Klarinet Archive - Posting 000199.txt from 1997/07

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: Artie Shaw
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 11:55:13 -0400

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.47
> Subj: Artie Shaw

> There was a wonderful interview with Artie Shaw on All Things Considered a
> year or so ago. He's now in his late 80's and considers himself an author
> rather than a musician. He put the clarinet down forty-some years ago and
> never picked it up, and claims he doesn't even like the instrument any
> more, so as for him being interested in this list, I would completely
> forget it. He's very strong-minded, a truly great intellect, and stubborn:
> he flatly denied to the interviewer that he had been married seven (or
> however many it was) times, and gave no further explanation. He was one of
> the most interesting and colorful persons I have ever heard interviewed,
> and I'll have to get hold of one of his books some day soon and read it. A
> most compelling figure in modern American culture.
>
> Bill Edinger

One of his wives was the astoundingly beautify and sexy Ava Gardner (over
whom I had many moments of fluttering heart) as well as Lana Turner
(who was a hot number in the 40s and 50s). I think the reason he gave
up the clarinet was because he was too sexually exhausted to play it.
It had become too heavy when he weighed only 23 pounds.

When Walt Levinsky make a recording of Shaw's music a number of years
ago, Shaw was at the recording session and he was all over Levinsky's
back about duplicating his style. He may no longer be interested
in the clarinet, but he was very much interested in having that record
produced exactly the way he wanted it done. I can't blame him.

I understand that he taught some adult education classes in the
local high school of the town in Southern California where he lives,
on jazz of the 1930s and 1940s.

>
>
=======================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
=======================================

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org