Big Band leader Artie Shaw has past away at 94. While I’m confident far fewer people will be as affected by his passing as that of Reggie White, It is highly arguable which of the two had more impact on the world in which we live.

If you are unfamiliar with his entrancing clarinet work, and brilliant arrangements, you’ll get a chance to hear his Nightmare on the movie The Aviator. Who knows, perhaps you’ll go on to other Shaw classics, or even move beyond, to the likes of Rich, Carmichael, Coltrane, or Paul? What a wonderful thing that would be.