Artie Shaw What Is This Thing Called Love CD

Personnel includes: Artie Shaw (leader, clarinet); Mel Torme & The Mel-Tones, Hal Stevens, Teddy Walters, Kitty Kallen (vocals); Rudy Tanza, Skeets Herfurt (alto saxophone); Herbie Stewart (tenor saxophone); Bernie Glow, Ray Linn (trumpet); Gus Dickson (trombone); Dodo Marmarosa, Johnny Guarnieri (piano); Bernard Kessel, Dave Barbour (guitar); Morrie Rayman (bass); Lou Fromm (drums).
Recorded in 1945 & 1946. Includes liner notes by Joop Visser.
Personnel: Artie Shaw (clarinet); Halsey Stevens, Teddy Walters, Kitty Kallen, Mel Tormé, The Mel-Tones (vocals); Dave Barbour, Barney Kessel (guitar); Nick Fatool (clarinet, drums); Rudy Tanza, Lou Prisby, Skeets Herfurt (alto saxophone); Herbie Steward, Ralph Rosenlund (tenor saxophone); Chuck Gentry (baritone saxophone); Manny Klein, Clyde Hurley, George Schwartz, Ray Linn, Bernie Glow, Stan Fishelson (trumpet); Garth Dickson, Bob Swift, Si Zentner, Harry Rodgers, Ollie Wilson (trombone); Dodo Marmarosa, Johnny Guarnieri, Milt Raskin (piano); Lou Fromm (drums).
Liner Note Author: Joop Visser.
Recording information: 11/16/1945-11/08/1946.
This collection of Artie Shaw big band recordings comes from his brief association with the Musicraft label. Having assembled and broken up several earlier units, this edition, heard in recordings made between 1945 and 1946, is more of an arranger's band than one that features many soloists, other than the leader. During this period of Shaw's career, he was constantly changing the instrumentation of his band and making personnel substitutions. Fellow Musicraft artist Mel Tormé and his group the Mel-Tones are added on some tracks, though this was a studio relationship exclusively and they were not a part of Shaw's organization. The innovative blend of strings, voices and brass in the swinging arrangement of "What Is This Thing Called Love" is the highlight of the vocal selections, along with an updated instrumental version of the clarinetist's earlier hit, "Begin the Beguine." The only reservation about this compilation is that several tracks are abruptly faded or even truncated. ~ Ken Dryden