Jaleel Shaw Headlines Free Jazz at the Fort Concert

Berklee College of Music and the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department’s ParkARTS program present the Jaleel Shaw Quartet at the annual, free Jazz at the Fort concert, Sunday, August 3, 5:00 p.m., at Roxbury's Highland Park. Alumnus saxophonist Shaw is appearing in the midst of a busy summer of performances at jazz festivals throughout Europe and the United States with Tom Harrell’s Colors of a Dream, and New York City nightclubs with the Roy Haynes Quartet.

Adding to the festivities will be a presentation of local artists from Discover Roxbury's ArtROX! series, including Destiny Palmer, who will paint an original piece inspired by the music Shaw plays with his band. 

Jazz at the Fort is part of Berklee's Summer in the City series, made possible by presenting sponsor Natixis Global Asset Management, with musical performances by Berklee musicians in neighborhoods throughout Boston.

Entry ways to Highland Park are on Fort Avenue or Beach Glen Street in Roxbury. The park is wheelchair-accessible. Parking is available at Columbus Avenue and Cedar Street in the Roxbury Community College lot. The park is also a short walk from the MBTA Roxbury Crossing Station. In the event of rain, the concert will move to Roxbury Community College's Media Arts Center, 1234 Columbus Avenue. For more information visit berklee.edu/events or call 617 747-6057.

Shaw's reputation as a composer and improviser got a boost when a concert he performed in the Checkout - Live at Berklee series was streamed globally by NPR. His three CDs, Perspective, Optimism, and The Soundtrack of Things to Come earned praise by jazz critics at the New York Times. Shaw is the recipient of an ASCAP Young Composer Award, and was named alto saxophonist of the year in a JazzTimes magazine’s Readers Poll. 

Shaw received a full tuition scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music, and graduated with a dual degree in music education and performance. He also earned a master's in jazz performance from the Manhattan School of Music.

Since 1997, the multifaceted ParkARTS program has offered a wide variety of cultural offerings in Boston's parks including performing, participatory, and visual arts. By presenting programs in each of these three areas, ParkARTS ensures a broad variety of programming which appeals to many constituencies reaching all of Boston's neighborhoods.

Berklee's Office of Community Affairs and Campus Engagement (CACE) cultivates and manages institutional relationships, partnerships, and programs that advance the college, mobilize musicians asleaders, and contribute to the cultural, educational, and artistic development of the Boston area and our society.