Artie Shaw was born in New York City in 1910. His name was Arthur Arshawsky. His parents were poor immigrants who had come to the United States from Eastern Europe. His family later moved to New Haven, Connecticut.
At the age of fourteen, he began to play the saxophone and then the clarinet. From a very young age, Artie Shaw wanted to play his clarinet better than anyone. He wanted his sound and music to be perfect. He worked at this task much of his life.
He began working as a professional musician when he was fifteen. He left home and began playing in bands across the United States.
In 1928, young Artie Shaw traveled to Chicago, Illinois to hear the great trumpet player, Louis Armstrong. He immediately understood that Armstrong's great jazz sound was the beginning of something new and exciting. Artie left Chicago with a growing interest in jazz music. Soon after, he moved to New York City.
He got work playing the clarinet for the Columbia Broadcast System radio network. In 1936, he was given a chance to form a small group and play at New York's famous Imperial Theater on Broadway. His group was not the top band in the show. But the crowd loved his music. This proved to be a major step in his career.
Artie Shaw was always trying something new, something different. He heard a young black woman sing and hired her for his band. This was the first time that a black woman sang with white musicians. Racial separation was the rule in many states. Artie Shaw did not care.
Artie Shaw wrote several books in his later years. He wrote stories for magazines. He spoke about music at colleges and universities. But he had very little to do with the world of recording or music. During those years however, he received many awards and honors for his music. These included a Hall of Fame award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
When he was very young, Artie Shaw was ________.
A.born to a wealthy family |
B.a famous singer |
C.a man with a great dream |
D.was in love with music when he was a baby |
To achieve his music dream, Artie Shaw ________.
A.first began to play the clarinet |
B.wanted to be the most famous musician around the world |
C.began playing in bands across the United States |
D.became a famous musician when he was fifteen |
When Artie Shaw became an adult, ________.
A.he showed a growing interest in jazz music |
B.he worked for Columbia Broadcast System radio network as a singer |
C.he formed a small band when he was twenty three |
D.he thought that racial separation should be the rule of the society |
In his later years, Artie Shaw ________.
A.almost stopped playing music |
B.worked for a magazine as an professional writer |
C.he made many speeches about his life at colleges |
D.he received many awards and honors for his books |
Which one can be the title of the passage?
A.Artie Shaw’s Life Stories | B.Artie Shaw — A Crazy Musician |
C.Artie Shaw — A Great Writer | D.Artie Shaw’s Music Life |