Artie Shaw

     As a clarinetist, the repertoire that I am familiar with is predominantly classical music.

I wanted to explore Artie Shaw not only because he was the titan of jazz clarinet, but I wanted to analyze how techniques and expressions differ from the typical classically trained clarinetist.

     For this example, this was ‘concerto for clarinet’ which was swing jazz along with an orchestral background. I took swing lessons myself, and it would be a bit annoying as a dancer because there were several retardandos and changes in rhythm that would offset the footwork. It seemed there was no repeat of a particular section. The beginning section started with a happy lethargic introduction with the clarinet and the violins. Suddenly, the piano and percussion forms the framework of the entire piece by getting the beat structure formulated. Artie Shaw does not really play until the middle of the piece. 

     There is no better way to the end the piece with a super high note that was perfectly sustained without falter in pitch after his improvisational cadenza.

    The vibratos are incredible to hear. He makes them sound completely easy and it baffles me that he smiles through the entire process. Furthermore, the way he stretches the note so thin to another note was a technique that I barely got away with. At first, hearing this technique was such an annoying sensation to the ear. After experiencing and seeing a person master this obstacle was definitely worth commending an individual.

     Artie Shaw was hailed as one of the finest jazz clarinetists. He did not came from a prominent affluence background. In fact, he was from the ghettos. He is also a composer and he tried blending classical and jazz in his works. His first instrument was not clarinet. In fact, he started out with saxophone at the age of 13. Three years later, he switched over the clarinet. 

     The reason why I believe Shaw achieved so much success is because he valued innovation and discovering new realms of music. He aspired to be above the popular norm in society. His mentality did pay him off. His hits sold more than 100 million records. 

   He may be a role model among clarinetists and musicians (in general), but I believe his journey to become the best made his personal life suffer so much. This is probably one the most important questions I ask myself. "Whatever I do now, will it matter 10 years from now?" I noticed many prominent musicians had a weak family life and relationships suffered either from physical, emotional, or verbal abuse. To me, although a successful musician, he is not the man I aspire to be because he seemed to care about his own journey to reach the top, and he had no regard for having the best interest for other people.