Artie Shaw dies at age 94

[Randy Twizzle]

There's a 1999 interview with Shaw from the L.A. Weekly at

http://www.laweekly.com/ink/99/51/music-mckenna.php

A sample:

Did you think Sinatra was talented?

He was very good at what he did, if you care about that. Personally, I find it hard to believe that a man can walk around with his head filled with those lyrics: "I get a kick out of you . . ." That shit he did. He wanted it very badly, though, and he's the only guy who could've come along and put Bing Crosby away, because Bing was a hell of a singer at his best. After Louis Armstrong, he was the first great jazz singer. Sure, he did horseshit like "White Christmas" -- he had to, it's part of the lexicon. But he was a long way from square. He was a terrible person, but so was Frank. I don't care about Sinatra. He bores the shit out of me.

[White Lightning]

RIP mr. Shaw

I don't know why the reports is making me sad, The man was 94!

Maybe it's the feeling that we're losing one of the final links to that great golden era in Jazz. Maybe it's because of Shaw's decision to disband his successfull band because of his musical ideology and his rebellion against the musical industry. Who else could have done the same?

I don't dig Shaw's big band sides very much, besides his bop '49 band with Al Cohn, Zoot, Frank Socolow, Jim Raney etc. A great band.

I do, however LOVE his small combos sides. His 54 final recordings with T.Farlow, H.Jones, T.Potter are among my favorite recordings. They rivalled only by his 45 Gramercy 5 sides with Little Jazz, Dodo and Barney Kessel. Superb.

I will miss mr. Shaw.

[Jim Alfredson]

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

Love it!

RIP!

[brownie]

Another great musician goes. A Howard Hugues of jazz! At least he enjoyed a very long life.

His weddings may have been failures but he had an impeccable taste in choosing beauties!

Impeccable taste went also in choosing his musicians.

[BFrank]

I keep meaning to pick up the "Self Portrait" box. It got great reviews when it was released and sounded like a very interesting compilation.

Maybe now it's time.

[Free For All]

I never much cared for "Begin the Beguine"

I think Artie got pretty tired of it too! B-)

[BERIGAN]

As others have said, 94 is quite a long life, but it's still sad!

My Dad saw him play in of all places, East St. Louis(Is there any other?) in the early 50's in a small club. Wish I could have seen him play. Missed him leading his band in LA by a few days once.

I love his Gramercy Five records, especially the early harpsichord ones. If you haven't heard them before, check out the samples. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&t...10:lzazqj3yojsa

The Documentary, Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got from 1985 is quite good, it even won an Oscar for best Documentary. Sadly, it isn't in print anymore. Artie wrote a few books, including...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books

No longer in print, I see. We had it on the shelves at Borders in the late 90's. Wish I had read it! Lost Chords has a chapter with an interview with him, very interesting.

R.I.P.

[AllenLowe]

When I hear Shaw's name I always think of the Lenny Bruce routine about joining the army and meeting the Sergeant who was dying to meet Shaw because he "wanted to shake the hand that patted the ass of Lana Turner."

[AllenLowe]

I will add that, much as I thought he was a great musician, that he did protest a little to much about his own fame and fortune - instead of complaining he should have just formed his own record company, recorded what he wanted to record, and distributed it himself. He certainly could have afforded to. I think, in reality, he relished the fame, and could not face the obscurity of just doing music on a serious and non-national/international level. Also, he had intellectual aspirations that he could not really satisfy - I've read The Trouble with Cinderella and it is rife with sub-middle brow Freudisms and pretensious philosophizing. I also tired of his railings against rock and roll.

But did I mention that I loved his clarinet playing?

