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.
Rose Room
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A little room where all the roses bloom
I want to lead you into Nature's hall
Where ev'ry year the roses give a ball
They have an orchestra up in the trees
For their musicians are the birds and bees
And they will sing us a song
As we are strolling along
In sunny Roseland, where summer breezes are playing
Where the honey bees are "A-Maying"
There all the roses are swaying
Dancing while the meadow brook flows
The moon when shining is more than ever designing
For 'tis ever then I am pining
Pining to be sweetly reclining
Somewhere in Roseland
Beside a beautiful rose
The ball is over and tulips meet
Their little kisses are so short and sweet
The lilies nod to the forget-me-nots
When they're departing in their flower pots
But all the roses with their spirits high
Remain to love until they droop and die
And dear, why shouldn't it be
Just so with you and with me
In sunny Roseland, where summer breezes are playing
Where the honey bees are "A-Maying"
There all the roses are swaying
Dancing while the meadow brook flows
The moon when shining is more than ever designing
For 'tis ever then I am pining
Pining to be sweetly reclining
Somewhere in Roseland
Beside a beautiful rose
The lyrics of "Rose Room" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra evoke images of a beautiful garden filled with roses in full bloom. The singer invites their lover to join them in this idyllic setting for a stroll, where they will hear the birds and bees playing music and the flowers dancing in the breeze.
The chorus speaks of "sunny Roseland," where the meadow brook flows and the moon shines down upon the lovers, inspiring their pining for a moment of sweet reclining. The ball of the roses is over, and the tulips and lilies have gone back to their pots, but the roses remain, full of life and love until they finally die. The singer compares this fleeting beauty to the short-lived nature of a romantic love affair, urging their partner to enjoy the moment while it lasts.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to take you to a little room
I would like to bring you to a small space
A little room where all the roses bloom
This space will be filled with thriving roses
I want to lead you into Nature's hall
I wish to guide you into a grand outdoor setting
Where ev'ry year the roses give a ball
Each year, the roses celebrate with a grand festivity
They have an orchestra up in the trees
Music is played by the birds and bees in the treetops
For their musicians are the birds and bees
The birds and bees are the skilled instrumental performers
And they will sing us a song
We will be enraptured by a melody
As we are strolling along
While walking through this area
In sunny Roseland, where summer breezes are playing
This place, named Roseland, is filled with breezy sunshine
Where the honey bees are 'A-Maying'
The busy bees are working hard during springtime
There all the roses are swaying
All the roses dance in the wind
Dancing while the meadow brook flows
The brook flows as the flowers sway
The moon when shining is more than ever designing
The beauty of the moon is particularly exceptional
For 'tis ever then I am pining
It is during these moments that I long for something
Pining to be sweetly reclining
Yearning to be comfortably resting
Somewhere in Roseland
Anywhere in this idyllic location
Beside a beautiful rose
Next to a particularly lovely flower
The ball is over and tulips meet
The festival has ended and tulips come together
Their little kisses are so short and sweet
Their affectionate gestures are brief but delightful
The lilies nod to the forget-me-nots
The lilies greet the forget-me-nots with a nod
When they're departing in their flower pots
When they're leaving to be displayed in pots
But all the roses with their spirits high
However, the roses are still lively and enthusiastic
Remain to love until they droop and die
They continue to love and thrive until their end
And dear, why shouldn't it be
And my dear, why can't this happen for you and me?
Just so with you and with me
We can love and thrive together, as the roses do
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ART HICKMAN, HARRY WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
the_padzer
I really like this song☺️
💜 Lisa Loves Summer Time 🌞
So absolutely wonderful...💖 it. 😉
Trombonology Erstwhile
This was not Artie's first orchestra -- that was the refined outfit, with strings -- but it was the first to score success. Cliff Leeman, present on monster hit "Begin The Beguine," which shot Arthur Jacob Arshawsky into the stratosphere of Big Banddom, had been replaced by this time by Buddy Rich, lured from the Berigan crew. What a difference young Buddy made! -- apparent even on this fairly laid back treatment of a venerable number. I can't think of a better big band arrangement than this one, by the leader himself. In his studio musician days, Artie played a lot of lead alto, so he subsequently really fussed over his own band's reeds, and we can appreciate here the fruits of his efforts. Bernie Privin turns in a nice eight bars, too. Artie, though, is the star soloist. Listen to Buddy's superb support and gentle push throughout.
jja kiefte
@Trombonology Erstwhile Krupa, well, certainly no 'ugh' from me. He can, and often does, swing like mad. But he can also be very overbearing and heavy handed, so he would not therefore make my top 5, but in a top 10, certainly!
Trombonology Erstwhile
@jja kiefte Great choices. I always say Krupa first, which I think often inspires an ughh response, but I love his work with Goodman as well as his own band. I think he was a much better listener than people give him credit for being. Jo Jones, Chick Webb, and Tough would also make my Top Five. Difficult to choose a fifth ... McKinley, Leeman, Carlson, Fatool ...
jja kiefte
@Trombonology Erstwhile My top three would be Dave Tough, Jo Jones and, hard to choose, Cliff Leeman or Frankie Carlson. Okay, let's make it a top 5 then and include Ray Bauduc....😀
Trombonology Erstwhile
@jja kiefte Buddy wouldn't even be in my Top Three among drummers -- but I do think he was a tremendous addition to the Shaw band, who really kicked that aggregation's sound into high gear. I much prefer Cliff's work with Barnet, whose band had one of my all-time favorite rhythm sections, a very distinctive sound. ... I would agree with your music teacher on the Shaw saxes.
jja kiefte
My old music teacher, a trumpeter born in 1918, always maintained that Shaw had indeed the greatest sax section of the time.
As for Rich, he was of course a peerless technician, but I find him a bit too loud and overbearing most of the time. Cliff Leeman was a much more musical drummer who came into his own with Dorsey and, even more so, Charlie Barnet.
Raanan Geberer
Very good! Up to now, I've only heard the Charlie Christian-Benny Goodman version.
Levi
Good song, you keep all these good tunes alive, thanks man!!!