Clarinets Artie Shaw

[kevgermany]

Anyone know anything about Artie Shaw, an american clarinettist? I heard a recoding of Sharon Kam playing his clarinet concerto. Quite apart from her playing talents, it's an amazing piece of music, and I'll be looking out for more of his stuff.

 

[thehunt]

Tag Kev, i know he was married an awful lot and was a bandleader. I came across one of his famous pieces begin the beguine, although not sure if he wrote it? Check it out on you tube, lovely tune.
I think he also did some writing as well.
Tschuß
Phil

 

[Andrew Sanders]

He was a divil for the broads and married some beautiful women. I saw a documentary about him a few years ago and it seems he was a contender for the king of swing, played clarinet brilliantly, and was my father in laws favourite band leader. Benny Goodman and he were not the best of pals.
Definitely worth looking out for.
Bis spater (where's me umlaut?)
Andy

 

[Young Col]

Born Arhtur Arshawsky. Was indeed a brilliant clarinetist of the swing era and later. Big hits with standards like Begin the Beguine, Stardust, Frenesi. Various marriages to such as Lana Turner and he often made the headlines by criticising the music industry and the commercialism of Tin Pan Alley, while paradoxically being very commercial himself. Some of his 1930s stuff with strings has been described as syrupy. He was though, to his credit, one of the first white bandleaders to feature black singers, including the young Billie Holiday (though it didn't last because of her inconsistency and that her voice was too subtle for the kind of pop stuff that Shaw's audiences were used to). Some of his best music was made with his small group the Gramercy Five. He had terrific range and control at the very high end of the register. I must say though that for me he was bit too pure toned and sweet and of the two, I prefer Benny Goodman.
YC

 

[visionari1]

Artie Shaw was a master of the Clarinet, wonderfully rythmic and virtuostic. I have heard several imterviews about him, seem to remember while at the top of his fame he stopped playing (lost interest) I had a tape of his, playing it while cruising the wide open spaces of New Zealand, I stopped to pick up a hitch-hiker/tramper who had been walking on the tops for a week and came out just to get more food. He was hesitant to chat , so I turned back to Artie Shaw and turned the volume up. My hitch-hiker never spoke again untill I let him out, his parting (just about only words were) Who was the clarinetist!

Artie Shaw, I think wrote his biography, which was called "The trouble with Cinder Ella"

Cheers & Ciao

 

[Justin Chune]

Some interesting stuff here about Artie Shaw. http://www.npr.org/2011/01/09/95550189/artie-shaw-the-reluctant-jazz-star

Jim.

 

[Bari251]

I saw Artie Shaw in London (Festival Hall I think), later on in his life, when he had given up playing the clarinet. He was conductiing a band which played many of his tunes. I prefer him to Benny Goodman, but judge for yourself on YouTube. He was an author also. Its well worth reading "The Trouble with Cinderella" and "I Love You, I hate You, Drop Dead", if you want to understand the music business at the time of the big bands.
Malcolm

 

[kevgermany]

Thanks, some really good info so far!

 

[zootsaxenberger]

Check out his recording of stardust on Youtube, one of the most beautiful clarinet solo's ever recorded i.m.o.
regards Zoot

 

[AlanU]

Artie Shaw is reported as saying 'Benny Goodman plays clarinet, I play music'.

A very independently minded (and financially secure) man he disbanded hugely successful bands because they bored him.
As well as being accomplished in many fields he must have been very successful in attracting women, including eight wives.

Among the seven he dismissed were Lana Turner and Ava Gardner!
What is that? Unbending independence/impatience/supreme confidence? He was a good looking, matinee idol sort of chap after all.
And a brilliant musician.

He died aged 94.
I'd have settled for his life.
Ahh, Ava Gardner..........