Jazz The great Artie

Shaw's solo in this tune is an absolute classic.
Yes. Too true. Clarinet players like myself are still trying to play it. Specially the bit that he plays staccato up to top B. That's B above the written range above top C. Never mind, at least there's always Stranger on the Shore. 😉
 
For me I never want to stop an Artie track midway, unlike Benny or Eddie Daniels. I think the same about benny,s foray into Classical Clarinet even more. When I see Benny playing in front of a big band, I'm amazed that he can be heard above the band. Artie has a beautiful ringing Clarinet sound, and probably could play first Clarinet in a major orchestra if he had chosen that direction. But if he did he wouldn't have met and married Lana Turner or Ava Gardner. LOL.
 
For me I never want to stop an Artie track midway, unlike Benny or Eddie Daniels. I think the same about benny,s foray into Classical Clarinet even more. When I see Benny playing in front of a big band, I'm amazed that he can be heard above the band. Artie has a beautiful ringing Clarinet sound, and probably could play first Clarinet in a major orchestra if he had chosen that direction. But if he did he wouldn't have met and married Lana Turner or Ava Gardner. LOL.
"In the late 1940s, Shaw performed classical music at Carnegie Hall and with the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artie_Shaw

in that documentary, Mr Shaw says that the difference between himself and Benny Goodman was that Goodman played the clarinet, whereas he played music...
 
in that documentary, Mr Shaw says that the difference between himself and Benny Goodman was that Goodman played the clarinet, whereas he played music...

That's why he quit Clarinet, and Benny went on to die while practicing. I believe he was found after he had fallen from a chair, clarinet in hand. Nice way to go for a musician.🙂
 
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I really like both. Just wondering what it is about Shaw's playing that appeals more to you.
Goodman was locked stylistically in the Chicago/Dixieland style, and IMO never evolved where he really should have. This might explain why he complained about most Jazz forms that followed, including Bop. He wasn't as creative with his solos, and repeated himself. I also find that he often played gratingly sharp in the upper register.
 
I should play so gratingly sharp, or be so uncreative in my solos. Or play to sellout crowds at Carnegie Hall. Not bad for over seventy years ago, when he was considered an upstart, along with other legends of his era. Guess I'm just a touchy old geezer who was raised listening to all the 78's of my older siblings who attended the live concerts of Goodman, Shaw, Miller, etc. I can't find a damned thing to criticize about any of them. Only to emulate.
 
I should play so gratingly sharp, or be so uncreative in my solos. Or play to sellout crowds at Carnegie Hall. Not bad for over seventy years ago, when he was considered an upstart, along with other legends of his era. Guess I'm just a touchy old geezer who was raised listening to all the 78's of my older siblings who attended the live concerts of Goodman, Shaw, Miller, etc. I can't find a damned thing to criticize about any of them. Only to emulate.

I agree Al C. there's not a lot to critique with either of them, but as time goes on it's inevitable that the two giants of Jazz Clarinet of that time will always be compared. Primarily because of there different styles. Goodmans Clarinet sang like a bird but Artie played with more soul for want of a better word.IMHO.🙂
PS The idea behind the thread was to highlight the fact that he stopped playing at age 44. Because he felt it not worth the effort to try and coax music out of a bit of wood. ( I heard him say words to that effect in a doc.) Not to have a comparison with Benny.
 
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Probably Haywood Henry. One of the Bama State Collegians who became Erskine Hawkins Orchestra. The others it might be include Paul Bascomb(Ts), Juilain Dash(Ts), William Johnson
 
Probably Haywood Henry. One of the Bama State Collegians who became Erskine Hawkins Orchestra. The others it might be include Paul Bascomb(Ts), Juilain Dash(Ts), William Johnson

That's as close as I can get too. A cracking bit of playing to go uncredited. Sign of the times I guess.
 
I saw Shaw on the Johnny Carson show. He skipped over much of Carson's questions about Shaw's music, but preferred to talk instead about his short-story writing, and the fact that he really liked The Carpenters. He had moved on to other interests.
 

Similar threads... or are they? Maybe not but they could be worth reading anyway 😀

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