[Dixielandjazz] More on Shaw - why he quit playing

[Richard Broadie]

During one of the my visits to Artie's home, I was accompanied by one far 
more skilled at identifying great paintings, sculpture, etc. than myself. 
As we sat in Artie's living room, I was told (in a whisper) that he would 
appraise Artie's art collection in that single room to be worth at least 
$10,000,000.  In the second story of his house was a huge collection of 
books on virtually any subject imaginable.  That Shaw was a man of wide 
interests and great intelligence cannot be disputed.

I asked Artie why he quit playing (likely the 24,085th person to do so).  He 
didn't immediately respond.  Rather he pulled out 3 or 4 records (I don't 
recall the titles, nor was I familiar with the specific songs).   As I 
listened, I heard some incredibly executed, very modern clarinet playing. 
When he saw expressions of total approval on my face, he told me that these 
were among the last recordings he'd ever made and then said, "how could I 
ever follow that act?"   Yes, the man had an ego but I didn't argue with 
him!  When he felt that he could no longer possibly improve on his playing, 
he figured it was time to move on to another challenge.

Dick Broadie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Haesler" <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>
To: "Stephen Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>; "dixieland jazz mail 
list" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 12:50 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Re: Jazz & Strings - Shaw


> >From Steve Barbone (in part):
>> Unlike Ellington, Music was not his mistress. Music was only a VERY SMALL 
>> part
> of his life. Jazz music even smaller, a fact while hard for us lesser 
> mortals to
> understand, makes the sum total of his contributions to it, all the more
> incredible.<
>
> Amen.
> I wish I had written that.
> Kind regards,
> Bill.
>
>
>
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