Artie Shaw: His Life and Music (Bayou Jazz Lives Series)

Artie Shaw led one of America's most accomplished big bands during the 1930s and 1940s, and has sold over 100 million records. An enigmatic figure, Shaw frequently tired of the music business, often forsaking it for extended periods. This study offers a narrative account and analytical assessment of the achievements and concerns of this hugely important musician. Library Journal Sonny Rollins and Artie Shaw are both standout figures in the jazz pantheon, and these two entries in Continuum's Bayou Jazz Lives series attempt to appraise their recorded output. A staff writer for Jazz Journal since the 1970s, Palmer takes a critical look at Rollins's jazz standards, like Doxy, Oleo, and Airegin. Basically, he starts with the larger cultural backdrop and what was happening in jazz at the time and then focuses more on Rollins, using commentary from musicians, record producers, and critics to back up his claims. He suggests that, ironically, Rollins lacked confidence in his work, which may have led to problems in the studio. Since the focus here is on recorded output, this well-documented study complements some other recent titles, such as Eric Nisenson's Open Sky: Sonny Rollins and His World of Improvisation, which are more concerned with Rollins's personal life. Recommended for jazz collections in public and academic libraries. Artie Shaw was at the top of the jazz world in the 1940s and a major rival of Benny Goodman on clarinet, yet by 1954 he had stopped playing and did not perform in public again as an instrumentalist. Besides Vladimir Simosko's Artie Shaw: A Musical Biography and Discography, there are surprisingly few books on Shaw, so this study is welcome. Obviously well versed in his subject, White (Billie Holiday: Her Life and Time) focuses on the music, eschewing the juicier details of Shaw's life-he got married eight times, to no less than Lana Turner and Ava Gardner. Citing interviews with Shaw and other musicians, White shows that Shaw was an important member of the jazz pantheon who influenced other musicians, experimented with different contexts, and was willing to have an integrated band in the late 1930s. Like Palmer's book, this is well documented and organized. Recommended for jazz collections in public and academic libraries.-Ronald S. Russ, Arkansas State Univ. Lib., Beebe Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. "As the dashing and handsome leader of one of America's most accomplished big bands in the 1930s and 40s, Artie Shaw achieved measures of fame and fortune which temporarily eclipsed even those of his great rival, Benny Goodman. By 1990, his total sales exceeded 100 million records. Yet Artie Shaw has always been an ambitiously serious musician who frequently tired of the music business, often forsaking it for extended periods. He also achieved renown as a writer of fiction." "Unlike Benny Goodman, Shaw has not been well served by jazz historians. This study (a revised edition of a book first published in the UK in 1998) offers a compelling narrative account and an intelligent analytical assessment of the achievements and concerns of a major figure in American popular music."--Jacket Annotation. Artie Shaw led one of America's most accomplished big bands during the 1930s and 1940s, and has sold over 100 million records. An enigmatic figure, Shaw frequently tired of the music business, often forsaking it for extended periods. This study offers a narrative account and analytical assessment of the achievements and concerns of this hugely important musician.> Contains music for Holy Week, Easter, weddings and funerals. The music selected has been used in parish churches, and is suitable for those with guitars and keyboards, as well as those who rely on the organ. This choir edition contains cantor, celebrant and choir parts for full accompaniments.