[Christiern]

My most memorable recollection of Artie Shaw is his explosive reaction when--at a New York Jazz Museum board meeting--it was discovered that Howard Fisher, the museum director misappropriated money. A corporation (Seagram's, I think), had given the museum $50,000 earmarked for musician who played Sunday afternoon concerts there, Howard had used the money for other things because, he said, "musicians will play for free, anyway." Artie stood up and really let him have it, pointing out that he, Artie, was among the relatively few jazz musicians who had managed to make a good living playing jazz. I wish I had his exact words, they really told me something about Artie Shaw.

[Leeway]

Somewhat along the lines of what Allan said, I could never understand why Shaw completely dropped out of music in 1954. It was frustrating to witness, and I found his explanation(s) hard to believe.

Sure, he got tired of playing his hit song. But great artists have a way of bringing their audiences along when they venture into new areas, or, at least, continue to follow their art whether their audience gets with it or not (eventually developing a new audience). It seems a waste of 50 years of potential music-making and artistic development. He seemed to live a charmed life, but the abandonment of his art seems to me a loss.

[MartyJazz]

I will add that, much as I thought he was a great musician, that he did protest a little to much about his own fame and fortune - instead of complaining he should have just formed his own record company, recorded what he wanted to record, and distributed it himself. He certainly could have afforded to. I think, in reality, he relished the fame, and could not face the obscurity of just doing music on a serious and non-national/international level. Also, he had intellectual aspirations that he could not really satisfy - I've read The Trouble with Cinderella and it is rife with sub-middle brow Freudisms and pretensious philosophizing. I also tired of his railings against rock and roll.

But did I mention that I loved his clarinet playing?

As I mentioned in an earlier post listening to Shaw when I was barely a teenager over 45 years ago was the start of a lifelong passion for the music that we discuss so avidly here. As a Shaw collector, I too always felt that Shaw did protest too much about fame and having to play songs that pleased the masses, a point that Gunther Schuller also elaborates upon in his great analytical work, THE SWING ERA (see p698, paperback ed.). The proof of his insincerity to me occurred when I picked up the Book of the Month Club LP box of his last Gramercy 5 sides. Even though Shaw had paid to record these sides ostensibly for purely musical reasons, he still saw fit to record yet another version of "Begin the Beguine", the song that catapulted him to fame but one which he continually appeared to resent at least in print.

Despite his personality which could be so off putting to so many - see what Gene Lees has to say about Shaw in a whole chapter he dovotes to him in his MEET ME AT JIM & ANDY'S - the man made marvelous music and was simply the greatest clarinetist ever IMO.

And for those who particularly enjoy his short-lived boppish band of 1949, check out the work of the '44-45 band that featured Roy Eldridge, Dodo Marmarosa, Herbie Steward and Barney Kessel. Lots of terrific, forward-looking sides with wonderful arrangements by Buster Harding, George Siravo, Ray Conniff and others. HEP records has put out a three CD box of this outfit that is well, well worth getting.

[AllenLowe]

I hear more than one old bebopper say that, great as Goodman was, the clarinetist they admired was Shaw -

[mmilovan]

And for those who particularly enjoy his short-lived boppish band of 1949, check out the work of the '44-45 band that featured Roy Eldridge, Dodo Marmarosa, Herbie Steward and Barney Kessel.  Lots of terrific, forward-looking sides with wonderful arrangements by Buster Harding, George Siravo, Ray Conniff and others.  HEP records has put out a three CD box of this outfit that is well, well worth getting.

It is interesting to point out that Coniff (played trombone in Shaw's prewar bands - the second one) certainly contributed to that band as arranger, or arranger of trombone parts, I think (don't know if there is some evidence to this). "I Cover The Waterfront" with strings, recorded around 1940., sounds like everything Coniff did about 20-25 years later with his large pop orchestra.

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...ndpost&p=128634

If you have the recording, got to hear it, folks.

And, while spinnin his records today, and reading his interviews, I think I can understand Artie, who have not so good words to say bout The Beatles or r'nr'. What he had played so many years ago was so intelligent, deep and musically highly articulated.

On the other hand, I really dislike his words about Goodman. Benny is among few jazz icons that did so much for music we like.

