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
Eleanor Rigby
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
In the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face
That she keeps in a jar by the door
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks
In the night when there's nobody there
What does he care
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Ah look at all the lonely people
Ah look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
And was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
From his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
The lyrics of George Shearing's song, Eleanor Rigby, delve into the loneliness that exists in society, specifically within two characters: Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie. The first verse is an observation of the lonely people around us, and then the song shifts its focus onto Eleanor who is depicted as a woman who lives in a dream and waits by the window with a fixed expression, suggesting her isolation from the world around her. The line "wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door" symbolizes the mask people often put on for the world, to hide their true selves, but being a jar, she is unable to hide it completely.
The second verse then focuses on Father McKenzie, who is the antithesis of Eleanor. He is busy writing a sermon that no one will listen to, and in his free time he darns his socks, suggesting his personal loneliness. Despite his dedication to his profession, no one comes near him. The chorus asks the question of where all the lonely people come from and where do they belong, indicating that society tends to ignore and abandon its lonely individuals. The final verse reveals that Eleanor Rigby has died, and she was buried in the church with no one attending her funeral. It ends with Father McKenzie, who seems to be struggling with his own sense of helplessness and loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah look at all the lonely people
The singer draws our attention to the many people who are lonely and have no one with whom to interact.
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
Eleanor Rigby attends to small details at a wedding that she did not participate in.
In the church where a wedding has been
The wedding that had taken place in the church serves as a contrast to Eleanor’s solitary life.
Lives in a dream
Eleanor lives in an isolated world, where she has no social connections.
Waits at the window, wearing the face
Eleanor eagerly awaits for someone to visit her, showing a different face from the one she always puts up.
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Eleanor’s “face” is like a mask that she puts on every time she expects someone to come by.
Who is it for
Eleanor’s “face” is meant for whoever comes to visit her.
All the lonely people
The chorus emphasizes the presence of numerous lonely people in society.
Where do they all come from?
The singer wonders about the causes behind the loneliness that many people feel.
Where do they all belong?
The singer contemplates the lack of social connections that could make people feel at home within a community.
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Father McKenzie is seen writing words that nobody seems to be heeding.
Of a sermon that no one will hear
Father McKenzie prepares a sermon that, unfortunately, no one will attend.
No one comes near
Father McKenzie lives in isolation, with no one around him to offer company and support.
Look at him working, darning his socks
Father McKenzie’s work on something as simple as his socks highlights how much he has to do in the absence of any human interaction.
In the night when there's nobody there
Father McKenzie is forced to work at night, as there is no one to come over and keep him company during the day.
What does he care
The singer implies that Father McKenzie is content to work in isolation or does not expect anyone to notice, proving his acceptance of his lonely lifestyle.
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
The fact that Eleanor Rigby died in the church, a place where many people meet, highlights her loneliness despite having been in people's company.
And was buried along with her name
The obituary of Eleanor Rigby reflects the little impact she had in life interlaced with her loneliness, ultimately leading to her name being forgotten over time.
Nobody came
Eleanor Rigby's funeral represents a sad goodbye, with nobody having come to pay their respects.
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
Father McKenzie is carrying out the final act of decency by bidding farewell, with nobody else present to pay respects.
From his hands as he walks from the grave
Father McKenzie has completed his obligation of burying Eleanor, leading to him departing from the grave, with no family or friends to accompany him.
No one was saved
No one saved Eleanor Rigby from her lonely existence, nor does anyone seem to be coming to Father McKenzie’s rescue, leading to a very bleak outlook at their future.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind