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
Girl from Ipanema
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah
When she walks, she's like a samba
That swings so cool and sways so gentle
That when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah
How can he tell her he loves her
Yes I would give my heart gladly
But each day, that she walks to the sea
She looks straight ahead, not at he
Tall, (and) tan, (and) young, (and) lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, he smile - but she doesn't see
(Doesn't see)
(She just doesn't see, she never sees him)
The lyrics to George Shearing's song "Girl from Ipanema" describe a beautiful, young woman, walking on the streets of Ipanema. She is the epitome of grace, dancing like a samba with a gentle sway in her hips. As she passes by, people are captivated by her beauty and charm, and their reactions reflect this - they can only manage to say "ah."
However, there is one person who looks at her differently - a man who watches her with a deep sadness in his heart. He longs to tell her how much he loves her and would gladly give his heart to her, but he knows she does not notice him. Each day, as she walks to the sea, she looks straight ahead, not at him. In a way, this man represents the unrequited love that many people may experience, yearning for someone who seems just out of reach.
Overall, the lyrics to "Girl from Ipanema" paint a vivid portrait of a beautiful woman and the emotions she evokes in those around her. It is a classic representation of the allure and complexity of human desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Tall and tan and young and lovely
The subject of the song is described physically as tall, tanned, young, and beautiful.
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
The girl walks around the Ipanema area, most likely as part of her daily routine.
And when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah
Every time she passes by someone, it elicits a response of admiration or enchantment from them.
When she walks, she's like a samba
Her movements are compared to the rhythmic and fluid nature of a samba dance.
That swings so cool and sways so gentle
Her walking style is described as being smooth, graceful, and soothing.
That when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah
Again, it is noted that every person who sees her walking feels captivated and impressed by her beauty.
(Ooh) But he watch her so sadly
The singer notes that he watches her with sadness, possibly indicating that he is smitten by her but is not able to express his feelings to her.
How can he tell her he loves her
The artist is questioning the possibility of confessing his love to her, since he assumes she is unaware of his existence.
Yes I would give my heart gladly
The artist expresses his desire to give his heart to the girl if given the chance.
But each day, that she walks to the sea
The girl seems to go on walks towards the beach regularly.
She looks straight ahead, not at he
The singer notes that every time she passes by, she doesn't acknowledge his presence and continues looking straight ahead.
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
The girl continues with her routine of walking in the Ipanema area.
And when she passes, he smile - but she doesn't see
Even though the singer smiles every time she passes by, the girl seems to not notice him at all.
(Doesn't see)
Reiteration of the previous idea that the girl never acknowledges the singer's existence.
(She just doesn't see, she never sees him)
Emphasis on the fact that the girl is completely unaware of the singer's existence or his feelings for her.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Norman Gimbel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius De Moraes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Demmin II
An amazing, non Bossa tempo arrangement that really works in the Shearing style.
Douglas Ford
What a superb artist he was!
Wrapped In Kindness
one of the best versions !
jim partridge
of all the great jazz pianists he had the most elegant touch
Kejo Fuentes
que linda se ha de escuchar esta mucha en un salon grande grande para un millon de personas o mas que puedan disfrutar de esta hermosa musica
Enrique Munera
Fabuloso arreglo con una sección de cuerdas genial... Estos arreglos tan sofisticados se dejaron de hacer hace décadas !!!
Tandy7202
oh how i luv this!!! thank you SO MUCH for posting!!! ^_^
Edward Tupta
I was born in the 1930's and he was very popular in the years 40's, 50's and 60's . I'm writing this because maybe some of you born more recently don't know that he was blind and thats why you see him wearing sun glasses. Yes he was a very 'classy 'playing guy and played very 'clean' and light.. Miss him
arthur gamez
So smooth and relaxing
George Moore
What a Beautiful Life-Long Song:)<3 aloha!