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
Do You Know The Way To San Jose
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been away so long. I may go wrong and lose my way.
Do you know the way to San Jose?
I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose.
L.A. is a great big freeway.
Put a hundred down and buy a car.
In a week, maybe two, they'll make you a star
And all the stars that never were
Are parking cars and pumping gas
You can really breathe in San Jose
They've got a lot of space. There'll be a place where I can stay
I was born and raised in San Jose
I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose.
Fame and fortune is a magnet.
It can pull you far away from home
With a dream in your heart you're never alone.
Dreams turn into dust and blow away
And there you are without a friend
You pack your car and ride away
L.A. is a great big freeway.
Put a hundred down and buy a car.
In a week, maybe two, they'll make you a star
Weeks turn into years. How quck they pass
And all the stars that never were
Are parking cars and pumping gas
I've got lots of friends in San Jose
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Can't wait to get back to San Jose.
The song "Do You Know The Way To San Jose" by George Shearing tells the story of a person who has been away from San Jose for a long time and is now returning to find some peace of mind. The opening verses talk about the fear of losing one's way, being away too long, and the confusion of whether they remember how to get back home. It's clear that the singer is not interested in fame and fortune, but rather, a place where they can find themselves again.
The next verse shifts the focus to Los Angeles where the singer has been. LA is described as a place where people come to become stars, but the reality is that not everyone makes it. Even those who do become famous may not find true happiness. The line "all the stars that never were, are parking cars and pumping gas" is especially poignant. It speaks to the reality of LA life where many people come with dreams of becoming famous, but end up working mundane jobs just to get by.
The chorus then brings us back to San Jose, a place where the singer was born and raised. San Jose is described as a place with plenty of breathing space and a welcoming place to stay. It's here that the singer hopes to find peace of mind once again. The final verse ties it all together, emphasizing the importance of home and the dangers of chasing fame and fortune. The lyrics are a reminder that while it's good to have dreams, it's even more important to remember where you came from.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Asking if someone knows the directions to San Jose.
I've been away so long. I may go wrong and lose my way.
After being away from San Jose for so long, the singer fears getting lost.
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Reiterating the question of whether someone knows the directions to San Jose.
I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose.
The artist is returning to San Jose in search of inner peace.
L.A. is a great big freeway.
Los Angeles is primarily defined by its multi-laned highways.
Put a hundred down and buy a car.
One can purchase a car by paying a small amount of money upfront.
In a week, maybe two, they'll make you a star
Success in Los Angeles can come quickly.
Weeks turn into years. How quick they pass
Time seems to accelerate in Los Angeles.
And all the stars that never were / Are parking cars and pumping gas
Many aspiring entertainers end up taking menial jobs in Los Angeles.
You can really breathe in San Jose
The air quality in San Jose is notably better than in Los Angeles.
They've got a lot of space. There'll be a place where I can stay
San Jose has more room for residents than Los Angeles does.
I was born and raised in San Jose
The artist has deep roots in San Jose and considers it home.
I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose.
Reiterating that the singer is returning to San Jose in search of inner peace.
Fame and fortune is a magnet.
The allure of fame and fortune is strong.
It can pull you far away from home
Pursuing fame and fortune can take one away from their roots.
With a dream in your heart you're never alone.
Having a dream can provide comfort and companionship.
Dreams turn into dust and blow away
Many aspirations fail to come to fruition.
And there you are without a friend
One can end up feeling lonely despite chasing their dreams.
You pack your car and ride away
In the face of disappointment, leaving Los Angeles is a common option.
I've got lots of friends in San Jose
The artist has a network of support in San Jose.
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Continuing to ask if someone knows the directions to San Jose.
Can't wait to get back to San Jose.
Expressing excitement to return to San Jose.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAL DAVID, BURT BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Edgar Goco
classic
stefan s.
here the complete list of the musicians : george shearing p ,sigi schwab g , heribert thusek vib, andy simpkins b , rusty jones dr chino valdez perc, caermelo garcia perc.
SandroEzequiel2010
Very Good! ;) Excelente! según el mapa de visitas, soy el primer argentino que ve este vídeo... (...cool)
Alain Vincent
Body and Soul @ 6 Hubert St. N.Y.C.
Andy on the warm up, turned me on to this...Sounded incredible over that system in that space.
Alain Vincent
@GM
Very Impressive
GM
@Alain Vincent that was a year ago, now i have almost all his vinyl discs
Alain Vincent
@GM Enjoy A True Masterpiece
GM
@Wesley Wayne just bought it on vinyl for sooo cheap.
oh man i cant wait to hear it
Alain Vincent
@Wesley Wayne
A True Undergound Classic!
Enjoy Wesley.
barrtok
cool!