The Gramercy Five was actually a sextet as it was Artie Shaw AND his Gramercy Five. Mr. Shaw was one of the great bandleaders in the "swing era" when big bands ruled and Jazz music was very popular with the masses in the 1930s and 40s. Like many bandleaders, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Bob Crosby, Tommy Dorsey and others had small groups formed with select members of their orchestras. This was their artistic side and these groups usually reflected their Jazz soul. The big bands had their function but the small groups presented more listening Jazz and gave more room to the excellent soloists that populated these big bands. The Shaw Gramercy Five was tight and disciplined but provided a beautiful balance between ensemble playing and improvisation and the music was fun to play and fun to listen to. The band only made a total of 14 tunes, most of them composed by Artie Shaw and there were just two editions one edition in 1940 with clarinet, trumpet, harpsichord, guitar bass and drums and the second with piano replacing the harpsichord in 1945. The masterful Shaw clarinet dominates these tunes and it's easy to see why he was considered one of the best clarinetists in the world. These sides are classics in small group swing and the only regret is that there weren't more recordings by this great little band. However we have these.....enjoy!

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