GEORGE SHEARING

George Shearing enjoys an international reputation as a pianist, arranger and composer. Equally at home on the concert stage as in jazz clubs, Shearing is recognized for inventive, orchestrated jazz. He has written over 300 compositions, including the classic “Lullaby of Birdland,” which has become a jazz standard.

Shearing was born in 1919 in the Battersea area of London. Congenitally blind, he was the youngest of nine children. His father delivered coal and his mother cleaned trains at night after caring for the children during the day. His only formal musical education consisted of four years of study at the Linden Lodge School for the Blind. While his talent won him a number of university scholarships, he was forced to refuse them in favor of a more financially productive pursuit…playing piano in a neighborhood pub for the handsome salary of $5 a week! Shearing joined an all-blind band in the 1930’s. At that time he developed a friendship with the noted jazz critic and author, Leonard Feather. Through this contact, he made his first appearance on BBC radio.

In 1947, Mr. Shearing moved to America, where he spent two years establishing his fame on this side of the Atlantic. The Shearing Sound commanded national attention when, in 1949, he gathered a quintet to record “September in the Rain” for MGM. The record was an overnight success and sold 900,000 copies. His U.S. reputation was permanently established when he was booked into Birdland, the legendary jazz spot in New York. Since then, he has become one of the country’s most popular performing and recording artist. In 1982 and 1983 he won Grammy Awards with recordings he made with Mel Torme. Mr. Shearing was the subject of an hour-long television documentary entitled “The Shearing Touch” presented on the Southbank Show with Melvyn Bragg on ITV in the UK.

Three presidents have invited Mr. Shearing to play at the White House.. Ford, Carter and Reagan. He performed at the Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He is a member of the Friars Club and the Lotos Club in New York and the Bohemian Club in San Francisco.

His awards and honors are many. In May 1975, he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Music from Westminster College in Salt Lake City. In May of 1994, Hamilton College in upstate New York awarded him another honorary doctorate in music. DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana presented him with an honorary doctorate of music on June 1, 2002. He received the prestigious Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans in 1978 and a community recreational facility in Battersea, south London, was named the George Shearing Centre in his honor. In May of 1993, he was presented with the British equivalent of the Grammy…the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement. In June of 1996, Mr. Shearing was included in the Queen’s Birthday Honors List and on November 26, 1996 he was invested by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his “service to music and Anglo-US relations.” He was presented the first American Music Award by the National Arts Club, New York City, in March of 1998.

In 1999, his 80th birthday was celebrated in England where he played to a sold-out house at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. Also appearing with him were the BBC Big Band, the strings of the London Symphony, Dame Cleo Laine and John Dankworth. BBC Radio 2 presented a 2 1/2-hour “Salute to Shearing” in honor of his birthday.

The following year another sold-out house at Carnegie Hall was treated to his birthday celebration featuring the George Shearing Quintet with Nancy Wilson, Dave Brubeck, Dr. Billy Taylor, the John Pizzarelli Trio, Tito Puente and Peter Schickele who brought a special greeting from PDQ Bach!

Mr. Shearing’s biography, “Lullaby of Birdland,” published by Continuum, was released February 2005. In conjunction with the autobiography release Concord Records released a composite of Shearing recordings in a 2-CD set entitled “Lullabies of Birdland.: A Musical Autobiography” which was immediately followed up with “Hopeless Romantics” with Michael Feinstein. Concord then released the collectors set Mel Tormé & George Shearing The Concord Years. Mr. Shearing’s popularity continues to rise.

In November 2006, a letter arrived from the Prime Minister's office in London reading, in part, "The Prime Minister has asked me to inform you, in strict confidence, that .......he has it in mind, on the occasion of the forthcoming list of New Year Honours, to submit your name to The Queen with a recommendation that Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to approve that the honour of Knighthood be conferred upon you." When the letter was read to him, George simply said, "I don't know why I'm getting this honor.....I've just been doing what I love to do." And, when asked by the press how he felt about receiving the highest honor the Queen can give, he replied, "My mind keeps flashing back on my beginnings as pianist playing in a pub for the equivalent of $5.00 a week. What a journey it has been from that pub to Buckingham Palace. Receiving such an honor as a Knighthood might also show young people what can be achieved in life if one learns his craft and follows his dreams."

So, the poor, blind kid from Battersea named George Shearing, the youngest of nine, whose father once delivered coal to the Palace, with four years of formal musical training but with a tremendous will to make good, traveled with his wife, Ellie, to London to claim his honor. On June 13, 2007 George was presented to Queen Elizabeth II in the Ballroom of Buckingham Palace. The Queen first touched him on each shoulder with the sword her father had used, then stepped down off the dais to put the medal around his neck, adjusted it, shook hands with him and talked to him for several minutes. He became Sir George Shearing "for his contribution to music", as the Lord Chamberlain put it. Now, that's a fairy tale come true!

After the ceremony, Sir George and Lady Shearing hosted a luncheon for some of their closest friends including Dame Cleo Laine and Sir John Dankworth, the BBC personality and interviewer, Michael Parkinson (who championed George's receiving a Knighthood on his radio and television shows), and the actress Julia McKenzie.  