Edited December 31, 2004 by mmilovan

[ghost of miles]

I got off the board here at the station around 5:45, halfway through All Things Considered, and went to have dinner with a friend. When I got home there were two messages on my machine, but I didn't check them till midnight--and one of them was news from a colleague that Shaw had died. NPR had announced it about 15 minutes after I left. I was up for hours after that, really upset--more than I probably should be, considering that he lived to be 94 and obviously got a lot out of his life. Maybe it's that his version of "Dancing in the Dark" has practically become a theme song for me this year in the wake of my mother's death, and also that I have an almost irrational passion for his music (I was really excited on Christmas Day because my wife gave me the new Shaw Hep, which contains his late-40s classical recordings). He also figures in an artistic project of mine, so I've spent a lot of time listening to his music, reading about him, etc. Truly the last giant from the swing era... his departure shuts a final door.

[mmilovan]

and also that I have an almost irrational passion for his music

The same with me. I'll never forget the day my father brought me from the trip to Italy RCA LP with Artie Shaw second "string" band. The years has passed, my father has gone, and now - Artie.

And I know it's irrational and trivial in my case, as well.

Edited December 31, 2004 by mmilovan

[ghost of miles]

Shaw was selected as one the 2005 NEA Jazz Masters.

NEA Jazz Masters

David Baker was going to present it to him 4 days from now.

I'm going to have David on in just a few minutes--doing a Shaw tribute today:

ArtieonWFIU

[Ron S]

Shaw was selected as one the 2005 NEA Jazz Masters.

NEA Jazz Masters

David Baker was going to present it to him 4 days from now.

I'm going to have David on in just a few minutes--doing a Shaw tribute today:

ArtieonWFIU

Thanks, David (and to your guest David, also). I'm now listening here in Philly--great program!

Edited December 31, 2004 by Ron S

[Big Al]

his departure shuts a final door.

Pretty much sums it up right there.

[Neal Pomea]

Here's a link to Hot Jazz Saturday Night's 3 hour tribute New Year's Day to Artie Shaw:

http://www.wamu.org/audio/hjsn/05/01/050101.ram

Should be up for a week.

[alankin]

Remembrance of Artie Shaw, including interview, from (gasp) Fresh Air:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4256203

[BruceH]

He had a long, rich, full life. Pardon me if it's been mentioned already, but the documentary about Shaw, "Time Is All You've Got" is excellent. One of the great clarinetists in all of jazz, and, according to many, a real character.

[DrJ]

The thing that seemed so great about Shaw was that he came across as genuine, real, an actual person. Didn't always agree with him but you knew where he stood and he just seemed like someone you'd love to sit and talk with for many hours.

Not to mention the great music...just recently have been revisiting the recordings with Farlow, the LAST RECORDINGS stuff on MusicMasters...just worth their weight in gold.

Goodbye, Mr. Shaw, and thanks.

[mmilovan]

Artie Shaw's funeral

by Cary Ginell

"Just got back from Artie Shaw's funeral, which was held indoors in the chapel

of the Pierce Brothers Mortuary in Westlake Village because of the pouring

rain outside. Services were supposed to be public and held at graveside, but

because of the weather, guests were limited to family, friends, press, and a few

acquaintances (that's where I came in).

It was a nice service, filled with funny stories, "Artie-isms," and of

course, music. The coffin was flanked by an early photo of Artie at the beginning of

his career and a more recent picture of Artie in his library, looking either

pensive or annoyed. Both of these pictures were included in the program. If

anyone is interested in scans of these, I'll be glad to send them as an

attachment to whoever wants one. There was also the award presented by the NEA to

Artie on Friday and a framed letter of congratulations from President Bush, dated

November 30, 2004.

