PNC Arts Alive presents Jazz Cultural Voices.  The PNC Arts Alive initiative has demonstrated a belief in the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts and a commitment to providing us with the funding that makes this event possible.

The Philadelphia Ambassador Big Band (PABB) is the 8th presentation in the Jazz Cultural Voices lineup.  The band was founded by Dylan Band and Joseph Block. Since its inception in the summer of 2016, the band has taken off dramatically to become one of the top big bands to see in Philadelphia. PABB has performed at esteemed venues such as South Jazz Parlor, Chris’ Jazz Café, the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, the Community Unity Festival, the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, the MANN Music Center, and the Franklin Institute. PABB is rejuvenating the big band scene in Philly, while paying homage to the legendary writers, particularly Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, and Count Basie. In addition to honoring classic big band repertoire, our performances often feature arrangements written by members of the ensemble.

Jaleel Shaw, Guest Artist

Alto & Soprano saxophonist and bandleader, Jaleel Shaw, won the 2014 Downbeat Critics Poll’s for Rising Star Alto Saxophonist. He is a longtime member of the Roy Haynes Quartet, Tom Harrell’s “Colors Of A Dream” and has performed with Christian McBride, Jason Moran, the Mingus Big Band, Pat Metheny, Stefon Harris, Roy Hargrove, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jimmy Cobb and several others.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Shaw picked up the alto saxophone and surrounded himself with music at an early age. Immersing himself in the local jazz scene, he studied and performed with many of the city’s great musicians and educators and, following high school, received a full-tuition scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where he received a dual degree in Music Education and Performance. While at Berklee, Shaw was awarded the Billboard Endowed Scholarship for Outstanding Academic and Musical achievement (1998), Woodwind Department Chair Awards (1998 & 2000), The Boston Jazz Society Award (1999) and The Outstanding Student Teacher Award (2000). He later received a scholarship to Manhattan School of Music in New York, where he obtained a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance.

Shaw’s debut album, Perspective (2005), received rave reviews from The New York Times and Jazzwise Magazine and All About Jazz named the album one of the top five debut albums of 2005; his composition “The Heavyweight Champion” received an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award.

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