Hello and welcome!
Whether this is your first time reading or your fiftieth, thanks for checking out Chaotic Good Jazz and the latest installment in my Artist Spotlight series. This one showcases saxophonist Aaron Shaw, the third saxophonist to be spotlighted alongside Tamar Osborn and Isaiah Collier.
I had the opportunity to see Aaron Shaw earlier this spring performing with Carlos Niño & Friends (for the Portland, Oregon stop of the tour, the Friends consisted of Omari Jazz and Harlan Silverman of The Cosmic Tones Research Trio). During the show they talked about how they had just met earlier that day, but their on-stage chemistry felt like they had been playing together for years. I felt like I got to see something special that night, and I’d love to hear more from these two.
Shaw released his debut solo album earlier this year, And So It Is, following a decade of collaborations and side projects.
"Soul Journey”, “Heart of a Phoenix”, “Jubilant Voyage”, and “Never Catch Me Out of Alignment” have been stand-out tracks for me.
The album features contributions from bassist and brother Lawrence Shaw, Nate Mercereau, Dwight Trible, and Carlos Niño.
Carlos Niño has a lot of really talented friends, including Shaw. Shaw’s saxophone playing on Niño’s “Elysian Invocation” stopped me in my tracks. That one released back in February and it was my first introduction to Shaw, who has quickly become one of my favorite horn players.
Shaw’s collaboration with Niño began in 2021 on the International Anthem album More Energy Fields, Current on the tracks “Now the background is the foreground” and “Salon Winds.” Their most recent collaboration Bubble Bath for Giants is an independent release that dropped in March.
Sidenote: Shaw famously taught music theory to André 3000 prior to the Niño-produced New Blue Sun.
Niño and Shaw find themselves together once again on Leaving Records founder Matthewdavid’s 2025 EP, All Bliss, Every Tree. The 13-minute recording was originally performed as part of a L.A.-based outdoor community concert series called “Listen to Music Outside In The Daylight Under A Tree.”
Jimmy LaValle, aka The Album Leaf, and Shaw collaborated on an ambient improvisational jam recording live on Blast Radio in October of 2021, and the EP was released in July of 2024. Shaw can also be heard alongside Lavelle/The Album Leaf and Maiah Manser on the single “Falling,” that dropped earlier in April.
Credits with Weezer and Tyler, The Creator really exemplify Shaw’s range and adaptability. If you’re on other social media channels, make sure you’re following @blackflutebrigade, a Southern California based collective of Black flautists playing the music of Michael Jackson, J. Cole, Frank Ocean, Erykah Badu and more.
Closing out our collaborative loop is Shaw’s side project, Black Nile, alongside his brother Lawrence on bass. Their breakout album, Indigo Garden, was one of my favorite albums of April, one of my favorites from the first half of 2026 and the fourth album in the brother’s discography1.
If you're new to Shaw's work, start with albums denoted with a 🎧
And So It Is (2026) 🎧
Overcome - Single (2016)
Indigo Garden (2026) 🎧
River of Emotions (2022)
The Further Side (2020)
Sounds of Colors (2019)
Bubble Bath for Giants (2026)
Elysian Invocation / “Pollen on the Earth” (feat. Saul Williams) - EP (2026) 🎧
Placenta (2024)
(I’m just) Chillin’, on Fire (2023)
More Energy Fields, Current (2021)
All Bliss, Every Tree - EP (2025)
Blast (2024)
”Falling” (feat. Maiah Manser) - Single (2026)
SZNZ: Autumn (2022)
Cherry Bomb (2015)
If you missed last week’s Shady Pines Radio broadcast, catch the full Juneteenth episode on the Mixcloud archive, featuring Brittany Davis’ Black Thunder, a brand new single from Terri Lyne Carrington, as well as tracks from Isaiah Collier, Idris Ackamoor, Jaleel Shaw, Ambrose Akimusire, Brandee Younger, Brian Jackson, James Brandon Lewis and more!
And don’t miss this week’s Shady Pines show highlighting musicians that identify as part of the LBGTQ+ community and some of their most outspoken allies, featuring Tomoki Sanders, Dave Koz, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Gary Burton, Allison Miller, and Andy Bey as well as music from Red Hot Org and more!
Early next week, on Monday June 29th, I’ll be playing some of my favorite tracks from the first half of 2026 on Freeform Portland ahead of my corresponding post here on Substack, coming July 1st.
Upcoming Broadcast Schedule
Shady Pines Radio: Friday’s 10am-Noon PT | Freeform Portland: Alt Mondays Noon-2pm PT
6/26 - Shady Pines Radio | Pride Month Special
6/29 - Freeform Portland Radio | New Music Monday, Best of 2026 (so far)
7/3 - Shady Pines Radio | The Rhythm of Resistance
Recently Archived Episodes
6/19 - Shady Pines Radio | Juneteenth Celebration
6/15 - Freeform Portland Radio | New Music Monday #6
6/12 - Shady Pines Radio | Global Jazz Fusion
…see more
Apple Music | Tidal | Qobuz | Spotify
Apple Music | Tidal | Qobuz | Spotify
Apple Music | Tidal | Qobuz | Spotify
Thanks for reading and listening!
Meaning you’ve got plenty to dig into if you’re enjoying Black Nile’s Indigo Garden as much as I have been.
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