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.
In the Stil of the Night
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I was in knee pants
My mama done tol' me
"Son, a woman'll sweet talk
And give ya the glad eye
But when the sweet talkin's done
A worrisome thing
Who'll leave ya t'sing
The blues in the night"
Now the rain's a fallin'
Hear the train a collin'
Whoo-ee
My mama done tol' me
Hear dat lonesome whistle
Blowin' cross the trestle, whoo-ee
My mama done tol' me
A whoo-ee duh whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
A echoin' back th' blues in the night
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
And the moon'll hide its light
When you get the blues in the night
Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
Sing the saddest kind of song
He knows things are wrong and he's right
From Natchez to Mobile
From Memphis to St. Joe
Wherever the four winds blow
I been in some big towns
An' heard me some big talk
But there is some thing I know
A woman's a two face
A worrisome thing
Who'll leave ya t'sing
The blues in the night
The lyrics of Artie Shawโs โBlues in the Nightโ reveal a motherโs warning to her son of the dangers of womanโs deceitfulness. The motherโs advice echoes throughout the verses as the singer narrates his experiences and what he knows about life from Natchez to Memphis. The song's titular phrase is used frequently to emphasize the deep feelings of sadness and despair that come with a heartbreak, particularly at nighttime. The song conjures up imagery of blues, loneliness, and despair, enhanced by the sound of rain falling and trains colliding, making the listener feel the pain and sorrow of the singer.
The song was composed by Harold Arlen in 1941 with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, one of the most remarkable and productive collaborations of the era. It became a hit especially after the performance by the legendary Jimmy Lunceford and His Orchestra. Notable versions of the song have been performed by Woody Herman, Dinah Shore, Rosemary Clooney, and Ella Fitzgerald. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
Line by Line Meaning
My mama done tol' me
My mother has informed me
When I was in knee pants
When I was a young boy
Son, a woman'll sweet talk
Son, a woman may flatter you with kind words
And give ya the glad eye
And seduce you with her gaze
But when the sweet talkin's done
However, when her sweet talking is finished
A woman's a two face
A woman has two different personalities
A worrisome thing
This is a concerning matter
Who'll leave ya t'sing
She'll make you sing
The blues in the night
The sounds of sadness and melancholy
Now the rain's a fallin'
Currently, there is some rainfall
Hear the train a collin'
Listen to that train rumbling
My mama done tol' me
My mother has informed me
Hear dat lonesome whistle
Hear that forlorn whistle
Blowin' cross the trestle, whoo-ee
Echoing throughout the bridge
A whoo-ee duh whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
A mournful echo of the train's wheels
A echoin' back th' blues in the night
Reverberating the sounds of sadness and melancholy
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
The gentle breeze in the evening elicits cries from the trees
And the moon'll hide its light
The moon will cease shining its brightness
When you get the blues in the night
When overcome by depression, loneliness and difficulty
Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
Believe me, the mockingbird will
Sing the saddest kind of song
Sing the most sorrowful tune
He knows things are wrong and he's right
He is aware of things that are not right and that realization is not wrong.
From Natchez to Mobile
From Natchez to Mobile
From Memphis to St. Joe
From Memphis to St. Joe
Wherever the four winds blow
Wherever the four winds take me
I been in some big towns
I have visited big cities
An' heard me some big talk
I've heard a lot of boasting
But there is some thing I know
However, there is something I am certain of
A woman's a two face
A woman can have two opposite sides to her personality
A worrisome thing
This can be a bothersome matter
Who'll leave ya t'sing
And make you sing
The blues in the night
The sounds of sorrowful melodies at night
Lyrics ยฉ Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Russell Candy
Good morning ๐. Thanks for sharing this gem! I think Artie Shaw was one of the greatest big bands around. I know he formed several bands and I have little bits of all of them. Happy New Year Mate!! Thanks!!
OldiesAl
Happy new year Russ, have you also got a firework and a Jerry Lee post? They aren't coming up on my computer but they are on my phone. Artie is one of my bandleaders
Russell Candy
โ@OldiesAl I got them also but haven't watched them yet.
Glenn Young
Leave it to Artie Shaw! He was born to do great things in music, and here's one of his great things.
OldiesAl
One of the greatest clarinet players
K. Saksa
Happy New Year ๐ค!!
Hyvรครค Uutta Vuotta ๐!! ๐ซ๐ฎ
OldiesAl
Happy New Year my friend