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.
I'll Remember April
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll sigh goodbye to all we ever had
Alone where we have walked together
I'll remember April and be glad
I'll be content you loved me once in April
Your lips were warm and love and spring were new
I'm not afraid of autumn and her sorrow
The fire will dwindle into glowing ashes
For flames live such a little while
I won't forget but I won't be lonely
I'll remember April and smile
The lyrics to Artie Shaw's "I'll Remember April" are filled with imagery and poetic language that express the bittersweet emotions of love and loss. The song speaks of a beautiful day that turns into evening, representing the passage of time and the inevitable end of things. The lovers in the song must part ways and say goodbye to what they once had, but they will always cherish the memories they shared. The line, "Alone where we have walked together," highlights the longing and loneliness they will feel without each other. However, the singer finds solace in remembering the beauty of April when love was new and full of potential.
The second verse speaks directly to the lost love, with the singer saying they will be content knowing that the person loved them once in April. This demonstrates the power and importance of memories and how they can sustain us through difficult times. The singer also acknowledges the inevitability of change and sadness that autumn brings, but they find comfort in the memories they have of the past. The final verse shows the singer accepting the passage of time and the fleeting nature of things. While they won't forget the love they once had, they won't be consumed by loneliness either. Instead, they choose to smile and remember the happiness they experienced.
Overall, "I'll Remember April" is a timeless song that beautifully captures the complexities of love and loss. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery and poetic language that evoke strong emotions and connect with listeners on a deep level, making it a classic in the jazz world.
Line by Line Meaning
This lovely day will lengthen into evening
As the beautiful day turns to night, it signifies that good times must come to an end.
We'll sigh goodbye to all we ever had
We will part ways with all the memories we shared, and remembrance is all we will have left.
Alone where we have walked together
The places we walked together will now be a symbol of loneliness, and I will be left alone to remember those walks.
I'll remember April and be glad
But even in solitude, I will cherish the memories of April and feel happy to have experienced it with you.
I'll be content you loved me once in April
I will find contentment in the fact that at one point you loved me during that beautiful time in April.
Your lips were warm and love and spring were new
During that time, your loving gestures and warm kisses felt fresh and new, just like springtime.
I'm not afraid of autumn and her sorrow
Although autumn may bring sorrow and bleakness, I am not afraid because I have beautiful memories to hold onto.
For I'll remember April and you
I will always have the memories of the beautiful April we spent together when I had you by my side.
The fire will dwindle into glowing ashes
Much like a fire, the passion and intensity of our love may have died down and turned into glowing embers.
For flames live such a little while
Flames of passion are temporary, and after they die out, all that remains is memory.
I won't forget but I won't be lonely
Although I won't forget the love and memories we shared, I won't allow them to trap me in loneliness either.
I'll remember April and smile
Instead, I will smile and cherish those memories forever, even if we cannot be together anymore.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON RAYE, GENE DE PAUL, PATRICIA JOHNSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind