Shearing was born in the Battersea area of London, United Kingdom. Congenitally blind, he was the youngest of nine children. He started to learn piano at the age of three. After limited training and extensive listening to recorded jazz, he began playing at hotels, clubs and pubs in the London area, sometimes solo, occasionally with dance bands. In 1940, Shearing joined Harry Parry's popular band and became a star in Britain, performing for the BBC, playing with Stéphane Grappelli's London-based groups of the early 1940s, and winning seven consecutive Melody Maker polls.
In 1946, Shearing established himself in the United States. In 1955, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Leading a quintet (piano with guitar, bass, drums and vibraphone), which over the years included Cal Tjader, Margie Hyams, Denzil Best, Israel Crosby, Joe Pass and Gary Burton, Shearing had a succession of hugely popular records including September In The Rain and his own composition, Lullaby Of Birdland (1952). His style, including the joint playing of the melody by piano and vibraphone, was also widely copied, becoming part of the idiom of pop music, so that his records from that period now sound far less innovative than they did at the time. 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 Torff, Jim Hall, Hank Jones and Kenny Davern.
In the 1970s, Shearing's profile had been lowered considerably, but upon signing with Concord Records in 1979, Shearing found himself enjoying a renaissance.
Over the years, Shearing has also collaborated with singers including Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Ernestine Anderson, Carmen McRae, and most notably, Mel Tormé, with whom he performed frequently in the late 80s and early 90s at festivals, on radio and for recordings.
Recently, 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.
Shearing's interest in classical music resulted in some performances with concert orchestras in the 1950s and 1960s, and his solo's frequently draw upon the music of Debussy and, particularly, Erik Satie for inspiration. Shearing also made a recording with the classical French horn player Barry Tuckwell.
Shearing wrote a number of jazz arrangements of hymn tunes for the organ in collaboration with organist Dale Wood, that have been published in sheet music form.
(2) For a long stretch of time in the 1950s and early '60s, George Shearing had one of the most popular jazz combos on the planet -- so much so that, in the usual jazz tradition of distrusting popular success, he tended to be underappreciated. Shearing's main claim to fame was the invention of a unique quintet sound, derived from a combination of piano, vibraphone, electric guitar, bass, and drums. Within this context, Shearing would play in a style he called "locked hands," which he picked up and refined from Milt Buckner's early-'40s work with the Lionel Hampton band, as well as Glenn Miller's sax section and the King Cole Trio. Stating the melody on the piano with closely knit, harmonized block chords, with the vibes and guitar tripling the melody in unison, Shearing sold tons of records for MGM and Capitol in his heyday.
The wild success of this urbane sound obscures Shearing's other great contribution during this time, for he was also a pioneer of exciting, small-combo Afro-Cuban jazz in the '50s. Indeed, Cal Tjader first caught the Latin jazz bug while playing with Shearing, and the English bandleader also employed such esteemed congueros as Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, and Armando Peraza. As a composer, Shearing was best known for the imperishable, uniquely constructed bop standard "Lullaby of Birdland," as well as "Conception" and "Consternation." His solo style, though all his own, reflected the influences of the great boogie-woogie pianists and classical players, as well as those of Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Erroll Garner, Art Tatum, and Bud Powell -- and fellow pianists long admired his light, refined touch. He was also known to play accordion and sing in a modest voice on occasion.
Shearing, who was born blind, began playing the piano at the age of three, receiving some music training at the Linden Lodge School for the Blind in London as a teenager but picking up the jazz influence from Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller 78s. In the late '30s, he started playing professionally with the Ambrose dance band and made his first recordings in 1937 under the aegis of fellow Brit Leonard Feather. He became a star in Britain, performing for the BBC, playing a key role in the self-exiled Stéphane Grappelli's London-based groups of the early '40s, and winning seven consecutive Melody Maker polls before emigrating in New York City in 1947 at the prompting of Feather. Once there, Shearing quickly absorbed bebop into his bloodstream, replacing Garner in the Oscar Pettiford Trio and leading a quartet in tandem with Buddy DeFranco. In 1949, he formed the first and most famous of his quintets, which included Marjorie Hyams on vibes (thus striking an important blow for emerging female jazz instrumentalists), Chuck Wayne on guitar, John Levy on bass, and Denzil Best on drums. Recording briefly first for Discovery, then Savoy, Shearing settled into lucrative associations with MGM (1950-1955) and Capitol (1955-1969), the latter for which he made albums with Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, and Nat King Cole. He also made a lone album for Jazzland with the Montgomery Brothers (including Wes Montgomery) in 1961, and began playing concert dates with symphony orchestras.
