop.
Elsas – Niño
A member of Sampha's live band, this Spanish musician's solo debut melds blown-out metallic percussion with holy vocals, drawing inevitable comparisons to Rosalía.
Sunn O))) – Glory Black
The Seattle drone metal masters offer ten minutes of heaving guitar that purrs like a slumbering dinosaur, punctuated by a surprise minimalist piano interlude.
Beau Wanzer – Shitty Cough 17
From the outsider dance producer's new EP comes this dark, monstrous track, lurching forward on a distorted dembow beat and demonic declarations.
