forte. He took seven years of classical piano lessons and taught himself jazz, pop tunes and chord structure. While he considers his primary instruments to be piano and electric piano, Shur also took saxophone lessons in high school and has played that at times. Shur began playing professionally when he was 16, using his father’s tuxedo to play “club dates” in restaurants and to play weddings and parties. He joined the American Federation of Musicians in 1971 when he was in college at Rutgers University and had a regular night club band that played in New York and New Jersey. “We later expanded to playing in hotels in the Catskills,” Shur added. “I also had a band through law school that played every weekend. At one point my agent in New York City wanted to send me full time into the circuit, but law school interfered. My drummer, Dan Gottlieb, continued and became a very successful studio musician and the first drummer in the Pat Metheny Group, a wellknown jazz group. After law school, my judicial clerkship became an obstacle for several reasons, so I withdrew from the music scene. I still practice at home on my concert Baldwin I purchased with my savings over the years, mostly on the weekends. I always found my musician personality to be an asset as a lawyer in terms of my comfort level with clients and industry contacts. I still ‘sit in’ with a number of bands such as The Industry Partners and with the band which played at my son’s wedding.”
Pictured far right, Paul Shur, and his band SoundTrack
Shur’s favorite music to listen to is rock, jazz, and classical. “I play standards, jazz, and pop. While I don’t play regularly anymore because of my career in law, someday I hope to resume playing during retirement, as I have kept up with my musical contacts.”
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THE SECURED LENDER JAN/FEB 2024
Do you have an interesting hobby to share? Contact ewubbe@sfnet.com. Eileen Wubbe is senior editor of The Secured Lender.