[Dixielandjazz] Artie Shaw biography reviewed

[Robert Ringwald]

Artie Shaw biography reviewed

"Three Chords for Beauty's Sake: The Life of Artie Shaw." Nolan, Tom. Norton. May
2010. c.416p. photogs. bibliog. ISBN 978-0-393-06201-4. $29.95.
by Peter Thornell
Library Journal, April 15, 2010

Every great artist deserves a great biography, and Swing Era bandleader and clarinetist
Artie Shaw finally has one. Previous books focused mainly on his music, but that
represents only his public identity. One of the most interesting aspects of Shaw's
life was that while his fame came from the music he made, his personal happiness
did not. Most musicians play until the gigs dry up or their life ends, but Shaw stepped
away at the height of his powers, and Nolan ("Ross MacDonald: A Biography") reveals
many of the reasons for this. Conducting interviews with friends, colleagues, and
the man himself, Nolan examines the full breadth of Shaw's life.
Verdict: Considering Shaw's early literary desires, his many marriages, and the intellectual
intensity that led him to become one of the most famous or infamous figures in jazz,
Nolan has crafted a well-written, highly entertaining, and informative biography.
-- Peter Thornell, Hingham Public Library, MA


--Bob Ringwald
Amateur (ham) Radio call sign K6YBV
rsr at ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
916/806-9551

Advice for new musicians:
1.  Never be a mug at the bar. 
2.  Don't hang around with chorus-girls as they'll spend your money quicker than you can earn it.
(And the most important of them all)
3.  Never trust a drum break!