Artie Shaw's second feature-length film was Second Chorus, in 1940. By then, the 30-year-old clarinetist was earning up to $60,000 a week ($1.1 million in today's dollars), becoming the best-paid and most celebrated music star of the swing era. That same year, he recorded his massive hit Frenesi with a pickup orchestra, married actress Lana Turner and appeared on the radio regularly behind George Burns and Gracie Allen (they each made $5,000 a week). Shaw formed a new band in June, and in October recorded Stardust, another mega hit. The 23-piece orchestra with strings became known as his "Stardust" band. [Photo above of Lana Turner and Artie Shaw]
Amid all of this, Shaw's film starred Fred Astaire, Burgess Meredith and Paulette Goddard. Astaire's trumpet in the film was dubbed by Bobby Hackett while Meredith's horn was dubbed by Billy Butterfield. The film's big song was Love of My Life, written by Johnny Mercer and Shaw, who also arranged. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for best song.
Here's the entire film. If you just want to hear Shaw's "Stardust" band play Love of My Life, move the bar to 33:23...
The song was a Shaw favorite and best expressed his mood and personality. It was one of the few that clung to him through most of his playing career with varying personalities. The melody was bright and yearning, and the pacing was perfect. Shaw would record it five times in the studio—with his Stardust band in 1940, his Musicraft band in '45, his bop band in '50 and his small group in '54 .
Here's his second recording of the song in October 1940, timed to come out at the same time as the movie in December with Fred Astaire's vocal. It was recorded during the same studio session that produced Stardust. This time, with Anita Boyer on vocal and a Begin the Beguine-like intro...
Here's the third recording of the song, my own personal favorite, with his Musicraft band, in 1945..
Here's the song in 1950 for his Thesaurus Transcriptions band, with a stunning all-star personnel...
And here's the song in a small-group setting in 1954 on a session that would be among his last before retiring. Shaw displays amazing control and coloration, and superb improvisation...
A special thanks to Milt Cohen.
