So I put together the Gramercy Five, figuring at least I could play for smaller audiences who would maybe not be more discriminating, but they would certainly allow more to happen -- jazz clubs. Read the best writing on rock music here. Individuals can subscribe to Rock’s Backpages for three, six and twelve months to get unlimited access to the complete Rock’s Backpages archive. We use cookies to help provide you with the best possible online experience. Subscriptions to Rock’s Backpages are available for institutional or personal use. Shaw rejected many of the pop tunes that had become dance-band staples and instead created his repertoire from originals and songs by composers such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Begin the Beguine It was a hell of a good song. "It got to the point where -- it's fine to have a hit record, it pays rent -- but it can drive you crazy, like an actor playing the same part. Artie Shaw played ukulele at ten and began as an alto saxophonist at the age of twelve. He was 94. In the 1930s and '40s, Artie Shaw's band ranked with the Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller bands in popularity. Artie Shaw (* 23. August 1976 in Dallas) war ein US-amerikanischer Violinist, Arrangeur, Komponist und Bigband-Leader im Bereich des Swing und der Populären Musik.Er arbeitete für die Bands von Artie Shaw und Glenn Miller Then, in '54, I got into some financial trouble, and I needed some money. Click here for academic and other group subscriptions. You're in business to play music, not to fight.". You get into a nightclub; people come in and they get fractured out of their skulls and they start shouting over the music. Thousands of articles, interviews and reviews from the world's best music writers and critics, from the late 1950s to the present day. hide caption. The first Gold Record is presented to Glenn Miller for “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” February 10, 1942 . I had a really great band in 1949 -- one of the finest bands I've ever led. Artie Shaw prepares for a concert in London in 1951. All right, it's a good piece, a good arrangement. By using this site, you agree that we may store and access cookies on your device. In the 1930s and '40s, the Artie Shaw Orchestra ranked with the Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller bands in terms of popularity. And we were looking for good songs from sophisticated songwriters, so I said to Jerry Gray, 'Let's do "Begin the Beguine." It still is. His last major interview was in 2003, when he was interviewed by Russell Davies for the BBC Television documentary, Artie Shaw – Quest for Perfection. Bald darauf zog er nach New York City, wo er mit Bobby Hacketts Band im Jazzclub Nick’s im Greenwich Village, mit Größen wie Eddie Condon und Pee Wee Russell auftrat. But my god, I don't want to be characterized as only 'Begin the Beguine.' Shaw bought a saxophone by working in a grocery store, and began learning the saxophone at 13; by 16, he switched to the clarinet and left home to tour with a band. You can view our full Privacy and Cookies Policy. He made one of his returns to music in 1953, to lead a small group called the Gramercy Five, which featured the unusual combination of clarinet, harpsichord, electric guitar, bass and drums. While still in his teens he formed his first band, the Bellevue Ramblers which performed at local gigs. For such a handsome and talented man, tragic were his failed marriages to famous women (e.g., Lana Turner and Ave Gardiner). 'SWING IS HERE' was the title of a 1936 recording by Gene Krupa and his All-Stars featuring the molten trumpet of Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge. Blowers arbeitete ab Mitte der 1930er-Jahre als professioneller Musiker; erste Aufnahmen entstanden 1936 in Charlotte (North Carolina), als er bei Bob Pope and His Hotel Charlotte Orchestra spielte. For institutions, Rock's Backpages is provided as an unlimited access subscription, meaning that all staff, students and library patrons have Please visit our Personal Subscriptions page for pricing and to place your order. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led one of the United States' most popular big bands in the late 1930s through the early 1940s. The musicians, man for man, the arrangements, everything. Dezember 2004 in Thousand Oaks, Kalifornien;[1] eigentlich Arthur Jacob Arshawsky) war ein amerikanischer Jazz-Klarinettist, Arrangeur, Komponist, Bandleader und Autor. