Jaleel Shaw: Painter of the Invisble

CHANGU RECORDS (RELEASED JULY 11)

Recording the 11 tracks on Painter of the Invisible must have been a highly emotional experience for saxophonist Jaleel Shaw. For starters, it was his first album in 13 years! Second, each composition serves as a tribute to significant figures in Shaw’s life. Accompanied by pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Ben Street, drummer Joe Dyson, and with special appearances from guitarist Lage Lund and vibraphonist Sarah Berliner, Shaw draws inspiration from family members, literary figures, arts patron Meghan Stabile and Tamir Rice. You can sense the anguish he feels for 12-year-old Rice on “Tamir,” a prayer-like piece that reaches its peak as Shaw builds to Coltrane-inspired sweeps and cries. Lund joins the quartet on “Distant Images,” a tender ballad written for Shaw’s grandmother. Berliner’s vibes add a sense of radiance to “Gina’s Ascent,” a musical celebration of the life of Shaw’s cousin, Gina, who he explains was a bright spirit of the family. Despite the highly personal nature of the compositions, many of the tracks are a bit more clinical than emotional. Shaw’s solos tend to sound like scalar exercises rather than heartfelt expressions. This is especially true on the closing “Until We Meet,” which is a duo for sax and electric piano. Too often, Dyson’s bustling rhythm patterns, particularly on “Contemplation” and “Invisible Man” overpower the singular voice of Shaw’s plaintive melodies and moods. Painter of the Invisible is a nice enough jazz recording for Shaw, but it misses the mark on its real intention — to explore Black life through themes of joy, grief, beauty, social justice and ancestral wisdom. Let’s not wait another 13 years for his next effort!

BOTTOM LINE: Saxophonist Jaleel Shaw paints musical portraits of family members, literary figures and others who have shaped his life on Painter of the Invisible. Shaw demonstrates his technical skills as a “musical painter” on 11 original compositions.
Too often, those technical skills overpower the emotional essence of the portraits.