Ian Shaw (born 2 June 1962) is a Welsh

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

singer, record producer, actor and stand-up comedian. Shaw was born in

St. Asaph St Asaph (; cy, Llanelwy "church on the Elwy") is a city and community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 3,355, making it the second-smallest city in Britain in terms of population and urban ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, and took his music degree at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. His career in performance began in the 1980s on the alternative cabaret circuit, alongside such performers as

Julian Clary Julian Peter McDonald Clary (born 25 May 1959) is an English actor, comedian, novelist and presenter. He began appearing on television in the mid-1980s. Since then he has also acted in films, television and stage productions, numerous pantomim ...

Rory Bremner Roderick Keith Ogilvy "Rory" Bremner,"Rory Bremner". '' Who Do You Think You Are?''. Wall to Wall for BBC One. 2 February 2009. No. 1, series 6. (born 6 April 1961) is a Scottish impressionist and comedian, noted for his work in political sati ...

, and

Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English comedian, writer, presenter and actress. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Saturd ...

. At the same time, he was playing in piano bars and at festivals in London and throughout Europe. In 1990 he toured Europe and recorded with fellow singer

Carol Grimes Carol Ann Grimes (born 7 April 1944) is a British singer and songwriter. In 1969, she joined the band Delivery and recorded one album before departing for a solo career. Her debut solo album, ''Warm Blood'' (1974), was recorded with members of ...

. Since this time, Shaw has regularly worked in duo settings with other singers, including Claire Martin,

Linda Lewis Linda Ann Fredericks (born 27 September 1950), better known as Linda Lewis, is an English vocalist, songwriter and guitarist. She is the eldest of six children, three of whom also had singing careers. She is best known for the singles "Rock-a- ...

Liane Carroll Liane Carroll (born 9 February 1964, London) is an English vocalist, pianist and keyboardist. Jazz critic Dave Gelly of ''The Observer'' has described her as "one of the most stylistically flexible pianists around, with a marvellous, slightl ...

, and Sarah Jane Morris. By the mid-1990s, he was regularly performing at the

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

and in 1995 released two albums on the club's Jazzhouse label: ''Ghosthouse'' and a tribute to

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

and

Lorenz Hart Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include " Blue Moon", " The Lady Is a Tramp", "Manhattan", "Bewitched, Both ...

'' Taking It to Hart''. In 1996, Shaw led his own 'Very Big Band' on a UK tour, and by the late 1990s he was performing regularly in the U.S. In 1999, he released '' In a New York Minute'', the first of two albums on New York's

Milestone Records Milestone Records is an American jazz record company and label founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was bought by Fantasy Records in 1972. Since then, it has produced LP reissues (including items from Ke ...

label. This and ''Soho Stories'', released in 2001, featured American musicians, including

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and com ...

Lew Soloff Lewis Michael Soloff (February 20, 1944–March 8, 2015) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and actor. Biography From his birth place of New York City, United States, he studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard Sc ...

, and Eric Alexander. On the album ''A World Still Turning'' (2003), he worked with

Billy Childs William Edward Childs (born March 8, 1957) is an award-winning American composer, jazz pianist, arranger and conductor from Los Angeles, California, United States. Early life When he was sixteen he attended the Community School of the Performing ...

and

Peter Washington Peter Washington (born in Los Angeles on August 28, 1964) is a jazz double bassist. He played with the Westchester Community Symphony at the age of 14. Later he played electric bass in rock bands. He attended the University of California, Berke ...

, and guest vocalist Mark Murphy. Shaw has continued to work regularly with singer Claire Martin, co-hosting the 2004

BBC Jazz Awards The BBC Jazz Awards were set up in 2001 and had the status of one of the premier jazz awards in the United Kingdom (among those presenting the awards were Denis Lawson, Sue Mingus, Humphrey Lyttelton, Ian Carr, Clive James, Mike Gibbs, Julian Jo ...

with her and appearing with her on the

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

show ''

Big Band Special ''Big Band Special'' was a BBC Radio 2 series which launched in September 1979, as a showcase for the BBC Big Band in session and in concert. Big Band Special was a 30-minute programme broadcast on Monday nights at 9.30pm and presented by Clare ...

