Bobby Shew
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Bobby Shew (born March 4, 1941) is a renowned jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player.
[edit] Biography
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bobby Shew began playing the guitar at the age of eight and switched to the trumpet at the age of ten. By the time he was thirteen, Bobby was playing at local dances with a number of bands and by the age of fifteen had put together his own group to play at dances, occasional concerts and in jazz coffee houses. Bobby spent most of his high school tenure playing six nights a week in various dinner clubs.
Shew then spent three years as the jazz trumpet soloist in the NORAD multi-service band. Shortly after leaving the NORAD Band, Bobby joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra under the direction of Sam Donahue. After his stint with Tommy Dorsey, Bobby was recruited by the late Bill Chase to play in Woody Herman's band. He then spent some time playing for Della Reese and Buddy Rich, whose big band had just been formed.
Many other similar situations followed and Bobby played lead trumpet for a number of pop stars. This brought Bobby to live in Las Vegas where he became prominent in various hotels and casinos. In 1972, he moved to Los Angeles. Various groups he played with in Los Angeles include: Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Horace Silver Quintet, and Frank Strazzeri-Sam Most, as well as numerous big bands such as Bill Holman, Louie Bellson, Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin, Oliver Nelson, Bill Berry, Nat Pierce, Frank Capp Juggernaut, Ed Shaughnessy, Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Maynard Ferguson, Neal Hefti, Don Menza, and Bob Florence.
Bobby has appeared on the soundtracks of TV shows such as Hawaii 5-O, Streets Of San Francisco, Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore, Midnight Specials, Don Kirschner Rock Concert, Happy Days, Laverne And Shirley, and Eight Is Enough. His work on soundtracks includes Grease I and II, Rocky I and II, Six-Pack, The Muppet Movie, The Drivers, and Taxi.
Bobby is involved in the music educational system, conducting clinics and master classes at high schools and college campuses all over the world. Bobby has also been on the Board of Directors of the International Trumpet Guild, and has acted as National Trumpet Chairman for the International Association of Jazz Educators.
Bobby is a Yamaha Corporation Artist and Clinican having designed the Z line of Trumpets and Flugelhorns for Yamaha. Bobby also has an international reputation as a trumpet teacher having worked with many renowned professional players such as Roger Ingram, Till Broenner and Greg Gisbert.
[edit] Honors
- Outstanding in His Field - Grammy nomination (1980)
- Heavy Company - Jazz Album of the Year (1983)
