bob shaut

performer, educator, composer/arranger

 

The Educator:
Bob taught in the Poughkeepsie and Kingston city school districts for 37 years, grades kindergarten through 12th grade. His Middle School and High School bands earned numerous awards, but his more creative educational experiences came through the Jazz Ensemble genre. Besides consistently earning gold with distinction or gold ratings with the Jazz Ensembles, he developed unique performing opportunities for these groups. The Urban Symphony series was a multi-media concept that allowed students to create music, poetry, dance, art projects, and technology skills. The Big Swing Dance and the Kingston 'S'Cools Jazz Festival were other creations that Bob introduced. The Kingston High School Jazz Ensemble appeared at the NYSSMA Winter Conference in Rochester, the NYSBDA conference in Syracuse, the Kingston International Jazz Festival, and was selected as a finalist in the Essentially Ellington competition, and performed at Lincoln Center in 2009. Bob has conductor 15 all county bands or jazz ensembles throughout New York state. He has maintained a private saxophone studio as well as having taught for fifteen years at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie.

 

The Performer:
Bob has played professionally since being in high school. He has played saxophone, clarinet and flute in many shows in the Hudson Valley, and has performed several times with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. Some of the acts that he has performed with include: Andy Williams, the Temptations, Frankie Valli, Jerry Vale, Connie Francis, Eddie Fischer, the Four Tops, Engelbert
Humperdinck, Phyllis Diller, Henny Youngman, Joan Rivers, Regis Philbin , and conducted for George Burns.
As a jazz artist, Bob has performed with many local musicians. Bands that he led are Mosaic, a 12 piece big band; a quintet that released an LP, “Shaut's Thoughts”; Sax Life, a sax quartet with rhythm section. Presently, Bob performs with Sax Life, CBC Trio, the Big Bang Big Band, and Swingin' Jive Patrol.

 

The Composer / Arranger:
Bob's music has been performed throughout the country by public school groups, college bands, and professional groups. He has written for singer Don McLean, and in 2001 was commissioned by the city of Kingston to write a piece for the 350th anniversary of the city. He has written dozens of pieces for special events with his school groups, including marching band, a woodwind jazz ensemble,
among other pieces for concert band and jazz ensemble.

 

Bob's compositions can be found on several recordings, including “Shaut's Thoughts”, “Yo! Say 'men to Dis!” by the KHS Jazz Ensemble, "America Remembers" by the University of Southern Mississippi's Sax Chamber Orchestra and most recently, “The Saxophone and the Drum”, recorded by Sax Life.