Shaw, who dominated the 1930s and '40s band scene alongside the likes of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, died at his home in Newbury Park, near Los Angeles, his manager Bill Curtis said.

"His health had been failing for some time as the effects of a fall a few years ago reduced him to the point when he was in complete agony all the time," Curtis said.

Although Shaw turned his back on the music world 50 years ago, his death closes the chapter on the glamour and genius of the big band era.

"Artie will always be remembered by musicians as the best clarinettist that has ever lived. Most would agree that he was ahead of his time by far, even ahead of the great Benny Goodman," Curtis said.

Shaw, considered to be one of the two finest jazz clarinettists, along with his rival Goodman, will probably best remembered by fans for his 1938 recording of composer Cole Porter's 'Begin the Beguine'.

The disc sold millions and helped dethrone Goodman as the 'King of Swing'.

The tune transformed Shaw, who was married eight times including to movie legends Ava Gardner and Lana Turner, into the reluctant pop idol of his generation.

Quitting the jazz scene

After a temporary halt to his career in 1934, Shaw, a compulsive perfectionist, quit the music business and his beloved clarinet forever at the height of his popularity and musical superstardom in 1954.

"I was very uncomfortable," he said in an interview. "I played the role called Artie Shaw. People (ask) me for autographs, so I (say), 'I got out of the Artie Shaw business about 50 years ago.'," he said.

He never fully returned to the business, but allowed his orchestra to reform under his name years later.

"He was a true genius," Curtis said. "But he quit the business and never wanted to come back because he got sick of people pulling on his pant leg and asking him to play the tune he had just performed."

AFP
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