To play any instrument is a form of slavery,” he observed. “You’ve got to really sit down and work at it all the time, if you want to do it well. Artie Shaw Tweet Table of Contents Early life (Born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky on May 23, 1910 – Dec. 30, 2004) Artie Shaw was born…

The King of the clarinet, Artie Shaw, was a great hero the big band and swing jazz age. His off the chart talent, good looks, and sex drive made him the dream of every gossip columnist. He went through a pile of marriages, eight in total, including some of the biggest film stars of the…

Portrait of Pee Wee Russell, Dave Tough, and Max Kaminsky, Eddie Condon’s, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 Remembering Pee Wee Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969) By Don Rouse These are remembrances that Jimmy Hamilton, a clarinetist and long-time friend of Pee Wee Russell, has of the time when he knew…

Table of Contents The term Afro-Latin covers a huge variety of music, resulting from the combination of elements of African styles with the Spanish, Portuguese, and even French cultures transplanted to South and Central America. The blend was achieved earlier and more thoroughly than any such hybrid in North American music before the 1970s –…

Table of Contents Cool Jazz Cool jazz followed bop but was entirely different in mood, in its approach to arranging, and even in its choices of instruments. World War II was over-the country was relaxed and jazz relaxed. In this era, which began in 1947, many instruments were used in jazz for the first time.…

Table of Contents Scat “Anyone who attempts to sing extemporaneously, that is scat, will tell you that the hardest aspect of that kind of singing is to stay in tune. You are wondering all over the scales, the notes coming out of your mouth a millisecond after you think of them.” Mel Torme Tweet Scat…

Table of Contents Swing Swing is the jazz style that emerged during the early 1930s and emphasized big bands. Propelled by the popular Benny Goodman, it spilled into the late 1940s and then remained popular in recordings, film, and television music long after its main proponents had disbanded. Most swing-style groups had at least 10…

Table of Contents Tin Pan Alley “Tin Pan Alley was a real alley on East Fourteenth Street near Third (in New York). But it was never just a place, Tin Pan Alley has come to be known for an era of songwriting when many musical ideas mixed together to form American Popular Music. Tin Pan…

The powerful music that we call jazz originated around the end of the 19th century in New Orleans. It welded together the elements of Ragtime, marching band music, and the Blues. What made Jazz significantly different from the other earlier forms of music was the use of improvisation. Jazz displayed a break from traditional music…