Artie Shaw dies at age 94

[alankin]

Jazz giant Artie Shaw dies at age 94

Famed for his recording of ‘Begin the Beguine’

Updated: 4:45 p.m. ET Dec. 30, 2004 - Reuters

LOS ANGELES - Bandleader and clarinetist Artie Shaw, famed for his recording of “Begin the Beguine” and one of the giants of the swing era of jazz, died Thursday at age 94, his manager Will Curtis said.

A self-declared perfectionist, Shaw put down the clarinet in 1954 and never played it again, saying he could not reach the level of artistry he desired.

He had been ill for several years, Curtis said.

[sheldonm]

Dang, that's sad ; a true GIANT!

[7/4]

wow!

[Brad]

Definitely a great one. I remember seeing him on Ken Burns' Jazz.

[Harold_Z]

Condolences.

Unquestionably one of the greats. Any interiviews with him I ever heard, whether on radio, tv, or in print - always impressed me, as did his musicicianship.

Another of the greats gone.

Edited December 30, 2004 by Harold_Z

[sidewinder]

One of the last links to that golden bygone age has now passed. RIP..

[garthsj]

His 78s were among the very first I purchased when I started my interest in music .... a true giant in the swing-jazz world, and real iconoclast in a rather mundane world. He will be missed.

Garth.

[JSngry]

I remember an interview sowewhere in the last 10-15 years or so where he said he had been digging Ornette. How true that is, I can't say, but just the fact that ARTIE SHAW would even feel the need to mention Ornette tickled me to no end.

Apparently the guy was quite a trip. I like trips, and I liked Artie Shaw. My usual "R.I.P. and thanks" goes here, but the "thanks" part goes doubler than usual.

[danasgoodstuff]

A great musician and an allround smart, interesting and original guy. Opinionated, sure, but one of the few who could really back it up. it's stunning that someone that good could put his horn down and not pick it back up for 60 years...

[Christiern]

Very sad, though not unexpected news.

[MartyJazz]

I remember an interview sowewhere in the last 10-15 years or so where he said he had been digging Ornette. How true that is, I can't say, but just the fact that ARTIE SHAW would even feel the need to mention Ornette tickled me to no end.

Apparently the guy was quite a trip. I like trips, and I liked Artie Shaw. My usual "R.I.P. and thanks" goes here, but the "thanks" part goes doubler than usual.

Apropos of that, I read an interview within the last two years where he discussed how he appreciated Brad Mehldau's playing. The guy was open to experience his entire lifetime which probably accounts in some measure for his lengthy stay on this earth, despite the fact he could be quite prickly in his personal relationships. See Gene Lees regarding that point. In any event, when my father brought home Shaw's "Moonglow" RCA LP which contained 12 of his best known tracks recorded between 1938 and 1940, I became instantly hooked on first swing, and then of course later manifestations of jazz. But I've always been a Shaw enthusiast my entire life.

Aside from his prodigious musicianship, the man led quite an enviable personal life (if one could discount the inevitable dismay and heartbreak that accompanies parting and divorce). Marriages to Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Kathleen Windsor, Evelyn Keyes, etc. RIP indeed.

Edited December 30, 2004 by MartyJazz

[neveronfriday]

One of my absolute favourites!

Sad, sad day.

[mmilovan]

Somehow, God knows how, I tried to collect together and put some compilation by myself of everything I got from Artie Shaw, and to listen to it with pleasure, knowing he is with all of us. Started to think about it about 2 weeks ago with some strange and at the same time deep feeling, you can guess what...

And now, today - it happened... I didn't manage to make my compilation discs.

Terrible.

He was first to let me know that clarinet is such beautifull instrument, and first to let me know bigband music is something worth listening for.

It was 20 years ago. I was only 13 back then (trying to play his solos I have transcribed for clarinet, as well as learning scales and technique for jazz clarinet from his book, also).

R.I.P. Artie!

Your's music will remain in my heart, forever.

Edited December 30, 2004 by mmilovan

[Brownian Motion]

I never much cared for "Begin the Beguine", but Artie was a great musician and a (usually) admirable human being.

[Bright Moments]

so sad! R.I.P.!

Star Bandleader Artie Shaw Dies at 94

39 minutes ago Top Stories - AP

By JEFF WILSON, Associated Press Writer

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Artie Shaw, the clarinetist and bandleader whose recording of "Begin the Beguine" epitomized the Big Band era, died Thursday at his home. He was 94.

AP Photo

Canadian Press

Slideshow: Jazz Giant Artie Shaw Dies at 94

Shaw had been in declining health for some time and apparently died of natural causes, his attorney and longtime friend Eddie Ezor said. Shaw's caregiver was with him when he died, Ezor said.

At his peak in the 1930s and '40s, Shaw pulled in a five-figure salary per week and ranked with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller as the bandleaders who made music swing. But he left the music world largely behind in the mid-'50s and spent much of the second half of his life devoted to writing and other pursuits.

His band's recording of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" was intended to be the "B" side of the record. Instead, it became a huge hit, topping the charts for six weeks in 1938 and making Shaw famous at age 28.

Among his other hits, some with his big band and some with his quartet, the Gramercy Five: "Frenesi," "Dancing in the Dark," "Nightmare," "Back Bay Shuffle," "Accent-tchu-ate the Positive," "Traffic Jam," "They Say," "Moonglow," "Stardust," "Thanks for Ev'rything," "Summit Ridge Drive" and "My Little Nest of Heavenly Blue."

He composed some of his songs, such as "Interlude in B Flat," a 1935 work that featured an unusual combination of clarinet and strings.