The following week, Sir George's relatives came to lunch.....including his 97-year-old sister, Dolly. She was the life of the party....leading the Sing-Song between courses of the meal! And the celebratiions didn't stop there. The Shearings hosted a tea for the member of Parliament and former Home Secretary, David Blunkett, along with the Dean of Canterbury, The Very Reverend Robert Willis. Mr. Blunkett was also born blind and lived for ten years right next door to the Linden Lodge for the Blind.

And, the honors keep coming! Back in New York, on October 21, 2007, the Town Hall Foundation presented Sir George with its Annual Friend of the Arts Award "in recognition and appreciation of his babiding interest in the development, enrichment and support of the arts". With this award also came a medal placque, bearing Sir George's name, being placed on the back of one the seats in the legendary Town Hall.

But, come July 1 every year, one can find the Shearings traveling from their New York City apartment up to the beautiful Berkshires near Tanglewood where, for the entire summer, they will attend concerts by the Boston Symphony, entertain their many friends (both in and out of the music profession), and, yes, listen to the crickets while sipping a glass of wine while simply enjoying life together. 

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Sir George Shearing OBE (b. August 13, 1919) is a British jazz pianist who, during the 1950s, had a popular Jazz group for MGM Records and Capitol Records. He has written over 300 compositions and has had multiple albums on the Billboard magazine charts throughout the '50s, '60s, '80s and '90s.

He became known for a piano technique known as Shearing's voicing, a type of double melody block chord, with an additional fifth part that doubles the melody an octave lower.

Shearing's interest in classical music resulted in some performances with concert orchestras in the 1950s and 1960s, and his solos frequently draw upon the music of Debussy and, particularly, Erik Satie for inspiration.

Biography

Beginnings

Shearing was born on August 13, 1919 in Battersea, South London, England and was the youngest of nine children. He was born blind to working class parents: his father delivered coal and his mother cleaned trains in the evening. He started to learn piano at the age of three and began formal training at Linden Lodge School for the Blind, where he spent four years.

Though offered several scholarships, Shearing opted to perform at local pub, the Mason's Arms in Lambeth, for "25 bob a week" playing piano and accordion. He even joined an all-blind band during that time and was influenced by the albums of Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller. He made his first BBC radio appearance during this time after befriending Leonard Feather, whom he started recording with in 1937. In 1940 , Shearing joined Harry Parry's popular band and contributed to the comeback of Stéphane Grappelli. Shearing also won seven consecutive Melody Maker polls during this time. Around that time he was also a member of George Evans' Saxes 'n' Sevens band.

The US years

In 1947, Shearing moved to the United States, where he began to play in a harmonically complex style that mixed swing, bop and modern classical influences. One of his first gigs in the States was at the Hickory House. He performed with the Oscar Pettiford Trio and led a quartet with Buddy DeFranco, which led to recording problems since Shearing was with MGM and DeFranco was with Capitol Records. In 1949, he formed the first "George Shearing Quintet", a band with Marjorie Hyams (vibraphone), Chuck Wayne (guitar), John Levy (bass) and Denzil Best (drums) and recorded for Discovery, Savoy and MGM, including the immensely popular single, September in the Rain (MGM), which sold over 900,000 copies. Shearing himself would write of this hit that it was "as accidental as it could be."

In 1956, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He continued to play with his quintet, with augmented players through the years, and recorded with Capitol until 1969. He created his own label, Sheba, that lasted a few years.

1970s

Starting in 1970, Shearing began to "phase out his by-now-predictable quintet" and disbanded the group finally in 1978. One of his more notable albums during this period of time (1976) done in collaboration with bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Rusty Jones (musician), is The Reunion, With George Shearing (Verve), which featured Stéphane Grappelli, the musician he had debuted with as a sideman many years before. Later, Shearing played with a trio, as a solo and increasingly in duo. Among his collaborations have been sets with the Montgomery Brothers, Marian McPartland, Brian Q. Torff, Jim Hall, Hank Jones and Kenny Davern. In 1979, Shearing signed with Concord Records, in particular working with Mel Tormé. This collaboration garnered Shearing and Tormé two Grammys, one in 1982 and then another in the following year.

Musical collaborations

Over the years, Shearing has also collaborated with singers including Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Ernestine Anderson, Dakota Staton, Carmen McRae, Nancy Wilson and, most notably, Mel Tormé, with whom he performed frequently in the late 80s and early 90s at festivals, on radio and for recordings.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Shearing performed and recorded extensively in a duo format with the extraordinary Canadian bassist Neil Swainson.

Shearing also made a recording with the classical French horn player Barry Tuckwell.

Shearing collaborated with the John Pizzarelli Trio to create the album The Rare Delight of You, which garnered extremely good reviews. The album cover, featuring Pizzarelli and Shearing posing in front of a solid blue background, was designed to resemble the cover of Nat King Cole Sings, George Shearing Plays, a legendary jazz recording with which it shares some similarities in style.