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Big Band Legends - Artie Shaw on AllMusic - 2001 And [it was a] very big departure from most popular songs of those days, which were 8-8 bridge or 8-8 bridge and 8-8 or 1-2 1-2. This was a good time period in his life to do an interview, he's 74 years old living with a 28 year old, and he has a new band on the road. … On the upcoming 100th anniversary of Artie Shaw's birth, Fresh Air remembers one of jazz's greatest clarinetists and big-band leaders with excerpts from a 1985 interview. Trying ti get that interview with ya the Owner of the Louisiana Purchase i got the certifed deeds to prove it.plus im a Black Man Trying ti get that interview with ya the Owner of the Louisiana Purchase i got the certifed deeds to prove it.plus im a Black Man The audience couldn't understand what we were doing. Artie Shaw prepares for a concert in London in 1951. Accept | Cookies policy | Privacy policy, Click here to sign in via the UK federation WAYF. To access Rock’s Backpages through your non-UK university or college, please use your library page via the below menu. When I wasn’t singing, I had to stay backstage. He temporarily left music altogether in 1949, frustrated with a performing career that he figured depended on "90 percent business and 10 percent art.". As Nolan writes based upon his interviews or the memoirs of the eight, Mr. Shaw was impossible to live with, something Artie himself frequently admitted. Also an author, Shaw wrote both fiction and non-fiction. Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader and actor. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Classic Jazz Archive - Artie Shaw on AllMusic - 2005 You know, a lot of actors don't mind that, but it can drive you nuts. The Artie Shaw Project Shaw historian and collector Reinhard Scheer-Hennings of Dusseldorf, Germany, a Glenn Miller Archivea donor, and Dennis M. Spragg of the Glenn Miller Archives are working together to produce a comprehensive history of Artie’s compelling musical legacy. A subscription gives you access to all the articles and audio interviews in the library. It is Rock's Backpages policy never, under any circumstances, to sell on or otherwise provide any of the information contained in the above form to third parties. Jerry Gray (* 3.Juli 1915 in Boston als Generoso Graziano; † 10. And I got tired of that. Enter your email address in the field below and we'll send you a password to read all free articles on RBP. How? Pretty soon it got so I would sing just two numbers a night. Artie Shaw (born May 23, 1910, New York City, New York, USA - died December 30, 2004, Thousand Oaks, California, USA) was an American clarinetist and bandleader. Artie Shaw's life was a mixture of anger, shame, pride, stubborness, egotistical competitiveness, social embattlements, and creativity. After writing two books and becoming a film producer, Shaw once again returned to music in 1980 to organize a new big band. Watch The David Susskind Show - Season 14, Episode 1 - An Interview With Artie Shaw: David Susskind interviews Artie Shaw I had known him a long time, when he was strictly from hunger around New York, long before he got a band. In 1938, at its first recording session, the band made one of Shaw's most popular recordings, a song by Cole Porter called "Begin the Beguine.". INTERVIEW; HISTORIAN. For full terms, please click here. John Pratt/Stringer/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Summit Ridge Drive: The Genius of Artie Shaw, Reluctant Genius of Jazz: Artie Shaw at 100. And everybody liked it but the people, as the gag goes. "I happened to get to the [Jubilee] theater on Friday and the show closed Saturday. If your local library has signed up with Rock's Backpages, please enter your card number below: Becoming a subscriber is easy. exclusive audio interviews. John Pratt/Stringer/Hulton Archive/Getty Images We remembers one of jazz's greatest clarinetists with excerpts from a 1985 interview. Leben und Wirken. So then we have to play louder to get over them, and then they get louder to be heard and it's an endless competition. So I made maybe 500 records -- why 'Begin the Beguine'? I had the best arrangers in the world writing for me. He would charm, show interest, make love, fall in love - not necessarily in that order - but as soon as vows were exchanged, it was usually downhill from there. “Artie Shaw was a lot worse. Born in New York City, Arthur Jacob Arshawsky was the son of Sarah (née Strauss) and Harry Arshawsky, a dressmaker and photographer. You'd think it was all I ever did. His first public appearance leading his own band was in his native New York City on the 24th of May, 1936 and he became one of the biggest names in jazz and popular music during the late 1930's and 1940's swing heyday. July 25, 2006 • Clarinetist, composer and bandleader Artie Shaw was a true American original. Shaw disbanded the group after a year, began a 30-year retirement from music and permanently gave up playing clarinet. It contains an And I heard that tune, and it was done in a kind of Latin beat, and I liked the melody. "I've played it probably thousands of times," Shaw told Terry Gross in a 1985 interview. ", Shaw's