After leaving Capitol, Shearing began to phase out his by-then-predictable quintet, finally breaking it up in 1978. He started his own label, Sheba, which lasted for a few years into the early '70s -- and made some trio recordings for MPS later in the decade. In the '70s, his profile had been lowered considerably, but upon signing with Concord in 1979, Shearing found himself enjoying a renaissance in all kinds of situations. He made a number of acclaimed albums with Mel Tormé, raising the singer's profile in the process, and recorded with the likes of Ernestine Anderson, Jim Hall, Marian McPartland, Hank Jones, and classical French horn player Barry Tuckwell. He also recorded a number of solo piano albums where his full palette of influences came into play. He signed with Telarc in 1992 and from that point through the early 2000s continued to perform and record, most often appearing in a duo or trio setting. Shearing, who had remained largely inactive since 2004 after a fall in his New York City apartment, died of congestive heart failure at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital on February 14, 2011. He was 91. ~ Richard S. Ginell, Rovi
Born To Be Blue
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But they are such a chosen few, chosen few
And clover being green
Is something I've never seen
Cause I was born to be blue
When there's a yellow moon above me
They say there's moonbeams I should view, I should view
Are something I can't behold
Cause I was born to be blue
When I met you
The world was bright and sunny
When you left the curtain fell
I'd like to laugh
But nothing strikes me funny
Now my world's a faded pastel, oh well
I guess I'm luckier than some folks
Woo woo woo
I've known the thrill of lovin' you, lovin' you
And that alone is more than I was created for
Cause I was born to be blue
When I met you
The world was bright and sunny
When you left the curtain fell
I'd like to laugh
But nothing strikes me funny
Now my world's a faded pastel, oh well
I guess I'm luckier than some folks
I've known the thrill of lovin' you, lovin' you
And that alone is more than I was created for
Cause I was born to be blue
Woo woo
The lyrics to George Shearing's song "Born To Be Blue" convey a sense of melancholy and resignation. The singer expresses a feeling of not being destined for happiness or good fortune. They observe that while some people seem destined to live a life of ease and prosperity ("live in clover"), they themselves are not among the chosen few. The mention of "clover being green" emphasizes the contrast between the vibrant and fortunate lives of others and the gloomy existence of the singer.
The song continues with references to a yellow moon and moonbeams that others can appreciate, but the singer can't fully experience. The color imagery of the moonbeams being gold and something they "can't behold" further emphasizes their inability to find pleasure or fulfillment in life. The lyrics also describe a past relationship that brought brightness and joy but ultimately ended, leaving the singer feeling empty and unable to find humor or amusement in anything anymore.
Despite their melancholy outlook on life, the singer considers themselves fortunate in one aspect – having known the thrill of loving someone. This suggests that even though their overall existence may be marked by sadness, the experience of love is a significant and meaningful aspect of their life. In the end, the lyrics reinforce the idea that the singer was "born to be blue," destined to experience sadness and longing throughout their journey in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Some folks were meant to live in clover
Certain people were destined to live a life of luxury and prosperity
But they are such a chosen few, chosen few
However, only a select few have been granted this privilege
And clover being green
Referring to the metaphorical representation of wealth and abundance
Is something I've never seen
Unfortunately, I have never experienced such prosperity
Cause I was born to be blue
Because my inherent nature is one of sadness and melancholy
When there's a yellow moon above me
During moments when there is a radiant moon shining upon me
They say there's moonbeams I should view, I should view
Others suggest that I should appreciate and embrace the beauty of moonbeams
But moonbeams being gold
However, the shimmering essence of moonbeams
Are something I can't behold
Is something I am unable to witness or experience
Cause I was born to be blue
Because my natural state is one of sorrow and sadness
When I met you
Upon the moment of our encounter
The world was bright and sunny
The world seemed vibrant and full of joy
When you left the curtain fell
However, when you departed, a sense of darkness and despair enveloped my existence
I'd like to laugh
I desire to find amusement and joy
But nothing strikes me funny
Yet, nothing seems to evoke laughter or amusement within me
Now my world's a faded pastel, oh well
Now my world has transformed into a dull and faded version of its former self, resigned to accept this fate
I guess I'm luckier than some folks
In comparison to others, I suppose I am more fortunate
I've known the thrill of lovin' you, lovin' you
I have experienced the exhilaration and joy of loving you deeply
And that alone is more than I was created for
And that alone fulfills the purpose for which I was brought into existence
Cause I was born to be blue
Because my true essence and destiny lies in a state of melancholy and sadness
Woo woo
An expression of additional emotional resonance
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Mel Torme, Robert Wells
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lewis Martiniello
Great vocal, great accompaniment.
Bruce Williams
Thanks very much. Absolutely first-rate.
Luke Dunn
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