Celebrate Lee Boswell May at Boz Way South Orange Street Naming

With big huge thanks to the Team lead South Orange Trustee Summer Jones, The President of South Orange, Sheena Collum and all her Trustee's, plus the weather delaying our ceremony, we will now appropriately honor one of our Black Historical figures and during Women's History Month.

Lee Boswell May aka Boz was a lifelong resident of South Orange, born just up the road in Orange Memorial Hospital. Living in South Orange all her life, she past away at home, at the age of 74. Lee May attended school here in South Orange and was married to the love of her life, the world renown double string bass player, Earl May. "Earl Charles Barrington May (1927-2008) is the most prominent idiodextrous jazz bassist to date. He recorded with Dizzy Gillespie and Chet Baker, toured with Cab Calloway, Charlie Parker, and nurtured the careers of countless emerging talents." https://idiodextrous.com. Together, they traveled the world with some of the top, world class players as her husband also played bass on John Coltrane's Lush Life along with many other famous jazz musicians.

Lee herself was a live music advocate, attending all the South Orange live events along with numerous other live music events in the surrounding towns and beyond. She was on the choir of Newark Bethany Church and was involved in supporting their world class Jazz Vespers programs led by NEA Jazz Master Dorthaan Kirk whose husband was famous jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute, and many other instruments, Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Boz was also a singer and one memorable anecdote was provided in a tribute by Free Speech Trio Bass Player Carl Scariati on one of her events. "Boz was once in a band with Larry Willis on piano. They were going to play a new tune (at the time) called ‘Maiden Voyage.’ Before starting, Larry got up from the piano, and said that another piano player was going to play this tune, but not to worry because he knows the tune. Since the piano player was facing away from Boz, she did not know who it was. After they finished playing the tune, she saw that the piano player was Herbie Hancock."

These and many other stories of Lee Boswell May will be remembered during the tribute so join us if you can and celebrate her life.

Sat March 6, 2020 the Access Road in Cameron Park South Orange NJ will be named Boz Way in honor of Lee, who passed away in 2020 at beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

There will be 2 virtual events on Sat. Mar 6th, 2021.

11 AM Mar 6 - Official Street Naming will take place at corner of Mead Street and soon to be Boz Way. This is across from the South Orange Baird Center and next to the Cameron Baseball Field.

7 PM Mar 6 - An online live tribute will take place featuring

1. Thoughts about Boz by Village President Sheena Collum.

2. Quick Replay of the Street Naming Ceremony.

3. Live Musical Tribute performing some of Lee May's favorite songs.

Throughout the night, tributes will be displayed from the various friends of Lee Boswell.

Due to cold weather and COVID social distancing guidelines there will be limited in person attendance at the 11 AM event. It will be broadcasted on the South Orange Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/South...the 7 PM event will be on the

FB: GregoryBurrusAroundTown page https://www.facebook.com/grego....

For those not on Facebook it will also be live on the
24 Hours of Music Website at http://24hoursofmusicjamboree.... website.

Please join us at the Boz Way South Orange NJ Street Naming.