Arthur Arshawsky (23 May 1910 – 30 December 2004), better known as Artie Shaw, was an accomplished jazz alto saxophonist,clarinetist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and author. Born in New York City, he grew up in New Haven and learned the saxophone at age 15. He began touring with a band when he was 16. As a sideman in Irving Aaronson’s band, he made his first trip to Hollywood in 1931. He performed at the Orange Blossom Room, where the Academy Awards were first presented in 1929. In 1932, he returned to New York City and became a highly sought-after session musician. He was one of only a few accompanists to Bing Crosby’s first radio show on William S. Paley’s CBS radio network. Artie, who was known only as Art Shaw, until his fortuitous contract with RCA Victor Records’ Bluebird label in Summer 1938, became Artie. He organized and led five full-time touring orchestras, all of which were extremely popular, the exception being the 1949 one with its be-bop-oriented book. Most jazz critics consider the final Shaw-led bigband, which featured players such as Al Cohn, to be Artie’s finest. Shaw was forced to leave the Navy in WWII to lead a Navy unit band. His actual career as a big band leader lasted just a decade. However, it was an extremely productive one with fourteen “Gold” records. These include mega-hits like “Begin the Beguine”, Stardust”, Frenesi”, “Moonglow”, and “Temptation” – the latter being performed by his famous quintet, the Gramercy 5. Shaw is known for his pioneering use of unusual instruments and string with jazz, as well as being an innovator in big band idiom. His 1935 Summer piece, “Interlude In B-flat”, was one of the first examples of what would later be called “third stream”. He convinced Billie Holiday in 1938 to become his band’s singer, making him the first white bandleader ever to hire a black woman singer full-time. The 1938-1939 orchestra was a success and featured in the film “Dancing Co-ed”, which also featured Lana Turner, one of his future wives. Artie’s clarinet playing was now at a level that rivaled Benny Goodman’s. Barney Bigard, a long-time Duke Ellington clarinetist, cited Shaw (in 40) as his “favorite clarinet player. Shaw, who had left his famed 1938-1939 band at its peak of fame and earning power (Artie alone pulling in more than $10K per semaine), “abdicated” to Acapulco Mexico. In the summer of 1940, Shaw returned to the U.S. and organized a new orchestra with a full string section. It was a truly outstanding aggregation that lasted until mid-1941. The principal arranger was Ray Conniff, Johnny Guarneiri and Nick Fatool. The RKO film “Second Chorus”, starring Fred Astaire, Paulette Goddard and others features this outfit. The last pre-war Shaw band was formed in late 1941 and featured Davey Tough, Hot Lips Page, and huge hits on Blues In The Night and St. James Infirmary Blues. This outstanding unit was disbanded by Artie shortly after Pearl Harbor. He refused an offer of a commission and “enlist” in Navy. Shaw, who was returning from the Navy, put together a new group that included Roy Eldridge. He also had a large library of arrangements by Buster Harding and Ray Conniff. Artie Gardner was already married by Ava Gardner, and this band had hit records such as “Little Jazz” or “S’Wonderful”. His last public performance as a clarinetist was in 1954. He performed with a brilliant quartet during an extended Las Vegas booking. According to Evelyn Keyes, his last clarinet performance was in 1960 at his Spanish beach house. He refused all offers to play again on the stage and finally formed a “ghost band” under the guidance of Dick Johnson, an outstanding clarinetist. Artie was a frequent performer with the orchestra for a few prestigious bookings in the first year. But, Artie soon grew tired of the “grind”, much to Dick Johnson’s delight. The “ghost” band, which is now a true ghost, still appears during the Summer seasons (with most of the original Shaw “books”), primarily in the New England region (Johnson resides in Boston). It is definitely worth seeing. Artie had more wives (8 than bands), but fell one short of Charlie Barnet’s record of nine wives (for a well-known bandleader). Text contributed by users is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
