Charles Wesley Shaw Jr. was nicknamed Bobo after his mother. He was born in Pope (Miss.) on Sept. 5, 1947 and moved to St. Louis with his family as a youngster. He was a member of the American Woodsman Drum and Bugle Corps, where he learned the basics. He also studied with the St. Louis Symphony. In 1968, Shaw founded the Black Artists’ Group. It was a cooperative that allowed musicians, visual artists and writers to do it themselves. The group lasted until 1972. Oliver Lake, Hamiet Blueiett, and Julius Hemphill were among the musicians. They would later form the World Saxophone Quartet along with David Murray. Other musicians were key participants in New York’s 1970s avant-garde. In addition to the Black Artists Group, Shaw also helped create the Human Artists Association which allowed white collaborators. He also created an associated musical group called the Human Arts Ensemble, which he used for his own groups. According to Benjamin Looker’s book, “Point From Which Creation Begins”: The Black Artists Group of St. Louis (2004), he was a founder and president of the short-lived independent jazz label Universal Justice. Six albums were released by the label, one of which was by the Human Arts Ensemble. As part of a quartet, Mr. Lake led, Shaw made his way to Paris in 1972. The St. Louis musicians made connections with other expatriates, and worked the European jazz festival circuit. This helped them to build their reputation. Shaw returned to the United States and settled in New York. Ellen Stewart, founder of La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, in Manhattan’s East Village, granted Shaw the use of her Children’s Workshop Theater. This theater became a hub for classes, rehearsals and concerts, as well as Sunday morning free-jazz services. In the 1970s, Shaw was active on the downtown loft jazz circuit. Here musicians encouraged experimentation in space-run spaces. The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (Chicago) had been a supportive group for the Black Artists’ Group, which was also migrating to New York City. These musicians from the Midwest became an integral part of New York City’s jazz vanguard. In the 1970s and 1980s, Shaw led a diverse lineup of his Human Arts Ensemble. He recorded and performed with Mr. Lake and Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton and Steve Lacy as well as Lester Bowie and Frank Lowe and Billy Bang. His discography includes more than two dozen albums, both as a leader and sideman. In 1986, Shaw returned to St. Louis and performed in numerous ensembles. In 2015, Shaw performed with Hamiet Bluiett and the Telepathic Orchestra at New York City’s Vision Festival. Marian Shaw Matthews, his sister; six daughters, Concere and Antasiah Shaw Matthews, Erica, Tracy, Lorene Sabbane Shaw, and a grandchild are left to mourn Mr. Shaw. Charles Bobo Shaw, a jazz drummer who lived in St. Louis and worked with many of the major jazz musicians of the 1960s-’70s jazz avantgarde, passed away on January 16, 2017. He was 69 years old. George R. Sams, a friend, and frequent collaborator, confirmed his death at a hospice. He said that Shaw had been admitted to hospital last month with multiple illnesses. Shaw could either create a simple swing or funk, or delve into the colorful flow of free jazz. He was a founding member of the Black Artists Group in St. Louis and the Human Artists Association. He was also an organizer during an era in which forward-looking jazz musicians were creating their infrastructure. From www.nytimes.com
