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Artie Shaw is regarded as one of the best jazz clarinetists, and a leader of some of the finest groups of all time. Upon first meeting Shaw, Wynton Marsalis commented, "This man's got some history!" |
Clarinetist, bandleader, composer and arranger Artie Shaw was born in New Haven, Conn., in 1910. He began playing clarinet at 14, several months after he had begun playing saxophone. Once he heard Louis Armstrong's recordings with his Hot Five group at age 16, Shaw fell in love with jazz and went to Chicago's Savoy Ballroom to meet the trumpet great.
From 1926 to 1929, Shaw worked with Austin Wylie's band in Cleveland, arranging and leading rehearsals. In 1928, Shaw won a trip to Hollywood, where he ran into some hometown friends who were playing with Irving Aaronson's band. A year later, Shaw moved to Hollywood to join the group.
While touring with Aaronson, Shaw had the opportunity to play with local musicians of both Chicago and New York. It was during this period that he discovered the musical works of the then avant-garde classical composers like Debussy, Stravinsky, and Ravel -- which would influence his music for years to come.
After touring to New York with Aaronson's band, Shaw decided to stay in the city to work in radio and recording studios and within a year he became the area's top lead-alto and clarinet player. In 1936, Shaw made his debut as a leader with his Interlude in B Flat, to be performed in a Swing Concert at Broadway's Imperial Theater. The piece required a unique jazz ensemble consisting of string quartet, clarinet, and rhythm section without piano. The group was not well received by the public, and he disbanded it in 1937.
Later that year, Artie Shaw formed a swing band, gathered and created a new book of music, and recorded his first hit, "Begin the Beguine." The impact of the recording was huge and helped to forever dub Shaw the new "King of Swing". Shaw disbanded his group in 1939 in an effort to escape the spotlight, but resurfaced in Hollywood in 1940 recording his second big hit, "Frenesi," for the film Second Chorus. The song featured a big band with a nine-piece string section, an ensemble that Shaw also used on tour. In addition to this larger ensemble, he drew a small group from his orchestra's ranks, The Gramercy Five, which included Billy Butterfield and Johnny Guarnieri. Among their recordings was the hit "Summit Ridge Drive".
Both the orchestra and the small group were critically acclaimed and highly successful. Yet, once again, Artie Shaw dissolved his band, only to create a new ensemble in 1941 -- one that included Hot Lips Page, Georgie Auld, and Max Kaminsky, along with Guarnieri. In late 1942, Shaw enlisted in the Navy and was asked to form a service band that performed as often as four times a day throughout Pacific war zones.
Artie Shaw organized three more big bands in his career, reconstituting The Gramercy Five from each incarnation. A recording by the first of the bands called "Little Jazz" featured trumpeter Roy Eldridge. In 1954 Shaw retired from the music business, moving to Duchess County, N.Y., to work on a semi-autobiographical work that is still in print. He was persuaded to organize another band in 1983, which was led by Dick Johnson. Occasionally Shaw conducted the group, but never played with the band.
Artie Shaw passed away on December 30, 2004, at the age of 94. In 2005, Shaw was posthumously named to the NEA's list of Jazz Masters.
Set List for Artie Shaw on Piano Jazz:"Nightmare" (Shaw)
"Streamline" (Shaw)
"Begin The Beguine" (C. Porter)
"Any Old Time" (Shaw)
"Frenesi" (Dominguez)
"Stardust" (Carmichael")
"Love Of My Life" (Shaw, Mercer)
"Nocture" (Griselle)
"Valse" (Poulenc)
"Innuendo" (Mandell)
"The One And Only" (Shaw)
"These Foolish Things" (Strachey, Link)
"Don't Take Your Love From Me" (Shaw)
About Richard Sudhalter:
Cornetist and jazz historian Richard Sudhalter was born December 28, 1928, in Boston, Mass. In the 1960s, Sudhalter played cornet with the New Paul Whiteman Orchestra in England, and later played in the United States with the New York Jazz Repertory Company and the Classic Jazz Quartet. As he expanded his career in music, Sudhalter's virtues as a player and a tireless organizer became more widely apparent.
