Shawn Maxwell
Shawn Maxwell is a saxophonist, woodwind specialist, composer, and bandleader whose career spans more than two decades of creative work on the Chicago music scene and extensive touring throughout the United States. From his formative years in the school music programs of Joliet, Illinois, through his undergraduate studies in music at Millikin University, Maxwell has cultivated a distinctive artistic voice rooted in jazz traditions while fearlessly exploring new sonic territories. As DownBeat publisher Frank Alkyer observes, “This is bold music. Maxwell isn’t afraid to try out new ideas and take chances.”
Maxwell released his first album of original compositions in 2005 and will release his fourteenth, Frenetic Domain, in 2026. Across this body of work, he has developed a signature approach to composition and arrangement that integrates influences from jazz, rock, funk, hip hop, R&B, and classical music. Critics have drawn comparisons to Frank Zappa, Philip Glass, the Canterbury progressive-rock movement, and even J.S. Bach—yet, as Chicago Tribune critic Howard Reich succinctly stated, “Nobody writes like this.” His music is characterized by “jaunty, angular melodies, deceptive time signatures, and metronomic rhythm arrangements—sound as if inhabited by the ghost of Zappa,” according to Neil Tesser in the liner notes to Alliance.
Maxwell’s discography has earned national and international recognition, including two DownBeat Magazine “Best Albums of the Year” honors and four “Editor’s Picks.” His recordings have been reviewed in The Chicago Tribune, JazzTimes, Cadence, All About Jazz, and numerous other publications, and have reached the Top 50 on both the JazzWeek and College Music Journal jazz charts. His projects include a range of ensembles, from small-group quartets and quintets—most notably Shawn Maxwell’s New Tomorrow—to the ten-piece ensemble Shawn Maxwell’s Alliance. His 2021 release, Expectation & Experience (Jazzline/Delta), featured remote collaborations with twenty-nine musicians, including Howard Levy, Ernie Adams, and Tom Sharpe, and was praised by Chicago Jazz Magazine for its “superlative musicianship” and increasingly refined compositional clarity.
Described as “a spirited free-thinker and committed non-conformist” (Bill Milkowski, Millstream album notes), Maxwell continues to push the boundaries of contemporary jazz composition. In addition to his work as a performer and recording artist, he is an active clinician, presenting master classes and guest appearances nationwide as a Vandoren and Conn-Selmer artist. His educational work is noted for its blend of technical depth, creative exploration, and accessible pedagogy, engaging students from elementary through collegiate levels.
More information on his music and upcoming projects can be found at www.shawnmaxwell.com.
