Ben Shaw

Composer and performer Ben Shaw lends a particularly unique voice to his compositions and projects. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Composition from the University Of Rhode Island, studying from such incredible, diverse musicians as Eric Hofbauer, Jared Sims, Joe Parillo, David Zinno, and Eliane Aberdam and has recently been studying privately with internationally renowned composer Alla Cohen. Shaw has written for a wide range of ensembles and media - short film and animation scoring - spanning the breadth of musical diversity. While primary focused on jazz and 21st century classical music, he has shown equal proficiency in a range of disciplines and styles. As a performer, Shaw is a member of several different ensembles, spending time as both a leader and sideman. He plays saxophone and composes for several different jazz ensembles - ranging in size from duo to octet - in which he and his colleagues perform modern compositions in the jazz tradition. Shaw also writes and performs as a singer/songwriter who explores his more folk and Americana based writings which take their sounds from equal parts Nashville and New Orleans. With this project he digs into the uniqueness of American music and seeks to blend all its facets together for a rich experience where the sounds of contemporary folk ballads can be heard alongside gut bucket blues and raging second line rhythms, all with the craft of a honed musician. He was also the principal composer and lyricist, as well as vocalist and sax player, for Rhode Island based hip-hop/rock/R&B band Milkbread. Although the have since disbanded, the group released a couple of albums, collaborated with local artists, and worked with Converse Shoe’s Rubber Tracks to record and release a single, “Contiguous”. Shaw also organizes “Is This Jazz?” which hosts concerts around the city of Providence - including a bimonthly series at AS220 - presenting both local and international musicians exploring the outer limits of jazz. He also periodically contributes to Motif Magazine, covering Rhode Island’s evolving jazz scene. Shaw is excited to be a part of the growing New England arts community as a modern composer and performer.