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
Cuckoo In The Clock
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've danced the whole night through
And daylight soon will be dawning
Just one more waltz with you
That melody so entrancing
Seems to be made for us two
I could just keep on dancing forever dear with you
My heart keeps beating in time
Sounds like an old sweet love tune
Say that there soon will be a honeymoon
It's three o'clock in the morning
We've danced the whole night through
And daylight soon will be dawning
Just one more waltz with you
That melody so entrancing
Seems to be made for us two
I could just keep on dancing forever dear with you
The lyrics to George Shearing's song "Cuckoo In The Clock" depict a romantic scene at three o'clock in the morning. The singer and their partner have been dancing all night long, and the imminent arrival of daylight signals the end of their time together. However, they are not yet ready to part ways and instead wish for just one more waltz with their beloved. The melody of the song is described as enchanting and perfectly suited for the couple. The lyrics express a desire to continue dancing with their partner indefinitely, emphasizing the deep connection and joy they experience together.
The repetition of the line "It's three o'clock in the morning, we've danced the whole night through" emphasizes the passing of time and the intensity of the moment. The mention of the chime chiming and rhyming with the singer's beating heart suggests a sense of synchronization and rhythm between their emotions and the passing hours. The reference to an old sweet love tune and the anticipation of a honeymoon suggests a longing for the continuation and deepening of the relationship beyond this night.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of passionate and romantic longing, encapsulating the magic and desire for an everlasting connection between two individuals through the beautiful medium of dance.
Line by Line Meaning
It's three o'clock in the morning
The late hour signifies that the night is coming to an end
We've danced the whole night through
We have spent the entire night dancing together
And daylight soon will be dawning
The sun will rise soon, signaling the beginning of a new day
Just one more waltz with you
Requesting to share one last dance together
That melody so entrancing
The music is captivating and enchanting
Seems to be made for us two
It feels like the song was created specifically for us
I could just keep on dancing forever dear with you
Expressing the desire to continue dancing endlessly with the beloved
There goes the three o'clock chime, chiming, rhyming
The clock strikes three o'clock, creating a rhythmic and melodic sound
My heart keeps beating in time
The heartbeat synchronizes with the chimes of the clock
Sounds like an old sweet love tune
The chiming resembles a nostalgic and romantic melody
Say that there soon will be a honeymoon
Imagining a future filled with love and happiness, maybe even a honeymoon
It's three o'clock in the morning
Reiterating the late hour and nearing end of the night
We've danced the whole night through
Emphasizing the duration of our continuous dancing
And daylight soon will be dawning
Highlighting the imminent arrival of daylight and a new day
Just one more waltz with you
Desiring a final waltz together before the night ends
That melody so entrancing
Again acknowledging the captivating nature of the music
Seems to be made for us two
Reaffirming the feeling that the song is tailored to our connection
I could just keep on dancing forever dear with you
Expressing the eternal desire to continue dancing with the beloved
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JULIAN ROBLEDO, DOROTHY TERRISS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind