Jason Shapiro is a post-bop tenor saxophonist influenced by such sax greats as Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter and Gary Thomas. Born June 10, 1971, in Philadelphia, Shapiro was raised in southern New Jersey and initially played piano. At the age of 10, he was drawn to the saxophone and never looked back. He began to play jazz while at Indiana University and excelled while playing lead alto in Dominic Spera’s big band. Upon graduation, Shapiro switched to tenor and began working with various groups in New York and Philadelphia. In 1999, he met and began studying with Greg Osby. A few years later, Shapiro decided to more deeply pursue his interest in composition by working with twentieth century composer Ron Surak. Osby’s unique approach to improvisation and Surak’s serial approach to composition helped forge Shapiro’s style as an improviser and as a composer.

Jason Shapiro is currently living in southern New Jersey with his wife and two children. While continually composing new music, Shapiro teaches and plays throughout the Philadelphia area.

Check out Jason's web site at jasonshapiro.com or his MySpace page at myspace.com/jasonshapiromusic.