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.
Where or When
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We looked at each other in the same way then
But I can't remember where or when
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
But I can't remember where or when
Seem to be happening again
And so it seems that we have met before
And laughed before, and loved before
But who knows where or when
Artie Shaw's "Where or When" is a beautiful love song that is built on the theme of déjà vu. The lyrics paint a picture of two people meeting and experiencing a sense of familiarity and connection that extends beyond their current encounter. The singer suggests that they have met before, but due to the hazy passage of time, and the overwhelming feeling of nostalgia, he can't place when or where it happened. The song revolves around the idea that the emotional connection between the two characters is so strong that it transcends time and space.
The opening lines, "It seems we stood and talked like this before, we looked at each other in the same way then, but I can't remember where or when," set the tone for the song. The idea of reliving an experience sounds unsettling and surreal, but the singer suggests that they both feel comfortable and natural with each other. The clothes and the smile that the other person is wearing in the present moment, mirrors what he saw in the past. The lyrics, "But I can't remember where or when, Some things that happened for the first time, seem to be happening again," imply that the two characters have gone through this experience of meeting and connecting before. This deep sense of familiarity and indescribable attraction induces a feeling of uncertainty but at the same time, a sense of courage to explore the possibilities of this rekindling of emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems we stood and talked like this before
It feels like we have had a similar conversation in the past
We looked at each other in the same way then
Our eye contact and body language were similar during that conversation
But I can't remember where or when
Despite the feeling of familiarity, I am unable to recall the specific time or place
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore
Your current outfit is reminiscent of what you wore during that previous encounter
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
Your current expression is similar to the one you had during that previous meeting
But I can't remember where or when
While the similarities are striking, I cannot seem to place the memory
Some things that happened for the first time
Certain experiences seemed unique at first
Seem to be happening again
But they appear to be repeating themselves in a strange way
And so it seems that we have met before
All these similarities suggest that we have indeed crossed paths previously
And laughed before, and loved before
In addition to the conversation, it feels like we have shared other emotional moments
But who knows where or when
However, the specifics remain a mystery to both of us
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ddkoda
Artie's arrangements and performance were on a whole other level.
Al Biondi
absolutely love this recording, Artie is great, sax section is superb and the arrangement is top shelf. i listen it over and again and will never get tired of it
Swingin Music
Artie sure was a true musical genius.
Bruce Kuehn
Truly great, classic song from Rodgers and Hart that shows the Shaw band swinging it gently - just beautiful!
Michael Butler
Classic song and brilliant rendition.
djangorheinhardt
Sinatra sings this with lovely touches.It really is a nice song with a slow melodic run up to the final crescendo.It never seems to get the accolades of great songs like "here's that rainy day" or "Don't worry 'bout me" yet in Francis Albert's hands it is just as wonderful.I find anything to do with Artie Shaw 's life is so interesting as he was a most complex,and talented man.
Jody Wilke
Such a talented man--I love seeing all the pictures, too!😊⛪
Rubens Camargo
What marvelous sound! I love that era!
Tom King
He played series of notes like no other.
Benny Goodman
Oh yes...