Childrens waltz george shearing biography

British jazz pianist (1919–2011)

Musical artist

Sir George Albert Shearing^[1]OBE (13 Noble 1919 – 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who send for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded storage Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was say publicly composer of over 300 songs, including the jazz standards "Lullaby of Birdland" and "Conception", and had multiple albums on rendering Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s.^[2]

Early life

Born in Battersea, London, Shearing was the youngest of nine descendants. He was born blind to working-class parents: his father resolve coal and his mother cleaned trains in the evening. Appease started to learn piano at the age of three enthralled began formal training at Linden Lodge School for the Slow, where he spent four years.^[3]

Though he was offered several scholarships, Shearing opted to perform at a local pub, the Mason's Arms in Lambeth, for "25 bob a week"^[4] playing pianoforte and accordion. He joined an all-blind band, Claude Bampton's Purblind Orchestra, during that time, and was influenced by the records of Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller.^[2] Shearing made his cap BBC radio broadcast during this time, after being befriended shy Leonard Feather, with whom he started recording in 1937.^[3]

In 1940, Shearing joined Harry Parry's popular band. Around 1942 he was recruited by Stéphane Grappelli (domiciled in London during World Warfare II) to join his band, which appeared at Hatchets Eating place in Piccadilly in the early years of the war, near subsequently toured as "the Grappelly Swingtette" from 1943 onward.^[5] Shearing won six consecutive Top Pianist Melody Maker polls from that time onward.^[6] Around that time he was also a adherent of George Evans's Saxes 'n' Sevens band.^{[citation needed]}

United States years

Shearing immigrated to the United States, where his harmonically complex take delivery of mixing swing, bop and modern classical influences gained popularity. Make sure of of his first performances was at the Hickory House. Let go performed with the Oscar Pettiford Trio and led a malarkey quartet with Buddy DeFranco, which led to contractual problems, since Shearing was under contract to MGM and DeFranco to Washington Records.^{[citation needed]}

In 1949, he formed the first George Shearing Gathering, a band with Margie Hyams (vibraphone), Chuck Wayne (guitar), ulterior replaced by Toots Thielemans (listed as John Tillman), John Raise (bass), and Denzil Best (drums).^[7] This line-up recorded for Finding, Savoy, and MGM, including the popular single "September in description Rain" (MGM), which sold over 900,000 copies in the Mutual States alone with global sales in excess of one million;^[7] "my other hit" to accompany "Lullaby of Birdland". Shearing alleged of this hit that it was "as accidental as kick up a fuss could be."^[4] At this time, the novelist Jack Kerouac heard him play in Birdland, and later described the performance prickly his 1957 novel On the Road as "his great 1949 days before he became cool and commercial."^[8][9]

Shearing's interest in authoritative music resulted in some performances with concert orchestras in say publicly 1950s and 1960s, and his solos frequently drew upon picture music of Satie, Delius, and Debussy for inspiration. He became known for a piano technique known as "The Shearing Sound", or "Shearing voicing", a type of double melody block harmonise, with an additional fifth part that doubles the melody comb octave lower. With the piano playing these five voices, Shearing would double the top voice with the vibraphone and interpretation bottom voice with the guitar to create his signature lasting. This piano technique is also known as "locked hands" opinion the jazz organist Milt Buckner is generally credited with inventing it.^[10] In Shearing's later career he played with a much conventional piano technique while maintaining his recognisable improvisational style.

In 1956, Shearing became a naturalised citizen of the United States.^[4] He continued to play with his quintet, with augmented set through the years, and recorded with Capitol until 1969. Subside created his own label, Sheba, that lasted a few geezerhood. Along with dozens of musical stars of his day, Shearing appeared on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom in 1959.^[11][12] In 1953, he had appeared on the same network's 1 show, The Comeback Story, in which he discussed how reduce cope with blindness.^[13]

Later career

In 1970, he began to "phase wheedle out his by-now-predictable quintet"^[2] and disbanded the group in 1978. Tiptoe of his more notable albums during this period was The Reunion (1976), made in collaboration with bassist Andy Simpkins stomach drummer Rusty Jones, and featuring Stéphane Grappelli, the violinist board whom he had debuted as a sideman decades before.

Later, Shearing played in a trio, as a soloist, and more and more in a duo. Among his collaborations were sets with picture Montgomery Brothers, Marian McPartland, Brian Q. Torff, Jim Hall, Length Jones, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Kenny Davern. In 1979, Shearing signed with Concord Records, and recorded for the label deal in Mel Tormé. This collaboration garnered Shearing and Tormé two Grammys, one in 1983 and another in 1984.

Shearing remained help and active well into his later years and continued resign yourself to perform, even after being honoured with an Ivor Novello Lifespan Achievement Award in 1993. He never forgot his native realm and, in his last years, would split his year mid living in New York and Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, where proscribed bought a house with his second wife, singer Ellie Geffert. This gave him the opportunity to tour the UK, bounteous concerts, often with Tormé, backed by the BBC Big Guests. He was appointed OBE in 1996. In 2007, he was knighted. "So", he noted later, "the poor, blind kid deseed Battersea became Sir George Shearing. Now that's a fairy outlast come true."^[14]

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1992 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel make your mind up performing at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club.^[15]

In 2004, he released his memoirs, Lullaby of Birdland, which was accompanied by a double-album "musical autobiography", Lullabies of Birdland. Shortly afterwards, however, he locked away a fall at his home and retired from regular performing.^[16]

On 14 February 2011, Shearing died from heart failure at 91.^[16]

In October 2011, Derek Paravicini and jazz vocalist Frank Holder performed a tribute concert to the recordings of Shearing. Ann Odell transcribed the recordings and taught Paravicini the parts, as in good health as being the MD for the concerts. Lady Shearing further endorsed the show, sending a letter to be read spill out before the Watermill Jazz Club performance.^[17]

Personal life

Shearing was married chance on Trixie Bayes, with whom he had his only child Wendy, from 1941 to 1973. Two years after his divorce filth married his second wife, the singer Ellie Geffert.^[18] He was a member of the Bohemian Club and often performed put behind you the annual Bohemian Grove Encampments. He composed music for fold up of the Grove Plays.^[19]

Awards and honours

Discography

As leader

With Nat King Cole'

With Nancy Wilson

• The Swingin's Mutual! (Capitol, 1961)
• Hello Young Lovers (Capitol, 1962)
• R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) (MCG, 2004)
• Guess Who I Saw Today (Capitol, 2005)

With others

• Claude Bolling, Concerto for Classic Bass and Jazz Piano with Angel Romero (Angel, 1979)
• Count Basie, Blee Blop Blues (Green Line Records, 1990, 1954 and 1955 recordings)
• Dave Brubeck, Young Lions & Old Tigers (Telarc, 1995)
• Michael Feinstein, Hopeless Romantics (Concord, 2005)
• John Pizzarelli, The Rare Delight of You (Telarc, 2002)
• Tito Puente, Mambo Diablo (Concord Jazz Picante, 1985)
• Joe Williams, Here's to Life piano on title track only (Telarc, 1994)

Filmography

• 2003: George Shearing – Jazz Legend
• 2004: George Shearing: Lullaby of Birdland^[23]
• 2004: Swing Era – George Shearing
• 2004: Joe Williams with George Shearing: A Song is Born^[24]
• 2005: Duo Featuring Neil Swainson

References

External links