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
Continental
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mere alcohol,
Doesn't thrill me at all,
So tell me, why should it be true,
That I get a kick out of you.
Some get a kick from cocaine,
I'm sure that if,
It would bore me terrifically,too,
Yet I get a kick out of you.
I get a kick every time I see you,
Standing there before me,
I get a kick though it's clear to see,
You obviously don't adore me.
Some get a kick in a plane,
Flying too high,
With some gal in the sky,
Is my idea of nothing to do,
But I get a kick out of you.
I get a kick, out of you.
The lyrics of “Continental” by George Shearing describe the singer’s indifference towards certain vices like champagne and cocaine. The lyrics contrast these vices with the singer’s enjoyment of being with the person he is addressing in the song. The first verse states that the singer does not enjoy champagne or alcohol and does not understand why he enjoys being with the person he is singing about. The second verse discusses the subject of cocaine and how the singer does not enjoy it, but still enjoys being with the person he is addressing. The third verse emphasizes the singer’s appreciation for the person he is addressing, even though he is aware that the feeling is not mutual. Finally, the last verse discusses the singer’s dislike of airplanes and flying, stating that his idea of a good time is being with the person he is addressing.
The song emphasizes how love and liking someone can overshadow other desires and vices that usually bring pleasure. The song suggests that the singer derives joy and excitement from being in the presence of the person he is addressing, even if that joy is one-sided. The upbeat rhythm and the jazzy music create a lively atmosphere that further emphasizes the feeling of enjoyment that the singer has.
Line by Line Meaning
I get no kick from champagne,
I don't feel excited or thrilled by drinking champagne.
Mere alcohol,
Just drinking alcohol alone without something or someone else does not excite me.
Doesn't thrill me at all,
It doesn't excite me at any level.
So tell me, why should it be true,
I am questioning why people get excited by drinking and why it doesn't work for me.
That I get a kick out of you.
But I do get excited by being around you.
Some get a kick from cocaine,
Some people feel excited or stimulated by using cocaine.
I'm sure that if,
I am confident that,
I took even one sniff,
Even if I were to try a small amount of it,
It would bore me terrifically,too,
I believe it would be incredibly boring and unexciting for me as well.
Yet I get a kick out of you.
Despite that, I still get excited by your presence and being near you.
I get a kick every time I see you,
I always feel a jolt of excitement every time I see you.
Standing there before me,
Just being present and standing in front of me.
I get a kick though it's clear to see,
Though it's obvious that you don't feel the same way, I still feel excited.
You obviously don't adore me.
It's evident that you don't have the same feelings for me as I do for you.
Some get a kick in a plane,
Some people get excited by flying in an airplane.
Flying too high,
Flying in high altitudes.
With some gal in the sky,
Being accompanied by a woman while flying high in the sky.
Is my idea of nothing to do,
But personally, that is not something I'd find interesting or exciting.
But I get a kick out of you.
However, my excitement and joy come merely from being around you and nothing else.
I get a kick, out of you.
My excitement comes from nothing else but you.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike Gannon
This was one amazing jazz quintet! All giants in their own right, George and Chuck were grand masters! What a sound!
Rock Martinez
Possibly the greatest ensemble of jazz artists ever...man I loved this music since the late 40's growing up in Wisconsin. This is awesome.
Anthony Wheeler
George Shearing, always perfection.
konidolfine
パラマウント・ニュースのシャレ、理解いただける方がいらっしゃって安心しました（笑） 私が物心ついた頃は竹脇昌作氏は既にいらっしゃらなかったのが残念ですが、あのスピードがありながらクールなトーンによる語りはニューズリールの一つの規範となるものでしたね。 あ、シアリングのことを忘れてました（笑）
Alan Taylor
Margie Hyams, vibes was 'discovered' by Woody herman and she played with him for a year until she was replaced by Red Norvo. Great piano on this!
Anthony Wheeler
Thanks for the info about the Continental. I just ordered an LP from the internet. What would we do without the resources of the internet? BTW your music selections are excellent. Keep posting. Eventually I will be uploading as well. Thanks again
wilkierichard
My Mum and dad had this record. I seem to remember a lovely one chord mambo on the b side called "Down Cuba Way" or something like that. Any chance of putting that on YouTube? Nice.
ewallt
It looks like I'm a year late, but the answer is the song "I won't dance" refers to the dance called "The Continental". The movie, "The Gay Divorsee", shows the dance. It's a wonderful move, by the way. If you do a search, you can easily find a Youtube clip of this.
MrPlonkas
your eyes are opend now george to the wonders of paradise for all eternity,thanks for the music
konidolfine
You were able to really meet with the place that Mr Shearing played. It was the experience that was really good for you.