This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: Nancy_Poppin_Posey Surnames: Shubin, Moiseff, Jennings, Brooks, Wakelin, Cook Classification: obituary Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.california.counties.solano/1166/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA) - March 14, 2002 Deceased Name: James Shubin By Brian Hamlin/ Reporter Staff Vacaville pianist, composer and recording artist Mr. James Shubin, 47, known for his improvisational composition style and free-flowing melodies, died at home Monday after a long illness. Born Oct. 7, 1954 in Fairfield, Mr. Shubin was a lifelong Solano County resident. The son of a pioneering agricultural family with a deep Russian heritage, he grew up just south of the community of Elmira and taught himself piano when he was a child. Formal musical training lasted only nine months for the young Mr. Shubin, who once slapped a would-be piano teacher's hands for trying to show him how he should play. None of Mr. Shubin's music was ever written in formal composition. The pianist always said he carried the melodies in his head, improvising as he played. Much of his musical inspiration, he said, came from the sounds of nature and the rural countryside where he grew up. "One of the gifts of not having any music written down is that I can always improve upon it," Mr. Shubin said during a 1997 interview. He was a frequent performer at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, the Vacaville Museum and at local restaurants. Mr. Shubin also released three albums of his uniquely personal music between 1987 and 1991 - "Catalyst," "Iridescence" and "Mirrors." Performing Arts Theatre technical coordinator Greg Crow remembered Mr. Shubin as a musician whose talents could have taken him to much larger venues. "James was a very prolific and reclusive talent. He went through a period where he had a lot of public acclaim, but he always felt a great responsibility to his family and to this community," Crow recalled. "Solano County was the place he wanted to stay - he had such love for this area, James was a one-of-a-kind, native Solano County talent." Longtime friend Bob Allen of Vacaville said Mr. Shubin was a musical genius who truly cared about people. "He loved people and he wanted to share his music, his dreams, and his feelings with them," Allen said. "He was very spiritual - an artist - and had great fondness for people and for nature. He incorporated his feelings in his music." Mr. Shubin once described himself as a great believer in the power of music to heal and said that he was trying to create "a harmonious, healing environment" during his concert programs. Prior to his "Healing Temple of Asklepius" concert at the Performing Arts Theatre five years ago, Mr. Shubin told The Reporter he felt his musical ability was a gift from God and that it mirrored his "reverence for the pastoral beauty of nature, the emotions of romance and the triumphs of the human heart." Mr. Shubin was a dedicated supporter of the arts in Vacaville and also was known for his AIDS awareness efforts, including a multimedia theater, art and music event at the Vacaville Cultural Center in 1996. A private family service is planned for Mr. Shubin and interment will also be private. Mr. Shubin is survived by his mother, Hazel of Vacaville; sisters, Kathy Cook of Norwalk and Susan Brooks of Redway. He was preceded in death by his father, Steve. Memorial contributions can be made to the donor's charity of choice. Arrangements were handled by Vaca Hills Chapel ============================== >From my file: CABI: SHUBIN JAMES STEVEN 1954 10 07 MOISEFF MALE SOLANO SSDI: JAMES S SHUBIN 07 Oct 1954 11 Mar 2002 (P) (72) (none specified) 549-76-2404 California ============================== Parents: Steve Mike Shubin(1915-1984)& Hazel Mike Moiseff (1922-2004) Known children: Kathleen, Susan, James, Gale 1. Gale - no other information; her name was mentioned in her father's obituary, but not in her mother's obit. 2. Susan md. (1) Unknown Jennings; (2) George Brooks - no other information is known 3. James (1954-2002) - not married; Vacaville pianist, composer and recording artist 4. Kathleen md. (1) Unknown Wakelin; (2) Unkown Cook; it is unknown if she had children Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.