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The Lee Shaw Scholarship Fund

Lee Shaw Scholarship Fund

Lee ShawTo honor the memory of Lee Shaw, a scholarship will be awarded yearly to a high school senior planning to pursue music studies in college. This fund is under the umbrella of the not-for-profit Swingtime Jazz Society. Contributions to this fund can be made payable to Swingtime Jazz Society and mailed to Colleen Pratt, Treasurer, 119 Brian Crest Ct, Schenectady, NY  12306-3449, with "Lee Shaw Scholarship Fund" in the memo line. (Please remember that Swingtime Jazz Society is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, which means donations are tax-deductible and they should qualify if your employer matches your charitable donations.)

If you know of a high school senior proficient in any instrument, including voice, who is continuing on to jazz music studies in college, please contact Rich Syracuse, chair of the Scholarship Fund, at 518-441-3112 or  richsyrar@gmail.com for more information.

How to apply

Scholarship winners

 

Lee Shaw
by Peg Delaney

Our dear Lee Shaw died Sunday, October 25, 2015, at 10:15 am at The Eddy Memorial Geriatric Center. Lee’s life is an example of passion for music, for learning, for teaching, and she passed this on to all of us. She had love for all who knew her, and her spirit lives on in her music and our memories of her. To honor her memory, there was a beautiful public memorial service and concert to celebrate her life on December 11, 2015.

A total of 21 musicians participated, including many of Lee’s students and her musical partners from the Lee Shaw Trio, Jeff Siegel and Rich Syracuse.  

In spite of all that had happened to her since her hospitalization in January, she managed to play at The Stockade Inn, Grappa 72, Avila Nursing Home and every Wednesday at her residence, The Eddy. But unfortunately, the Wednesday before her passing she did not play but confided to a friend that things felt different. Thursday she asked for Hospice Care and from then on, did not get out of bed.

Her house was sold to a dear friend, and her piano was sold to one of her students. Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs took 20 boxes (700 pounds) of teaching materials, and Jeff Kos, historian from the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, took her awards, photos on her music room wall, and about 1500 cassettes of her performance on gigs and concerts. She recorded everything. She brought her little cassette recorder to all of her gigs and concerts. She recorded her student’s piano lessons, jazz radio shows including Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, Radio Deluxe, Jim Wilke’s After Hours, Tim Coakley’s and Bill McCann’s shows. She recorded anything jazz. She told me she bought a box of 10 cassettes every week. I recently told her there were over 6000 cassettes and jokingly asked her “What were you thinking?” She answered, “I wanted everything, everything jazz.”

Concert Press Release

Much has been written regarding this phase of Lee’s life. The links below are examples of the tributes to her life and the many who love her.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailygazette/obituary.aspx?pid=176275303

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/First-Lady-of-Jazz-Lee-Shaw-dies-at-89-6589684.php#photo-8849761

http://www.nippertown.com/2015/10/26/remembering-lee-shaw/

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2015/oct/26/jazz-pianist-lee-shaw-dies-89/

Live videos are available on www.youtube.com. Type in Lee Shaw. Here are 2 links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUBxQdZZayI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJPFiIuDDRw  (Stockade Inn 7/9/15 -1 Hr 39 Min)

Here is what Jazz Times has published on their site:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/169800-pianist-composer-and-bandleader-lee-shaw-dies-at-89