There was a succession of speakers at the service, which was led by Larry

Rosen, Artie's longtime secretary. As he introduced each speaker, we got an

impression of a man who was not a curmudgeon, but someone who was a Renaissance

Man, a true genius, and a perfectionist, expecting no more than the same from

people he knew. His motto: "Good enough is not good enough" sums up his sometimes

abrasive personality and mindset. Although there were many funny stories

told, I couldn't commit all of them to memory, but here are a few highlights:

The man whose job it was to catalog Artie's massive collection of over 10,000

books reported inscriptions in the front of three books in the library. One

was by Albert Einstein, one by Sigmund Freud, and one by another famous author,

whose name escapes me now. The handwritten inscription in the front of the

Einstein book read: "To Artie Shaw, with profound admiration and respect." In

the Freud book, the inscription read, "To Artie Shaw, with profound admiration

and respect." Not only did the third book have the exact same words, but the

cataloguer noticed that the handwriting was the same on all three. He asked

Artie about it and Artie replied that he had written them himself, to identify the

books in case they were ever stolen. As we speak, Artie's book collection is

still at his house. The shelves are reportedly completely full and stacks of

books are on the floor and even piled on the stairs of his staircase.

Musician Tom Rainier chose to play two musical selections, which were played

on Artie's own boom box that was brought to the chapel. One was a 1938 radio

broadcast of Artie's hot big band playing a song that I believe was called

"Everybody's Jumpin'." Artie wanted that played because it was five minutes long

and gave the soloists a chance to spread out (Artie hated most of his studio

sessions because of the restrictions in time). Artie took two choruses, another

was by Georgie Auld, one by Tony Pastor and I couldn't identify the others.

The other song was the result of an interesting experiment in which Rainier took

selected snippets of Artie's playing, reassembled them and inserted them into

a new recording of Johnny Mandel's "The Shadow of Your Smile." The intent was

to predict what Artie would sound like if he had continued to play after

1954. The result was actually pretty amazing. Buddy DeFranco finished off the

piece with an Artie-esque 8-bar cadenza that brought tumultuous applause

throughout the chapel. Artie himself had admired the work and approved of it.

Then Dick Johnson, leader of the Artie Shaw Orchestra for the past 20 years,

played a poignant a cappella performance of "I'll Be Seeing You."

Eighty-five-year-old comedian Red Buttons talked about meeting Artie for the

first time. "It was during the War," he remembered, "and we were both in

uniform. Artie was in his Navy uniform and I was the bellhop at the Astor hotel."

Buttons recalled that Shaw's first words upon meeting him were, "What kind of a

name is 'Red Buttons'? Who in their right mind would give anyone that name?"

To which Buttons reported that his real name was Aaron Schwat, to which Shaw

immediately responded by calling Buttons "The Sultan of Schwat."

Sid Caesar was scheduled to be there and speak but he couldn't make it

because of the rain. At that point, Larry asked if anyone else had anything to say

about their relationship with Artie and there were a succession of very funny

stories. I told of my nerve-wracking first broadcast with him in 2000 and then

my final meeting with him in 2003 to discuss Bix Beiderbecke's 100th birthday.

Artie's admiration of Bix was not because of the notes Bix played or his

technique, it was the sound he produced on his cornet. Artie rhapsodized about

this sound and the fact that it could only have come from Bix. Above all, Artie

admired the individual and hated when people said they tried to play like Artie

did. "Play like yourself," he'd say. When I asked him to comment on Eddie

Condon's oft-heard description of Bix's sound, which was likening it to "a girl

saying yes," Artie paused, shook his head and said, "Poor Eddie...He must have

been pretty hard up."

The end of the service came after the playing of Gershwin's "Someone to Watch

Over Me" as sung by Lee Wiley, Shaw's favorite singer. It was an unusual

recording, recorded in 1939, in which Wiley was accompanied by Fats Waller on pipe

organ (Liberty Music Shop L-282).

Cary Ginell

Sound Thinking Music Research"

Edited January 10, 2005 by mmilovan

[Christiern]

Interesting. Thanks for posting that.