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None of them were real marriages. They were legalized affairs. In those days, you couldn't get a lease on an apartment if you were

living in sin. This was Arthur Arshowski, who achieved worldwide fame as clarinetist and bandleader,

Artie Shaw. Exploding onto the jazz scene in the 1930s, Shaw was an innovative virtuoso,

but a difficult collaborator. The latter quality transposed

onto his eight marriages and myriad affairs with some of the most famous starlets of the era.

Among his octet of spouses were actresses Lana Turner, Evelyn Keyes, Doris Dowling, and Ava Gardner,

who famously trumpeted later partner Frank Sinatra's clarinet-sized

hog. Shaw also had confirmed or rumored relationships with Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, Betty

Grable, Rita Hayworth, and Lena Horn. Such was the cultural preeminence of jazz music

in the first half of the 20th century that a professional clarinetist could earn a star

on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and become the nation's preeminent Poonhound.

But in our time, even a gainfully employed reedsmith who performs regular gigs may struggle

to pay the bills.

Such was the case with Oakland clarinetist James Freeman, who found his hobby of home coffee roasting to prove more lucrative than his Woodwind concerts.

In January 2004, Freeman opened a coffee cart in San Francisco, which became a Bay Area hotspot, and a brick and mortar soon followed, as well as a rush of investor money from Techbro fanboys.

The store expanded into a chain

and became a favorite of yoga mat carrying coastal elites. In 2015, a newly opened Tokyo location

reportedly drew four-hour lines. In 2017, the upscale coffee concept was acquired for a staggering

$700 million by Nestle, a glossy sheen over

...