early huge success also brought unexpected torments. MUSIC RESEARCH. Signing up for the RBP newsletter provides access to a limited number of free articles, as well as six new free articles every week. '", "I really quit the big-band business in 1949. He chose Dick Johnson to play the solo clarinet parts and front the band. Well, it so happened that my musical sensibilities had evolved to a point at that time where in order to please myself, without realizing it, I was not only displeasing but antagonizing my audiences, who wanted me to keep going back and playing standard brands. The legendary jazz bandleader began his career playing with dance bands when he was still a teenager. But I found that the more I did it, more and more people thought this was music to converse by. The Exceptional Big Band Era. Returning to New York, he bec… And I did that. Ken Burns follows the growth and development of jazz music from the gritty streets of New Orleans to Chicago's south side, the speakeasies of Kansas city and to Times Square. Still are, but since I just read "Three Chords for Beauty's Sake" I thought I'd give it a view. Please visit our Institutional Subscriptions page for further information and to arrange for a trial or quote. Retrospective by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 January 1976. Artie Shaw died on Dec. 30, 2004. Artie Shaw on IMDb: Movies, TV, Celebs, and more... Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Golden Globes Emmys STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events Music Research by Dennis M. Spragg includes the following … His amorous relationships with his chosen women were simultaneously impulisve and depressing. And I never was going to come back again. Artie wouldn’t let me sit out front with the band. unrestricted remote and on-site access to each text and audio file in the database. That was the last time I stood in front of a big band. Shaw grew up in New Haven, Connecticut where his natural introversion was deepened by local antisemitism. He was born in New York City (but grew up in New Haven, Connecticut) and began learning the saxophone when he was 15 and by age 16, had begun to tour with a band. By registering for free articles you will receive our weekly newsletter, you can change this preference at any time by clicking ‘Unsubscribe’ in the newsletter. The new group played some of the Shaw Band's most popular arrangements, including "Black Bay Shuffle," "Stardust" and, of course, "Begin the Beguine.". ever-expanding collection of primary-source full-text articles from the music and mainstream press from the 1950s to the present day, along with a collection of So I heard the tune and I came back and I was looking for an identity for the band. Although Artie played somewhat different Star Dust solos during live performances, I have read that the Curator of the Artie Shaw Collection at the University of Arizona has stated that Shaw’s solo on the issued RCA record is written out note for note in Lennie Hayton’s hand on the original score. 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. It Don't Mean a Thing if it ain't got that Swing! Rock's Backpages is the world's most comprehensive online database of pop music writing, a unique resource unavailable elsewhere online. Off the record interview with Artie Shaw, 1986-07-01 Contributor Names Smith, Joe (1928-) (Interviewer) Artie Shaw profiled, with narration by Russell Davies, music, film clips, home movie footage (including Shaw with band members Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich and Frank Sinatra) and interviews with the subject, Gary Giddins, James Langton, Joe Lipman, Johnny Mandel, Les Robinson, Johnny Best, Daryl Sherman, Dick Sudhalter, Hank Jones, Ken Peplowski, Loren Schoenberg and Dick Johnson. I don't like being stereotyped. View Artie Shaw interviews, articles and reviews from Rock's Backpages: The ultimate library of rock music writing and journalism. Artie Shaw, an American Original. We were totally out of their comprehension entirely, and of course, I knew that but I hoped that since I was going to have to stand in front of a band anyway, I might as well have one that wouldn't bore me to tears. Mai 1910 in New York City, New York; 30. At first, we worked together OK, then his managers started belly-aching. The documentary includes interviews with surviving members of his original bands, Johnson, and other music industry professionals. Full film now streaming. So in '49, I broke that band up. Growing contemptuous of the bands' crowd-pleasing antics and trite music, he organized his own big band in 1938. Artie Shaw, Soundtrack: Second Chorus. ARTIE SHAW; GLENN MILLER; JUBILEE; TEX BENEKE; TOMMY DORSEY; ON THE RECORD; BROADCASTER; OPINION; CONTACT; BUY BOOKS; MUSIC RESEARCH. 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