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
How Long Has This Been Going On
George Shearing Lyrics
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I was kissed by my sisters, my cousins, and my aunties.
Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's.
So my dear I swore,
"Never, never more!"
On my list, I insisted that kissing must be crossed out.
Now, I find I was blind, and oh my!
I could cry salty tears,
Where have I been all these years?
Little wow, tell me now,
How long has this been going on?
There were chills up my spine,
And some thrills I can't define.
Listen, sweet, I repeat,
How long has this been going on?
Oh, I feel that I could melt,
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
I know how Columbus felt,
Finding another world.
Kiss me once, then once more.
What a dunce I was before.
What a break!
For Heaven's sake!
How long has this been going on?
Dear, when in your arms I creep,
That divine rendezvous,
Don't wake me, if I'm asleep,
Let me dream that it's true!
Kiss me twice, then once more.
That makes thrice, let's make it four!
What a break!
For Heaven's sake!
How long has this been going on?
How long has this, been going on?
George Shearing's song How Long Has This Been Going On is a romantic ballad that explores the singer's realization that he has been missing out on the joys of love and affection. The opening lines of the song paint an image of the singer's early childhood, where he was kissed by his sisters, cousins and aunties but did not enjoy it. He goes on to swear never to kiss anyone again and insists on removing kissing from his list of approved activities.
Later in life, the singer realizes that he has missed out on something special and laments the fact that he was blind to the pleasures of love and affection all these years. The lyrics express the joy and excitement of discovering new love, as well as a sense of regret for having missed out on it for so long.
The song is written in a conversational style and uses simple, yet powerful metaphors to convey the emotion of the singer. The playful use of words like "little wow" and "for Heaven's sake" adds to the charming quality of the song and reinforces the message of the lyrics.
In conclusion, How Long Has This Been Going On is a beautiful song that captures the essence of falling in love for the first time. It conveys both the excitement and the sadness that come with this experience, and it does so in a poetic and memorable way.
Line by Line Meaning
As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties,
As a child, when I walked around in little velvet pants,
I was kissed by my sisters, my cousins, and my aunties.
My sisters, cousins, and aunts all kissed me.
Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's.
Unfortunately, this experience was awful, worse than Dante's inferno.
So my dear I swore,
As a result, dear, I made a promise,
"Never, never more!"
"I will never allow it to happen again!"
On my list, I insisted that kissing must be crossed out.
I added kissing to my list of forbidden activities.
Now, I find I was blind, and oh my!
Now, I realize how mistaken I was and, oh my!
How I lost out!
What an opportunity I missed!
I could cry salty tears,
I am feeling so emotional that I could cry salty tears,
Where have I been all these years?
How have I missed out on this for all these years?
Little wow, tell me now,
How unbelievable! Please tell me now,
How long has this been going on?
How long has this particular situation been occurring for?
There were chills up my spine,
It caused me to feel considerable excitement and nervousness,
And some thrills I can't define.
I cannot describe the strong sense of enjoyment and excitement that it produces.
Listen, sweet, I repeat,
Listen carefully, sweetheart, as I will say it again,
How long has this been going on?
How long has this been happening?
Oh, I feel that I could melt,
Oh, I am overwhelmed with emotions!
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
I feel like I am being transported to heaven!
I know how Columbus felt,
I understand how Columbus felt
Finding another world.
As though he had discovered a completely new world.
Kiss me once, then once more.
Kiss me once, then kiss me again.
What a dunce I was before.
How foolish I was in the past!
What a break!
What a lucky coincidence!
For Heaven's sake!
For goodness' sake!
How long has this been going on?
For how long has this particular situation been occurring?
Dear, when in your arms I creep,
My love, when I come close to you in your arms,
That divine rendezvous,
This incredible intimate moment,
Don't wake me, if I'm asleep,
Please don't wake me up, even if I seem to be asleep.
Let me dream that it's true!
Allow me to believe that it is all real!
Kiss me twice, then once more.
Kiss me twice and then give me one more!
That makes thrice, let's make it four!
That adds up to three, let's make it four!
What a break!
What a lucky coincidence!
For heaven's sake!
For goodness' sake!
How long has this been going on?
How long has this been happening?
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind