More albums from Artie Shaw
About Artie Shaw
Born
1910
Genre
Jazz
If he hadn’t had such disdain for show business, clarinetist, arranger, and bandleader Artie Shaw might have been the biggest star of the swing era and given Benny Goodman a run for his money. Between the late 1930s and early 1940s Shaw led one of America’s most successful and popular big bands, scoring a massive hit with Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine” in 1938, but he privileged artistic expression and experimentation over following the rules of the music biz. Shaw routinely formed new bands, developed new repertoire, and made recordings, only to shut down this project or that before stepping away from music permanently in 1954. He was born in New York City in 1910, and by the early 1930s he was working as a session musician and playing in various big bands. In 1935 he started his own group and recorded his proto-third stream marvel “Interlude in B-Flat,” fusing jazz with classical music. He revealed a sharp ear for talent, hiring many greats early in their careers, including Buddy Rich, Mel Torme, Lena Horne, and Jimmy Raney. While maintaining his big band, Shaw also formed various small groups culled from the ranks of the larger ensemble, most famously the Gramercy Five. In 1940 he was hired as bandleader for the Burns and Allen TV show, but following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 he enlisted in the Navy. After his discharge in 1944 he led and disbanded several groups, frequently experimenting with their instrumentation. His volatility extended to his personal life: he was married eight times, including to Lana Turner and Ava Gardner. Shaw returned to music briefly in 1984, lending his name and arrangements to a new big band, but his participation was limited. He died in 2004 at the age of 94.
Artie Shaw has also released music as a member of Artie Shaw & His New Music, Artie Shaw & His Gramercy Five Artie Shaw and His Orchestra.
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