Charles "Bobo" Shaw, Drums, 1947, Pope, MS
Bobo achieved his formal training with Ed Thigpen and several other teachers in his home town. He also briefly studied the bass and the trombone. In 1968 Bobo was one of the Black Artists Group in St Louis. He went to Europe with several other members of that group, and while there, played free jazz for a year with Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy, Frank Wright, Alan Silva and Michel Portal. During the 1970s he recorded with Oliver Lake, Lester and Joseph Bowie, Julius Hemphill, and others. After performing, touring, and recording with the group, Human Arts Ensemble, in the latter part of the'70s, he returned to the U.S., and did some recording with Billy Bang. Today, Shaw is active performing and in the studios in this country and in Europe.
Albert Mangelsdorff, Trombone,1928, Frankfurt, Germany
During the early '40s Albert studied the violin, but worked as a jazz guitarist , and in 1948 took up the trombone. Around 1955 he worked with Joe Klimm, Hans Koller's New Jazz Stars, The Frankfurt All Stars, and several other hard-bop groups, all locally popular. In 1958 he was invited to play in Marshall Brown's International Youth Band at the Newport Jazz Festival, and the same year he played with several different groups of his own throughout Europe. He worked in concerts and on radio and television. He gained a great deal of international recognition when he recorded "Animal Dance" with John Lewis in 1962. From the mid '60s into the '80s he worked with such groups as the Globe Unity Orchestra , Free Sound ,and Super Brass. Mangelsdorff is considered one of the most important trombonists in jazz today. Like most German musicians of his era, the '50s, he was highly influenced by the cool jazz of Lee Konitz, Lennie Tristano and several others. Later he developed a highly individual style of free jazz.
Richie Powell, Piano, 1931, New York, NY
