Who is Gene Shaw

What a horrible world it would be....
If white sheep were all you could see.
To correct the oversight
I've placed a frisky one in sight
He's happy, gay and very bright
and dark as a starless night.

From her daughters baby book, July 10th 1959

When Marjorie Wilson walked into that small smoky jazz club one night, drawn by the mournful soulful sounds of Gene's trumpet, she was already a woman ahead of her time. A talented pianist from a family of musicians and pilots, in high school, she served in JROTC, by 20 she'd built her own house, and she later would be honored as an important contributor to her all male company. This may not seem in anyway out of the ordinary today, but in the 50s a woman's role was in the home and these small accomplishments were the exception and not the rule of the times. Although Marj's family were contemporary in thought, in the 1950s when she fell in love with Gene she was an aberration and they could not break their belief in currant traditions concerning the races. To be intimately involved with a black man was something they could not except. When Marj married Gene she became an outcast, shunned by the most important people in her life.
Even in the open environment of The Village their relationship was fraught with adversity and at times, violence. Yet through all the hardship this unusual couple were an inspiration to each other. After the birth of her first child a year prior, Marj wrote a response published in a later issue, to an article written by a Mrs. Chennault for Ebony, (Dec, 1960) entitled "How I face The World With My Negro Child," Needless to say her feelings about her own experience were quite different than the authors, she wrote;

My husband and I are interracial - that is, our skins are not the same color. He is a so-called Negro and I, a so-called Caucasian. We are both America, therefore I doubt the authenticity of the tag of either race. Society has a way of forgiving us "our little sins" when it seems we are sorry and are attempting to conform by dissolving the unfortunate union. The open defiance of conformity by preserving the union invites every fanatic, of every description, to vent his anger on the offender."

Still her and Gene's convictions would remain steadfast through harassment. She goes on to write:

"In our household we do not believe in race. We believe in individuals. My daughter is being taught to believe first , last and always in herself and to make decisions from that point alone."

Throughout their relationship she would support him in his music, embrace and share the teachings of Gurdjieff, and document their accomplishments through scrapbooks and photos until his death in 1973. Although she never felt that it did her justice, the third song, Marj, On the Breakthrough album, was written for her by Gene.

"My Daughter Married A Negro." - Interracial Relationships in the United States As Portrayed By Popular Media 1950-1975

A Womans Role In the 1950s

Interracial Marriages and the Effects on Children

Race Remixed, a look at how mixed race kids see themselves today

Man is asleep, said Gurdjieff, he has no real consciousness or will. He is not free; to him, everything happens. He can become conscious and find his true place as a human being in the creation, but this requires a profound transformation.

In 1912 Gurdjieff brought into the world a strange new teaching. It was not a religion or philosophy, but a new way in which to live. Who am I, What is the purpose of life? Gurdjieff sought the answers to these questions and eventually became convinced that they could be found through ancient traditions. His teachings taught that owing to the abnormal conditions of modern life, we no longer function in a harmonious way. In order to become harmonious, we must develop new faculties-or actualize latent potentialities-through "work on oneself." We must become fully "awake" and he presented his ideas in three forms; writing - intellect, music - emotion, and movement - the physical.

"Man's possibilities are very great. You cannot even conceive a shadow of what man is capable of attaining. But nothing can be attained in sleep. In the consciousness of a sleeping man his illusions, his 'dreams' are mixed with reality. He lives in a subjective world and he can never escape from it. And this is the reason why he can never make use of all the powers he possesses and why he lives in only a small part of himself."

Gene's relationship with the teachings of Gurdjieff were profound and life long. "The Work" and the struggle to live his life ''awake" influenced every aspect of his life from his relationships to the composition and philosophy of his music. He often hosted Gurdjieff meetings at his home and not only played Gurdjieff's music for the group, but composed and performed his own original interpretations for the piano. Group members would practice "movements" to these musical pieces, precise physical motions that resembled dance, that were designed to create a simultaneous mental and physical awareness between intellect and body.

The Gurdjieff Society

The Gurdjieff International Review

The Gurdjieff Foundation

3 years after the birth of his first daughter they gave birth to their second. She however was born in Illinois. They'd moved from New York to the hotbed environment of Chicago where the frustrations of the times began to take it's toll on the young couple. Their relationship began to deteriorate. During this time he recorded 3 Lps for Argo one of which was composed entirely with the exception of one song by Richard Evans, for the sound of Genes trumpet.
After his marriage dissolved. Gene and his band could often be found at the Wise Fool's Club in Lincoln Park, one of the hottest jazz venues of the time that still exists today. He made many appearances there but also performed weekly at a hotel his flat was attached to, in exchange for free rent. By the early 70s he put down his trumpet for a while to try his hand at another business, a doll house store where he'd put his formidable carpentry skills to work creating doll houses and their miniature furnishings. The music called to him however and finding the simple life of a carpenter un-fulfilling, he left the country for South America and stayed for a 2 year hiatus to rest and reflect and continue "The Work" in solitude. In his letters he was continuously awed by the graciousness of the local peoples and the never ending beauty of the landscape.
In 1970 he returned to the states and took up residence in Santa Monica, California where he met the second love of his life, had a son, and wrote his book Jazz, The Artless Art, A Handbook For Young Men. He was in the process of putting together a new band called "Christian" when he became ill. He passed away August 1974 in Santa Monica and his ashes were scattered on the beach a year later.
His music lives on today inspiring young musicians with his sound and creating new fans of jazz around the world.

Wise Fool's Pub

Gene's favorite pastime was chess and he often played the game with Grandmaster Nicolas Rossolimo who had a school near Gene's shop in Greenwich Village. It was one of Gene's favorite strategic games and throughout his life and no matter where he was, it was difficult to find him without a board in his possession.

Cool funky little online store, small biz, support em!

Dusty Groove Records

You thought all trumpets were the same? Boy were YOU wrong! Read all about trumpets by clicking the link below!

Profile Of the Trumpet