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| For the Love of Jazz in B flat “The Artie Shaw Story” Sunn Classic Pictures, Inc. ("Sunn") announced today that it has acquired all rights related to the motion picture, television and all other ancillary rights related to the life story of bandleader and composer Artie Shaw, which was negotiated with Shaw's estate entertainment attorney A. Edward Ezor. Shaw, known as having the Golden Clarinet and being the King of Swing, sold over 100 million records during his career. "Sunn" has also secured the rights to use Artie Shaw's musical library, which consists of hundreds of his digitally re-mastered songs. Hugh Kelley and Lang Elliott will write the screenplay which will go into development immediately. The story will focus primarily on the nostalgic years of Hollywood, the glamour stars, the period music, WWII and the influence that Artie Shaw's music had on later contemporary artists such as: Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, The Righteous Brothers, The Beatles, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Darin, Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, Smokey Robinson, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and many others. Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky on May 23, 1910) was an American jazz clarinetist, composer and bandleader. Shaw grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, where, at the early age of 13, he began learning the saxophone. By age 16, Shaw switched to the clarinet and left home to tour with a band. Arriving in New York, he became a session musician through the early 1930s. From 1925 until 1936, Shaw performed with many bands and orchestras, including those of Johnny Caverello and Austin Wylie. Shaw's later arrangements incorporated symphonic music, which stemmed from his 1929 and 1930 inclusion in Irving Aaronson's group, the Commanders. Shaw first gained critical acclaim in 1935 at a swing concert at the Imperial Theater in New York with his "Interlude in B-flat." During the swing era, Shaw's big band was popular with hits like "Begin the Beguine" (1938), "Stardust" (with a trumpet solo by Billy Butterfield), "Back Bay Shuffle, " "Moonglow, " "Rosalie" and "Frenesi." He was an innovator in the big band idiom, using unusual instrumentation. Shaw was backed with only a rhythm section and a string quartet when he performed "Interlude in B-flat." In addition to hiring Buddy Rich, "the world's greatest drummer, " Shaw also signed Billie Holiday as his band's vocalist in 1938; becoming the first white bandleader to hire a full-time black female singer to tour the segregated southern United States. Ms. Holiday, together with her partner Lester Young, influenced jazz and pop singing with such songs as: "God Bless the Child, " "Don't Explain, " "Lady Sings the Blues" and many others. However, she left the band due to hostility from audiences in the South, as well as from music company executives who wanted a more "mainstream" singer. Shaw's band became enormously successful, and his playing was eventually recognized at least as equal to and in most circles better musically then that of bandleader Benny Goodman. Despite a string of hits which sold more than 100 million records, Shaw prized innovation and exploration in music more highly than popular success and formulaic dance music. He fused jazz with classical music by adding strings to his arrangements, experimented with bebop, and formed "chamber jazz" groups that utilized such novel sounds as harpsichords and Afro-Cuban music. Shaw formed a long series of musical groups including such talents as: vocalists Helen Forrest (one of the most popular female vocalists during the Big Band era); Mel Torm write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |