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
Friendly Persuasion
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
More than the mulberries on the hill
More than the buds of a May apple tree I love thee
Arms have I, strong as the oak for this occasion
Lips have I, to kiss thee, too, in friendly persuasion
Thee is mine though I don't know many words of praise
Put on your bonnet, your cape, and your glove
And come with me, for thee I love
Friendly persuasion
Thee is mine though I don't know many words of praise
Thee pleasures me in a hundred ways
Put on your bonnet, your cape, and your glove
And come with me, for thee I love
The lyrics of George Shearing's song, Friendly Persuasion, express a deep and unconditional love for someone special. The opening stanzas make use of pastoral imagery to convey the purity and stillness of the natural world, suggesting that the person being addressed by the lyrics is even more precious than the tranquil beauty of a meadow or the sweet fruit of a mulberry tree. The use of "thee" throughout the song adds a sense of timeless intimacy to the lyrics, invoking a sense of spiritual and emotional connection that transcends everyday language.
As the song progresses, the singer's affection deepens, using metaphors to describe the strength and tenderness of his love. He compares his "arms" to "the oak," symbolizing both stability and protection, while his "lips" are capable of both gentle kisses and "friendly persuasion." The chorus reaffirms the singer's love, making use of a colloquial phrase to emphasize the simplicity and sincerity of his intentions.
Ultimately, the song speaks to the power of love to transform our lives and bring us closer to those we cherish. The lyrics of Friendly Persuasion capture the essence of human connection in all its beauty and complexity.
Line by Line Meaning
Thee I love more than the meadow so green and still
I love you more than anything else, even the peaceful green meadow.
More than the mulberries on the hill
I love you more than the juicy, ripe mulberries on the top of the hill.
More than the buds of a May apple tree I love thee
I love you more than the beautiful buds of a May apple tree.
Arms have I, strong as the oak for this occasion
I have strong arms like the oak tree to hold you tightly in my embrace.
Lips have I, to kiss thee, too, in friendly persuasion
I want to kiss you with friendly persuasion, to show my love for you.
Thee is mine though I don't know many words of praise
You belong to me, even though I don't have many words to express my admiration for you.
Thee pleasures me in a hundred ways
You make me happy in countless ways.
Put on your bonnet, your cape, and your glove
Get ready to go out with me, put on your hat, coat and gloves.
And come with me, for thee I love
Come with me, because I love you.
Friendly persuasion
I want to show my love for you in a friendly, gentle way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, GUY WEBSTER/WEBSTER MUSIC
Written by: DIMITRI TIOMKIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ClassicDamsel
Such a pretty and relaxing song! The pictures you used are so beautiful too! I have yet to see "Friendly Persuasion" (it's on the list for my movies as literature course), but I so enjoyed the song and the pictures from the movie. As always, thanks for another wonderful video!
555kappock
This is soooo beautiful. One man, one piano, and lovely music is delivered to us. That the one man is George Shearing makes it perfect. Thanks.
Jymster46
You are very welcome. I love his music. So glad you liked it. Thanks for listening.
Jim
Paul Goode
Nice montage! There aren't many good renditions of this out there, but you found one of the best. Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for posting.
Paul Goode
My father played Shearing's records often. I was lucky enough to see him with Mel Torme at the concert that was released on CD as "A Vintage Year."
Jymster46
Thank you very much for watching, listening and commenting! I love the movie and the music of Mr. Shearing. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
Jim
Terencio jazzpiano
Shearing enters the soul of any piano he touches, and any song he chooses to touch us with.
Exquisite. Thank you.
Jymster46
@Terencio jazzpiano I agree. You are very welcome. Thanks for listening to it.
Jim
Micky Alberta
George Shearing has a unique and awesome style.
Jymster46
@ClassicDamsel You are very welcome Classic Damsel! I am sure you will love the movie it is great. The song was a huge hit for Pat Boone but this is a very soft and intimate version, I think. Thanks so much for watching and thank you for the nice comment. Jim