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Bobby Shew

b. 1941

American musician

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About Bobby Shew

Born 1941. Bobby Shew is an American trumpeter, music educator, jazz musician and musician.

Bobby Shew (born March 4, 1941) is an American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player.

Biography He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. After leaving college in 1960, Shew was drafted into the U.S. Army and played trumpet and toured with the NORAD joint forces band stationed in Colorado Springs. After leaving the Army, Shew joined Tommy Dorsey's band and then played with the Woody Herman and then the Buddy Rich big bands in the mid-to-late 1960s. In 1972, Shew moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, where he did much studio work as well as play with some of the top big bands of the era through the end of the 1970s: Akiyoshi/Tabackin, Louis Bellson, Maynard Ferguson, and others. In addition to playing on several notable big band recordings starting in the 1960s, Shew recorded several albums as leader, starting with Debut in 1978.

Over his more than 70 years of teaching, Shew's trumpet students have ranged from serious amateur musicians to many of the top trumpet players in the world. Shew has mentored jazz musicians in New Mexico and has led the Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra. He has taught a two-week workshop for high school students at the Skidmore Summer Jazz Institute in Saratoga Springs, New York. Shew also performs and teaches worldwide, including a two-week residency at the Graz University of Music in Austria in 2017. He has taught at leading European music schools in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and also in Canada.

Discography As leader Debut (Disco Mate, 1978) Outstanding In His Field (Inner City, 1979) Class Reunion (Sutra, 1980) Play Song (Jazz Hounds, 1981) Telepathy (Jazz Hounds, 1982) Shewhorn (Pausa, 1983) Trumpets No End (Delos, 1983) – with Chuck Findley Round Midnight (MoPro, 1984) Breakfast Wine (Pausa, 1985) Aim For The Heart (Gateway, 1987) – with the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra Metropole Orchestra (Mons, 1988) Tribute to the Masters (Double-Time, 1995) Heavyweights (MAMA, 1996) – with Carl Fontana Playing With Fire (MAMA, 1997) Salsa Caliente (MAMA, 1998) The Music of John Harmon (Sea Breeze, 2001) Play Music of Reed Kottler (Torii, 2002) – with Gary Foster "and friends" Live in Switzerland (TCB, 2003) – Bobby Shew / George Robert Quintet I Can't Say No (Four Leaf Clover, 2003) One in a Million (Sea Breeze, 2004) – recorded 1990 with The Groovin' High Big Band / Peter Fleischhauer Cancaos Do Amor (Torii, 2007) LIVE 1983 (UF School of Music, 2015) – Recorded 1983 with University of Florida Jazz Band – Director Gary Langford

As sideman With Louis Bellson The Louis Bellson Explosion (Pablo, 1975) Salute (Chiaroscuro, 2002)

With others Carmen McRae, Can't Hide Love (Blue Note, 1976) Rodger Fox Big Band, Heavy Company (Circular, 1981) Gerald Wilson, State Street Sweet (MAMA, 1995)

Honors Outstanding in His Field Grammy nomination (1980)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Valley High School

People in Bobby Shew's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Bobby Shew's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Bobby Shew?

American musician

When was Bobby Shew born?

Bobby Shew was born on 4 March 1941 in Albuquerque.

What is Bobby Shew's occupation?

Bobby Shew is a trumpeter, music educator, jazz musician and musician.

What nationality is Bobby Shew?

Bobby Shew is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Bobby Shew

· Wikidata: Q372512

· DBpedia: Bobby Shew

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bobby Shew. https://biography.guide/bobby-shew/

MLA: "Bobby Shew." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bobby-shew/.

Chicago: "Bobby Shew." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bobby-shew/.

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