'', a show that he has also presented. Shaw also presented a jazz show on

BBC South BBC South is the BBC English Region serving Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and parts of Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Surrey, West Sussex and Wiltshire, with geographic coverage varying betwee ...

with Charlie Crocker. He won in the Best Jazz Vocalist category at the BBC Jazz Awards in 2004 and 2007. A 2006 album on

Linn Records Linn Records is a Glasgow-based record label which specialises in classical music, jazz and Scottish music. It is part of Linn Products. History While Linn engineers were testing their flagship product, the Sondek LP12 turntable, they became fru ...

saw Shaw paying tribute to songwriter

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

. '' Drawn to All Things: The Songs of Joni Mitchell'' was followed in 2008 by an autobiographical album, ''

Lifejacket A personal flotation device (PFD; also referred to as a life jacket, life preserver, life belt, Mae West, life vest, life saver, cork jacket, buoyancy aid or flotation suit) is a flotation device in the form of a vest or suite that is worn by a ...

'', which showcased his songwriting for the first time. ''Somewhere Towards Love'' from 2009 was an intimate album of voice and piano release by Splash Point Records. The title song, written again by Shaw, was chosen by

Molly Parkin Molly Parkin (born Molly Noyle Thomas, 3 February 1932) is a Welsh painter, novelist and journalist, who became most well-known for her work on ''Nova'' magazine, newspapers and television in the 1960s. Early life Parkin was born on 3 February ...

as one of her ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usu ...

''. In 2011, Splash Point released ''The Abbey Road Sessions'' where Shaw is again joined by a band, this time including bass player

Peter Ind Peter Ind (20 July 1928 – 20 August 2021) was a British jazz double bassist and record producer. Early life Ind was born in Middlesex. His father was a builder. Ind began to learn the violin at the age of eight and played in his school orches ...

. Shaw has continued to perform regularly at festivals and jazz clubs in the UK, including regular shows at the

Vortex Jazz Club The Vortex Jazz Club is a music venue in London, England. It was founded by David Mossman in the 1988. Background The Vortex started as a jazz club in 1988 and was located in Stoke Newington Church Street, north London. But after the acquisi ...

, Ronnie Scott's, 606 Club and the PizzaExpress Jazz Club. International appearances have included Canada, U.S., Dubai, Belarus, France, Italy, and Germany. As an actor, Shaw performed in '' Jerry Springer: The Opera'' in the role of warm-up man/devil, which was created for him by Richard Thomas. In 2005, Shaw appeared as Percy in the film '' Pierrepoint''.

Discography

* ''Lazy Blue Eyes'' with

(Offbeat, 1990) * ''Ghostsongs'' with Adrian York (Jazz House, 1992) * '' Famous Rainy Day'' (EFZ, 1995) * '' Taking It to Hart'' (Jazz House, 1996) * '' The Echo of a Song'' (Jazz House, 1997) * '' In a New York Minute'' with

(

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

, 1999) * ''

Soho Stories ''Soho Stories'' is a 2001 studio album by Welsh jazz singer Ian Shaw. Track listing #"Comes Love" (Lew Brown, Sam H. Stept, Charles Tobias) – 4:02 #"I Never Went Away" ( Richard Rodney Bennett) – 4:13 #"Ruby" (Janis Ian) – 5:22 #"Dearly ...

'' (Milestone, 2001) * '' A World Still Turning'' (441 Records, 2003) * '' Drawn to All Things: The Songs of Joni Mitchell'' (

Linn Linn may refer to: People * Linn (surname) * Linn (given name) * Linn da Quebrada, stage name of Brazilian singer, actress, screenwriter and television personality Lina Pereira dos Santos (born 1990) Places Germany * Linn (Gangkofen), a part ...

, 2006) * ''

'' (Linn, 2008) * ''Somewhere Towards Love'' (Splash Point, 2009) * '' The Abbey Road Sessions'' (Splash Point, 2011) * ''A Ghost in Every Bar: The Lyrics of Fran Landesman'' (Splash Point, 2012) * ''The Theory of Joy'' (Jazz Village, 2016) * ''Shine Sister Shine'' (Jazz Village, 2018) * ''What's New'' (Silent Wish Records, 2020)

References

External links

Official website

The Ronnie Scott's Radio Show with Ian Shaw on Jazz FM

Biography from BBC Wales

Review of ''Lifejacket'' on the free podcast 'Emancipation' on iTunes
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Ian 1962 births Living people Alumni of the University of London British jazz singers Welsh LGBT singers British male jazz musicians People from St Asaph Welsh comedians Welsh male singers Welsh record producers Welsh singer-songwriters Welsh songwriters British male songwriters British male singer-songwriters