Artie Shaw: Mixed Bag

Artie Shaw Mixed Bag

The material on this CD dates from the later half of Artie Shaw's career as a band­leader, which had begun in 1936 and ended ·with his retirement in 1954. Some appreciation of the contours of this career is helpful in appreciating what this music represents. Always presenting tasteful and often unusually deep interpretations of big-band jazz and dance music, and featuring his exquisite and frequently profound clarinet improvisations, Shaw's career climaxed in his rise to superstar status as the most popular musician in North America at the height of the Swing Era, during 1938-39. At that point, however, long disillusioned by the music business and articulately critical of the whole scene, Shaw walked out on his career while at the pinnacle of success. Returning after a rest with fresh new ideas and still in demand, he was able to experiment with string sections and other new approaches in his music which fore­shadowed later developments, but everything was interrupted by World War Two. Shaw joined the Navy, was asked to lead a band, and requested assignment to touring battle zones where servicemen most needed a morale boost. After returning from his 1942-43 tour of the South Pacific war area entertaining the troops with his Navy Band #501, "The Rangers", Artie Shaw was named "Musician of the Year" by "Metronome" and given an award by "Esquire" magazine for having the outstanding service band, and for his part in raising the morale of the men at war overseas.