He worked with such jazz legends as Buddy Rich, Mel Torme, Gordon Jenkins and, at a time when most white bandleaders refused to hire blacks, Billie Holiday.

Another famous roster: his wives. They included actresses Lana Turner (wife No. 3, 1940), Ava Gardner (news) (No. 5, 1945), and Evelyn Keyes (No. 8, 1957) and novelist Kathleen Winsor, author of the 1944 best-seller "Forever Amber" (No. 6, 1946).

The marriage to Keyes, best know for playing the middle of the three O'Hara sisters in "Gone With the Wind," lasted the longest, until 1985, but they led separate lives for much of that time.

"I like her very much and she likes me, but we've found it about impossible to live together," he said in a 1973 interview.

After his first burst of stardom, his good looks made Hollywood come calling. It was while filming "Dancing Coed," 1939, that he met Turner. In 1940, he appeared in another musical, "Second Chorus," and got two Academy Award nominations for his musical contributions — for best score and best song ("Love of My Life.")

A volatile and superbly intelligent man, Shaw hated the loss of privacy that stardom brought, had little use for signing autographs and once caused an uproar by calling jitterbugging fans "morons." He later said he was just referring to the rowdy ones.

"I could never understand why people wanted to dance to my music," he once said. "I made it good enough to listen to."

He chafed at having to play "Begin the Beguine" ad nauseam, wishing audiences would be more willing to accept new material. ("I mean, it's a good tune if you are going to be associated with one tune, but I didn't want that.")

He retired from performing several times — finally putting down his clarinet for good in the mid-'50s. After that, he lived in Spain for a time, operated a farm, and turned to literature full-time. He was a voracious reader since childhood, and had already produced a well-received autobiography, "The Trouble with Cinderella," in 1952.

"I did all you can do with a clarinet," he said. "Any more would have been less."

He put out two collections of short fiction, "I Love You, I Hate You, Drop Dead!" and "The Best of Intentions." He spent years working on a voluminous autobiographical novel tracing the rise of a young jazz musician, whom he called Albie Snow.

"I've lived for a long time and I've learned a few things that I'm passing on," he said.

Shaw was born Arthur Arshawsky on May 23, 1910, in New York City; his immigrant parents struggled to earn a living in the clothing business.

He began his professional career while still in his teens, first playing saxophone, then switching to clarinet to take advantage of a job opportunity.

By the time he was in his early 20s, he was a highly paid member of a CBS radio orchestra. After the first of his many retirements from the music business, he returned to New York and began assembling his first orchestra. "Begin the Beguine" and fame followed not long afterward.

He enlisted in the Navy during World War II and wound up spending most of his time leading a band, giving shows for the troops.

An outspoken liberal, Shaw was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953 when it was investigating Communist influence in entertainment. For once, Shaw was contrite, telling committee members he had attended a couple of Communist meetings after the war because of his interest in social justice and world peace — but had never joined the party or given it any money.

"I hate to admit that I was a dupe, but I guess I was," he said. Committee members responded with sympathy, one telling him to go out and use his talent "to fight for true Americanism."

His only musical activity in recent years was conducting a revival band he organized in the early 1980s, featuring arrangements Shaw's bands had used in the past. He did not play his clarinet.

Shaw was often asked about his supposed rivalry with fellow clarinetist Goodman. He said: "Benny, who was every bit as dedicated as I was, wanted to be an instrumentalist — he was a superb technician — while I wanted to be a musician. I think my mind was more complex than his."

___

Associated Press Writers Polly Anderson in New York and Gary Gentile in Los Angeles contributed to this story.

[catesta]

R.I.P., Artie.

He lived a full life, we should be happy for that.

Still it's very sad. As was already said, he was one of the last links. It's a shame we never got to hear more of him.

[catesta]

Great picture, Chris.

[medjuck]

He was probably about to have a comback in popularity. In Scorscese's The Aviator they keep playing Nightmare as score. In fact at one point when Ava Gardener tells Howard Hughes that she'll sleep with Frank Sinatra or Artie Shaw if she wants to they're playing Nightmare on the soundtrack.

[Christiern]

Thanks, Chris.

I recall an interview in which Artie was asked about his various marriages. "I don't know why people are so interested in my marriages," he replied. "they were failures. Nobody asks me about my divorces, all of which were successful."

[LAL]

R.I.P Artie Shaw - one of (if not) the greatest jazz clarinetists and big band leaders.

[mmilovan]

Famous picture from famous era...

Edited December 31, 2004 by mmilovan

[Randy Twizzle]

I remember hearing a radio interview Shaw did with NY DJ Jonathan Schwartz about 15 years ago. Among other things, they argued about Mick Jagger's singing and the benefits of gun ownership. Shaw hated the former (he did a hilarious immitation of Jagger) and loved the latter. He was a card carrying NRA member and quite proud of it.

[catesta]

Shaw was selected as one the 2005 NEA Jazz Masters.

NEA Jazz Masters

[B. Goren.]

R.I.P. Mr. Shaw.

[Big Al]

Thanks, Chris.

I recall an interview in which Artie was asked about his various marriages. "I don't know why people are so interested in my marriages," he replied. "they were failures. Nobody asks me about my divorces, all of which were successful."

NPR did a tribute to Shaw tonight; they played a bit from an interview from a few years ago where he flatly denied being married eight times and then wondered aloud why no one seems to get to upset that Mick Jagger's had all sorts of women.

Is there any kind of biography of Shaw in print available? Seems he's led a fascinating life.

One of the first jazz CDs I ever purchased was a Bluebird compilation simply called "Begin the Beguine." Bought it for that song, ended up loving the whole thing. The liner notes were pretty cool & well-written, IIRC! B-)