Clarinetist
Artie Shaw
broke up his
big band
in late 1945 and, other than some studio recordings, was mostly inactive for a few years. In 1949 he returned to the scene in a surprising way, playing
classical
music for a week at New York's
Bop City
to mixed reviews. Later in the year he formed a
bebop
-oriented orchestra, but it was a commercial failure despite playing excellent music. He soon retired again, only returning during 1953-1954 when he led an excellent modern version of his
Gramercy Five
, his last group before his permanent retirement.
The Artistry of Artie Shaw
is comprised of some very rare material.
Shaw
is heard first on radio transcriptions from December 1949 leading a boppish version of his
that includes trumpeter
Don Fagerquist
and guitarist
Jimmy Raney
. Next are 12 selections, the majority of which are adaptations of themes from
music.
is heard with a
jazz
rhythm section, a string orchestra, and sometimes woodwinds, French horns, and
the New Music String Quartet
. This music has rarely ever been reissued and is worth a few close listens by fans of both
and
music. Completing this set are six selections from the 1953-1954
with vibraphonist
Joe Roland
, guitarist
Tal Farlow
, and pianist
Hank Jones
that have not been reissued in recent times and differ from the performances put out by
Music Masters
. Throughout,
plays quite well and, particularly on the latter selections, shows that he had an awful lot left to contribute to the music world before his premature retirement. ~ Scott Yanow