It wasn’t your typical concert moment when a fan gets pulled onstage. Well, OK—truth be told, Highland Village resident Dylan James Shaw is a huge fan, so much so that when legendary blues and jazz musician Herbie Hancock invited the 18-year-old onstage last month in Memphis, Dylan James was already prepared with a song he’d written about the 83-year-old Hancock called “Above the Cloud Possibilities.”
Hancock had no idea he was being gifted a song, or that it was about him. But he did know Dylan James. So he wasn’t just acknowledging a fan—he was recognizing a fellow musician whose meteoric rise as a blues prodigy had been shaped by Hancock’s influence.
“Well, I will go back and put it in my computer and listen to it,” Hancock said while still speaking into the microphone.
“See everybody? We are all one big family,” he continued.
That exchange in Memphis was just one chapter in a story that feels larger than life. Dylan James, who has a high-functioning autism spectrum condition called Asperger’s, is an award-winning blues and jazz pianist, Hammond B3 organist, songwriter, and vocalist whose blend of technical precision, emotional depth, and unfiltered joy for music has captured the attention of legendary musicians, mentors, and top universities worldwide. That includes Hancock, with whom he’s developed a friendship and visited three times over the past two years.
Dylan James took his first piano lesson from his grandmother, Jan, at age 4. It wasn’t long before his abilities outpaced what most would expect—opening doors to programs and performances that would shape his young career.
Fast forward to today, and he is the pianist for the jazz band program at Plano West Senior High School. Plano West is one of only two schools in Texas sponsored by the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.
Needless to say, they don’t let just anyone play the piano.
“It’s quite a hike from Flower Mound. I’m the taxi driver, truck driver … you name it,” Dylan James’ mom, Christine Winburn, said with a laugh. A professional singer, she is the assistant director at a music school in Flower Mound. “But if you love something that much—like Dylan James does—you’re willing to do anything. The natural talent he has is an absolute gift.”
By the time Dylan James was 9, he was composing new blues material. The next year, he won the National Music Composition award from the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC. At 11, he won a national award for his blues tune, “My Joy Song.” He was also awarded numerous scholarships from the Pinetop Perkins Foundation and the Blues Foundation in Memphis.
At age 13, he was chosen as the youngest participant in Notes For Notes’ 14-week Republic Records New York City mentorship. He has also been invited to perform at Jazz Education Network conferences and, in 2021, was named the Blues Kid of the Year by Columbia College Chicago, where he was also honored by the mayor. He has been featured on FOX & CBS, radio, the internet, and viral shows worldwide. A few of his more notable mentors include Dr. JB Dyas from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz at UCLA, Eric “Scorch” Scortia, Chuck Leavell of The Rolling Stones and Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones drummer and Jazz Foundation of America’s artistic director, Steve Jordan, Bob Margolin of the Muddy Waters Band, and David Fishof.
“I remember when COVID happened, and all performances, bookings, and engagements were canceled,” Christine said. “Needless to say, this was hard because what Dylan James does is out in the public—sharing, living, and breathing his artistry. But in my mind, I saw it as a perfect opportunity to reach out to celebrity mentors and see what happened next. The first person I reached out to was Chuck Leavell. He didn’t really do private lessons, but he eventually agreed to do Zoom lessons with Dylan James. It was an incredible experience, and he and Chuck got along so well that Chuck invited us to his plantation in Georgia two years later.
“Dylan James performed for all of Chuck’s guests. A year later, they were playing together at the Cutting Room in New York, and Chuck allowed him to perform his famous solo, ‘Jessica.’ That gave Dylan James a taste of what could be.”
Christine said she began reaching out to even more artists and people in the know on her son’s behalf.
And what has happened since has been nothing short of inspiring.
Steve Jordan invited Dylan James to play at the East Harlem Museum in 2023. He also played at the Lincoln Center earlier this year. And, of course, the pièce de résistance, meeting and building a friendship with Herbie Hancock.
Christine jokes that so much has happened in between those highlights that it’s nearly impossible to keep up with anymore.
“It’s a classic case of one thing leads to another. The UK producers of a documentary called “The Session Man” approached Dylan James to perform piano in promotional videos as Nicky Hopkins (who helped shape some of the biggest rock albums in history with his iconic keyboard arrangements). Through them, they established a Nicky Hopkins scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London because they said Dylan James is the next Nicky Hopkins and referred him to the scholarship,” she said. “We’re going to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Nov. 8 in Los Angeles to help represent “The Session Man” and Nicky Hopkins’ induction.
“And meanwhile, Dylan James is a high-functioning autistic. That’s part of the beauty of it all because Dylan James doesn’t limit himself. He doesn’t think, ‘Maybe I can’t’ or ‘Maybe I shouldn’t.’ He has a childlike innocence that’s both beautiful and magical, and he’s managed to accomplish more than anyone could ever dream possible. If your heart is in it, and you’re willing to take that ride, you can achieve almost anything.
“As a mother, I’m so thankful that my son—especially being autistic—has found his thing in life. He always says, ‘Mom, I’m so thankful for what’s been given to me.’ And he always follows it with, ‘What are we going to do next?’”
By the looks of it, anything he wants.
To learn more about Dylan James Shaw, visit dylanjamesshawmusic.com.
