| Four Star Favorites | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 LP reissue cover, 1951 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | September 5, 1941 | |||
| Recorded | 1938–1941 | |||
| Studio | Studio 2, Victor, New York Victor Studios, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Dance band, orchestral jazz | |||
| Length | 24:20 | |||
| Label | Victor | |||
| Artie Shaw chronology | ||||
| ||||
Four Star Favorites is a compilation album of phonograph records released in 1941 by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra on Victor Records, containing studio recordings by his second, third and fourth orchestras.
During the 1930s and 40s, Shaw's orchestras recorded two main styles of music inside of the jazz genre, danceable pop music following conventions of the time (swing) and a more sophisticated blend of classical music and jazz, aided with a string section (orchestral jazz or early third stream). These styles opposed each other, and during his career Shaw's attempts to make art music oftentimes failed because it wasn't commercially viable.[1]
Bridging the divide in Shaw's catalog, the compilation appealed to audiences of both swing music and more progressive forms of jazz. Well-reviewed upon release, the album stayed in-print for over a decade.[2]
- ^ Artist Biography by Scott Yanow at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- ^ "Best Selling Popular Record Albums" (PDF). American Radio History. The Billboard. 19 January 1952. Retrieved 13 September 2019.