A noted scholar and jazz critic, Sudhalter has written several books about jazz and its legends, including a biography of Bix Beiderbecke, Bix: Man and Legend, and Stardust Melody, a biography of Hoagie Carmichael. These books, and the many liner notes he has written, have helped to preserve important pieces of jazz history. His interest in the pre-bop Big Band era makes him the perfect guest to explore the life of Artie Shaw.
Artie Shaw
Hear Artie Shaw on 'Morning Edition'
From 1926 to 1929, Shaw worked with Austin Wylie's band in Cleveland, arranging and leading rehearsals. In 1928, Shaw won a trip to Hollywood, where he ran into some hometown friends who were playing with Irving Aaronson's band. A year later, Shaw moved to Hollywood to join the group.
While touring with Aaronson, Shaw had the opportunity to play with local musicians of both Chicago and New York. It was during this period that he discovered the musical works of the then avant-garde classical composers like Debussy, Stravinsky, and Ravel -- which would influence his music for years to come.
After touring to New York with Aaronson's band, Shaw decided to stay in the city to work in radio and recording studios and within a year he became the area's top lead-alto and clarinet player. In 1936, Shaw made his debut as a leader with his Interlude in B Flat, to be performed in a Swing Concert at Broadway's Imperial Theater. The piece required a unique jazz ensemble consisting of string quartet, clarinet, and rhythm section without piano. The group was not well received by the public, and he disbanded it in 1937.
Later that year, Artie Shaw formed a swing band, gathered and created a new book of music, and recorded his first hit, "Begin the Beguine." The impact of the recording was huge and helped to forever dub Shaw the new "King of Swing". Shaw disbanded his group in 1939 in an effort to escape the spotlight, but resurfaced in Hollywood in 1940 recording his second big hit, "Frenesi," for the film Second Chorus. The song featured a big band with a nine-piece string section, an ensemble that Shaw also used on tour. In addition to this larger ensemble, he drew a small group from his orchestra's ranks, The Gramercy Five, which included Billy Butterfield and Johnny Guarnieri. Among their recordings was the hit "Summit Ridge Drive".
Both the orchestra and the small group were critically acclaimed and highly successful. Yet, once again, Artie Shaw dissolved his band, only to create a new ensemble in 1941 -- one that included Hot Lips Page, Georgie Auld, and Max Kaminsky, along with Guarnieri. In late 1942, Shaw enlisted in the Navy and was asked to form a service band that performed as often as four times a day throughout Pacific war zones.
Artie Shaw organized three more big bands in his career, reconstituting The Gramercy Five from each incarnation. A recording by the first of the bands called "Little Jazz" featured trumpeter Roy Eldridge. In 1954 Shaw retired from the music business, moving to Duchess County, N.Y., to work on a semi-autobiographical work that is still in print. He was persuaded to organize another band in 1983, which was led by Dick Johnson. Occasionally Shaw conducted the group, but never played with the band.
Artie Shaw passed away on December 30, 2004, at the age of 94. In 2005, Shaw was posthumously named to the NEA's list of Jazz Masters.
Set List for Artie Shaw on Piano Jazz:
About Richard Sudhalter:
Cornetist and jazz historian Richard Sudhalter was born December 28, 1928, in Boston, Mass. In the 1960s, Sudhalter played cornet with the New Paul Whiteman Orchestra in England, and later played in the United States with the New York Jazz Repertory Company and the Classic Jazz Quartet. As he expanded his career in music, Sudhalter's virtues as a player and a tireless organizer became more widely apparent.
A noted scholar and jazz critic, Sudhalter has written several books about jazz and its legends, including a biography of Bix Beiderbecke, Bix: Man and Legend, and Stardust Melody, a biography of Hoagie Carmichael. These books, and the many liner notes he has written, have helped to preserve important pieces of jazz history. His interest in the pre-bop Big Band era makes him the perfect guest to explore the life of Artie Shaw.
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