The swing era was a golden age, as it is often called. Its representatives remain outstanding because even today they continue to inspire new generations, influencing beginning jazz listeners and musicians with the feeling we call swing. Among them there was one particularly important and perhaps the most fascinating clarinetist in terms of life path: Artie Shaw.

Born Arthur Arshawsky on May 23, 1910, in New York as the child of immigrants, he grew up in Connecticut, where he also pursued his classical studies. At a young age he was already performing in well-known orchestras.

He eventually settled in New York, where he joined and later left Red Nichols and His Five Pennies, after which he founded his own big band, with which he made recordings of historical significance. His orchestra was interesting not only because it was one of the best of the era, but also because he turned songs such as “Begin the Beguine,” “Frenesi,” and the modernly arranged “Summertime” into worldwide hits.

The special feature of his orchestra was that he expanded the traditional 14-piece big band wind section with strings, resulting in a much softer sound, yet without moving toward the sweet, sentimental style associated with Xavier Cugat. Shaw arranged his music in a way that was ahead of the fashion of his time.

From the late 1930s he became a celebrated star to such an extent that he even pursued acting. In the film “Second Chorus”, for example, he appeared as the partner of Fred Astaire, playing himself as a real-life character. The film included long musical sequences that enriched the production.

In this movie one of the fundamental works of the clarinet repertoire was heard: “Concerto for Clarinet,” a composition in five movements. It was later recorded and eventually published in printed notation, making it possible for others to perform it as well. Thanks to this publication, classical clarinetists also gained access to a high-level jazz concerto.

Since the entire clarinet part is improvised, Shaw himself would not have been able to play it exactly the same way twice.

His modern and musically sophisticated knowledge is also demonstrated by recordings such as “These Foolish Things,” in which he plays an unplanned cadenza at the end – far removed from the spirit of the era – filled with half-whole tone passages.

His Clarinet Method, written for students, provides an excellent foundation for the literature on how to become a jazz clarinetist.

Alongside his big band he also formed a small ensemble called the Gramercy Five. At that time only his great rival and good friend Benny Goodman could afford such a project.

In this smaller group he surprisingly used a harpsichord instead of a piano, which gave the ensemble a completely new and individual sound. Perhaps his most famous discovery in this group was the guitarist Barney Kessel, who first appeared with this band.

He was also not afraid to feature Black musicians, such as the trumpeter Roy Eldridge or the legendary singer Billie Holiday.

Among the famous stories about him is the time when a prestigious hotel informed him that Black musicians would be accommodated elsewhere. Shaw immediately left the hotel with the entire orchestra and canceled the performance.

On another occasion, while dining at a restaurant, they noticed that the staff had gone outside because the singer – who was Black – was only allowed to be served in the kitchen. Shaw responded by taking the entire band into the kitchen, where they ate their meal, forcing the cooks to leave the place.

Artie Shaw became known as the intellectual of the swing era, while Benny Goodman was crowned the King of Swing.

During World War II, Shaw joined the U.S. Navy, and with his big band he entertained soldiers waiting for deployment aboard aircraft carriers.

After the war several of his orchestras went bankrupt, but each time he restarted them he either made or lost large amounts of money.

His last recording was made in 1953 with young jazz musicians under the Gramercy Five name.

The legendary story behind this album is that Shaw believed there were already many younger clarinetists who were better than he was, and in order to get closer to their musical language he decided to play with their musicians.

Thus he borrowed bassist Tommy Potter and pianist Hank Jones from Tony Scott’s band, and guitarist Tal Farlow and vibraphonist Irv Kluger from Buddy DeFranco’s band.

As a gesture of respect, on the album “Buddy DeFranco Plays Artie Shaw” recorded in 1957, the trumpeter Ray Linn played on the record – who had originally been a member of the Gramercy Five in the 1930s.

After this, Artie Shaw permanently put down the instrument.

This decision shocked the musical world, since his playing and ideas pointed far more toward modern and developing musical directions than Goodman’s. But Shaw had grown tired of the music business and turned toward other pursuits.

After leaving music he devoted himself to writing. His autobiographical book “The Trouble with Cinderella” is a masterpiece of humor and cynicism.

He had plenty to write about, as his life was full of adventure. Being a true playboy, he was married eight times, and among his wives were famous personalities such as the actresses Ava Gardner and Lana Turner, as well as Betty Kern, the daughter of the famous songwriter Jerome Kern.

After leaving the music business he moved to Spain, where he spent a year considering possible investments. Eventually he founded the first American rifle franchise, which also proved to be a very profitable business venture for him.

In the remaining part of his life he continued to live actively. Wearing his characteristic sailor’s cap, he often appeared in public, supported or judged music competitions, and reorganized his orchestra. In this ensemble Dick Johnson played clarinet, while Shaw himself appeared only as musical director and conductor. The band still performs today at New York balls and concert venues.

After the New Orleans flood, Shaw personally auctioned off the piano he had purchased in 1936 in order to support the renovation of the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

Artie Shaw died in 2004, and in that same year he received a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement.