Big Bands: Artie Shaw

The sound is fairly good and all the tracks are very entertaining. Includes a version of "Gloomy Sunday" (without the cop-out third verse).

This is but one volume of the massive Time-Life "mail order only" Big Band series of a couple of decades ago which covered all the early greats, and if you can get your hands on one of these Artie Shaw editions at the price being shown, go for it. Fast while they last.The sound reproduction is just excellent and in the fold-out insert you get 2 1/2 pages on his career and another 2 1/2 pages providing comments on each of the recordings included by the noted jazz cornetist Richard M. (Dick) Sudhalter. Also, there is a complete discography of the contents, including musicians involved, which range from 1938 to 1941.The tracks, with the date recorded and, where applicable, vocalist, label number and chart performance, are: 1) Nightmare - Sept 27, 1938 - Bluebird 7875 - # 7 Dec 1938 and became his them; 2) Traffic Jam - June 12, 1939 - Bluebird 10385 = # 9 Sept 1939; 3) Moon Glow - Jan 23, 1941 Victor 27405; 4) Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise - Nov 17, 1938 - Bluebird 10054; 5) Carioca - Aug 19, 1939; 6) Begin The Beguine - July 24, 1938 - Bluebird 7746 - # 1 for 6 weeks Sept/Oct 1938 - voted the # 3 all-time record and # 5 all-time song in a Billboard disc jockey poll; 7) Back Bay Shuffle - July 24, 1938 - Bluebird 7759 - # 8 Oct 1938; 8) Non-Stop Flight - Sept 27, 1938 - Bluebird 7875 as the flip of track 1); 9) Any Old Time - March 12, 1939 - vocal by Helen Forrest - Victor 20-1575; 10) Octoroon - June 5, 1939 - Bluebird 10319; 11) Indian Love Call - July 24, 1938 - vocal by Tony Pastor - Bluebird 7746 as the flip of track 6); 12) Zigeuner - Jan 23, 1939 - Bluebird 10127; 13) At Sundown - Oct 25, 1939; 14) Gloomy Sunday - March 3, 1940 - vocal by Pauline Byrne - Victor 26563; 15) The Man from Mars - Nov 28, 1939; 16) Frenesi - March 3, 1940 - Victor 26542 - # 1 for 13 weeks Aug/Sept 1940; 17) Star Dust - Oct. 7 1940 - Victor 27230 - # 2 Jan/Feb 1941 - voted the greatest record and greatest song of all time in a Billboard disc jockey poll, this features solos by Billy Butterfield on trumpet, Artie on clarinet and Jack Jenney on trombone; 18) Adios, Mariquita Linda - Mar 3, 1940 - Victor 26542 - # 18 Sept 1940 as flip of track 16); 19) Villa - Jan 17, 1939 - Bluebird 10128; 20) El Rancho Grande - Nov 3, 1939 - vocal by Tony Pastor; 21) Yesterdays - Sept 27, 1938 - Bluebird 1001.As with the Glen Gray entry in the series, the producers of this volume and Encore Artie Shaw chose to include an unusual number of previously-unreleased selections and non-hits. Puzzling considering that Artie had posted54 hits from 1936 to 1952!