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. He reached Hollywood the first time, as a sideman with Irving Aaronson's band in 1931, performing at the famous Orange Blossom Room (site of the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929). Returning to New York City in1932, he became a highly in-demand session musician, working for example as one of just a handful of accompanists to Bing Crosby's first signature radio show for William S. Paley's already powerful and influential CBS radio network. Ultimately, Artie (who was known strictly as "Art" Shaw until his fortuitous Summer, 1938 contract with RCA Victor records' Bluebird label commenced) organized and led five, full-time touring orchestras that were all extremely popular -save the last, from 1949, with its be-bop oriented book. Ironically, that final Shaw-led big band (populated with players like Al Cohn), is considered by most jazz critics to have been Artie's best. With time out to lead a Navy service band (in the Pacific combat theater) during WWII, Shaw's actual big band- leading career lasted less than a decade overall -yet, it was a remarkably productive one, populated with some fourteen "Gold" records. These included such mega-hits as "Begin the Beguine", "Stardust", "Frenesi", "Moonglow", "Temptation", "Dancing In The Dark" and "Summit Ridge Drive" -the latter by his famous quintet billed as the Gramercy 5.
Shaw was known for being an innovator in the big band idiom, pioneering strings with jazz and using unusual instrumentations. His Summer, 1935 piece "Interlude in B-flat" was one of the earliest examples of what would be later dubbed "third stream". In 1938 he convinced Billie Holiday to be his band's vocalist, becoming the first white bandleader to hire a full-time black female singer. This 1938-1939 orchestra became phenomenonally successful and appeared in the movie "Dancing Co-ed" which also featured one of his future wives, Lana Turner, in the cast. Artie's clarinet playing, had by now reached a level that was arguably the greatest in jazz, easily rivaling that of Benny Goodman. Longtime Duke Ellington clarinetist Barney Bigard, himself a highly talented musician -cited Shaw (in 1940) as his "favorite" clarinet player. Literally abandoning his famous 1938-1939 band at the absolute peak of its' fame and earning power (Artie, just himself alone pulling down more than $10K per week) in late November, 1939, Shaw "abdicated" to Acapulco, Mexico. Returning to the U.S. he organized an entirely new orchestra, with full string section in the Summer of 1940. A truly stellar aggregation, it lasted until mid-1941, featuring stars Billy Butterfield, Johnny Guarneiri, Nick Fatool and Ray Conniff as principal arranger. This outfit can be prominently seen in the RKO film "Second Chorus" starring Fred Astaire and Paulette Goddard. The final pre-war Shaw band, started in late, 1941, had Davey Tough and Hot Lips Page and big hits on St. James Infirmary Blues and Blues In The NIght. Artie broke this outstanding unit up shortly after Pearl Harbor so he could "enlist" in the Navy -refusing an offered commission. Back from the Navy, Shaw put together a new band that featured Roy Eldridge and an ambitious library stocked with arrangements by Eddie Sauter, Buster Harding, Ray Conniff and others. Hit records for this band included "Little Jazz" and "S'Wonderful" and by now Artie was married to Ava Gardner. His final public performances (as a clarinetist) took place in 1954, including with a sublime quartet in an extended Las Vegas booking. Apparently, he last picked up and played his fabled clarinet in about 1960 at his beach house in Spain (as recounted in final wife actress Evelyn Keyes' autobiography) and resisted all lucrative offers to return to the stage until finally fielding a "ghost" band under the highly capable aegis of outstanding clarinetist Dick Johnson in 1985. For about the first year, Artie often appeared on stage with this very fine orchestra at certain, prestigious bookings, but soon tired of the "grind" -and not to Dick Johnson's dismay. This now true "ghost" band is still appearing during Summer seasons (with much of the original Shaw "books"), principally in the New England area (Johnson lives in Boston) and is well worth seeing. Although he had more wives (8) than bands, Artie fell one wife short of Charlie Barnet's record (for a famous bandleadrer) of nine.
Autumn Leaves
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold
Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
C'est une chanson, qui nous ressemble
Toi tu m'aimais et je t'aimais
Nous vivions tous deux ensemble
Toi qui m'aimais moi qui t'aimais
Mais la vie separe ceux qui s'aiment
Tout doucement sans faire de bruit
Et la mer efface sur le sable les pas des amants desunis
The song Autumn Leaves is a beautifully haunting reminder of a past love that can never be forgotten. The opening lyrics, "The falling leaves drift by the window, the autumn leaves of red and gold," sets the scene of a crisp, autumn day. The leaves are falling, the air is fresh, and the memory of a past love is ever present. The next line, "I see your lips, the summer kisses, the sun-burned hands I used to hold," is a vivid recollection of a time when the singer and their lover were happy and in love.
The singer then reveals that their lover has gone away, and the days have grown long, leading into the cold of winter. The last line, "But I miss you most of all my darling, when autumn leaves start to fall," is a bittersweet reminder that even as time goes on, the memories of that love will stay with the singer forever. The final verse, sung in French, adds to the nostalgic and sentimental atmosphere of the song, as the lyrics tell the story of two lovers who are separated by life's natural course. The final line, "And the sea erases on the sand the steps of unloved lovers," brings a feeling of sadness and finality, as the footsteps of the lovers are eventually washed away by the tides, just as their love was.
Line by Line Meaning
The falling leaves drift by the window
The leaves are being carried by the wind past the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
The leaves that fall during autumn have colors like red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
When I think of you, I remember the kisses we shared during the summer
The sun-burned hands I used to hold
I remember holding your hands that were sunburnt from spending time outdoors together
Since you went away the days grow long
The days feel longer and emptier without you here
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
Winter is approaching, and with it comes a feeling of sadness
But I miss you most of all my darling
Out of everything that reminds me of you, I miss you the most
When autumn leaves start to fall
It hurts the most when autumn, a season we once enjoyed together, comes around
C'est une chanson, qui nous ressemble
This song is like us and represents us
Toi tu m'aimais et je t'aimais
You loved me, and I loved you
Nous vivions tous deux ensemble
We used to live together
Toi qui m'aimais moi qui t'aimais
You loved me, and I loved you
Mais la vie separe ceux qui s'aiment
Life has a way of separating people who love each other
Tout doucement sans faire de bruit
It happens slowly and without any noise
Et la mer efface sur le sable les pas des amants desunis
The sea erases the footsteps of separated lovers on the sand
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GIORGIO CANALI, FRANCESCO MAGNELLI, GIANNI MAROCCOLO, MASSIMO ZAMBONI, GIOVANNI LINDO FERRETTI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind