Born in New York City on this day 116 years ago, Artie Shaw went on to redefine the clarinet's range, flexibility, and lyrical capabilities. From his 1936 composition Interlude in Bb to his famous last recordings in the 1950s, Shaw developed and expanded the vocabulary of jazz clarinet perhaps more than any other player.
Here is a short version of his Concerto for Clarinet, as performed in the movie Second Chorus (1940). There are great close ups of his finger technique and embouchure, along with improvised sections differing from the studio recording.
