Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910[1] – December 30, 2004)[2] was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists",[3] Shaw led one of the United States' most popular big bands in the late 1930s through the early 1940s. Though he had numerous hit records, he was perhaps best kn