Recognition

Performed for US Presidents
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
Performed at Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
In 1957, Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road contains a scene describing a Shearing concert
In 1975, received honorary degree of Doctor of Music from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In 1978, received the Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans.
Grammys:
1982 - An Evening With George Shearing And Mel Tormé
1983
In 1993, received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement.
In 1994, received honorary degree of Doctor of Music from Hamilton College in New York State.
In 1996, was included in the Queens Birthday Honours List and was invested by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his “service to music and Anglo-US relations."
In 1998, received the first American Music Award by the National Arts Club, New York, New York.
In 2003, received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from BBC Jazz Awards.[4]
In 2007, was knighted for services to Music.

Discography

1947 Piano Solo — Savoy
1949 Midnight on Cloud 69 — Savoy
1949 George Shearing Quintet — Discovery
1950 You're Hearing the George Shearing Quartet — MGM
1951 An Evening with the George Shearing Quintet
1951 Souvenirs — London
1951 Touch of Genius — MGM
1952 I Hear Music — Metro
1955 Shearing Caravan — MGM
1955 Shearing in Hi Fi — MGM
1955 The Shearing Spell — Capitol
1956 Latin Escapade — Capitol
1956 Black Satin — Capitol
1956 By Request — London
1956 Velvet Carpet — Capitol
1957 Shearing on Stage — Capitol
1958 Blue Chiffon — Capitol
1958 Burnished Brass — Capitol
1958 Latin Lace — Capitol
1958 George Shearing on Stage! — Capitol
1958 Latin Affair — Capitol
1958 In the Night with Dakota Staton — Capitol
1959 Satin Brass — Capitol
1959 Satin Latin — MGM
1960 San Francisco Scene — Capitol
1960 On the Sunny Side of the Strip — GNP
1960 The Shearing Touch — Pausa
1960 White Satin — Capitol
1961 George Shearing and the Montgomery Brothers — Jazz
1961 Mood Latino — Capitol
1961 Nat King Cole Sings/George Shearing Plays — Capitol
1961 Satin Affair — Capitol
1961 The Swingin's Mutual! — Blue Note
1962 Jazz Moments — Blue Note
1962 Shearing Bossa Nova — Capitol
1962 Soft and Silky — MGM
1963 Touch Me Softly — Capitol
1963 Jazz Concert — Capitol
1963 Rare Form — Capitol
1963 Old Gold and Ivory — Capitol
1963 Latin Rendezvous — Capitol
1964 Out of the Woods — Capitol
1964 Deep Velvet — Capitol
1966 That Fresh Feeling — Capitol
1969 In the Mind — Capitol
1970 Out of This World — Sheba
1971 Music Is to Hear: Joe Williams — Sheba
1972 As Requested —Sheba
1972 The George Shearing Quartet — Sheba
1973 Gas — Sheba
1973 The George Shearing Trio, Vol. 1
1974 My Ship —Polydor
1974 Light Airy and Swinging — MPS
1974 The Way We Are — BASF
1975 Continental Experience — BASF
1976 The Reunion — Pausa
1977 500 Miles High
1979 Getting in the Swing of Things — Pausa
1979 Live — Concord Jazz
1979 Blues Alley Jazz — Concord Jazz
1979 Concerto for Classic Guitar and Jazz Piano — Angel
1980 Two for the Road — Concord
1980 In Concert at the Pavilion — Concord Jazz
1980 On a Clear Day — Concord Jazz
1980 Windows — Pausa
1981 Alone Together — Concord Jazz
1981 First Edition — Concord Jazz
1982 An Evening with George Shearing & Mel Tormé
1983 Top Drawer — Concord Jazz
1984 Live at the Cafe Carlyle — Concord
1985 An Elegant Evening — Concord Jazz
1985 Grand Piano — Concord Jazz
1986 Plays Music of Cole Porter — Concord
1986 More Grand Piano — Concord Jazz
1987 Breakin' Out — Concord Jazz
1987 Dexterity — Concord Jazz
1988 The Spirit of 176 — Concord Jazz
1988 Perfect Match — Concord Jazz
1989 George Shearing in Dixieland — Concord
1989 Piano — Concord Jazz
1991 Get Happy! - EMI Classics
1992 I Hear a Rhapsody: Live at the Blue Note
1992 Walkin': Live at the Blue Note — Telarc
1992 How Beautiful Is Night — Telarc
1994 That Shearing Sound — Telarc
1994 Great Britain's Marian McPartland & George Shearing — Savoy Jazz
1994 Cocktail for Two — Jazz World
1995 Paper Moon: Songs of Nat King Cole
1997 Favorite Things — Telarc
1998 Christmas with George Shearing Quintet
2000 Just for You: Live in the 1950s — Jazz Band
2001 Live at the Forum, Bath 1992 — BBC Legends
2001 Back to Birdland — Telarc
2002 Pick Yourself Up — Past Perfect
2005 Music to Hear — Koch
2006 Live Jazz from Club 15 — Request
2006 Swinging in a Latin Mood — Universal

References

a b c Richard S. Ginell. "George Shearing". Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
a b "George Shearing Biography". Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
a b c George Shearing w/ Les Tomkins (1966). "George Shearing: How I found the Sound". Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
BBC Jazz Awards

External links

George Shearing.net
George Shearing discography (at VH1)
Profile at IMDB