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
I’ll Be Around
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No matter how
You treat me now
I'll be around from now on.
Your latest love
Can never last,
And when its past,
Good-bye again,
And if you find a love like mine
Just now and then,
Oh drop a line to say you ?re feeling fine
And when things go wrong
Perhaps you'll see
You're meant for me
So I'll be around when he's gone.
Good-bye again,
And if you find a love like mine
Just now and then,
Oh drop a line to say your feeling fine
And when things go wrong
Perhaps you'll see
You're meant for me
So I'll be around when he's gone.
The song "I'll Be Around" by George Shearing is a poignant ballad about an unrequited love that never fades. The singer declares that no matter how poorly they are treated, they will always be around. Even though the person they love may move on to someone else, they will still be there waiting for them, patiently hoping that someday they will realize their mistake and come back to them.
The song speaks to the heartbreak of unrequited love and the never-ending hope that one's love will one day be returned. The singer acknowledges that the person they love may find happiness with someone else, but they insist that their own love is true and will outlast any temporary infatuation. The song ends with a plea to be notified if the object of their affection ever needs them, and a promise to always be around when they do.
In summary, "I'll Be Around" is a heartfelt and emotional song that captures the enduring nature of love and the pain of unrequited affection. It is a testament to the strength of true love and the unwavering hope that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll be around,
I will still be present in your life, regardless of how you treat me.
No matter how
Irrespective of any harsh treatment you give me,
You treat me now
Currently or in the future, my presence in your life will remain unchanged.
I'll be around from now on.
I will be there for you from now till an unforeseeable end.
Your latest love
Whoever comes after me, your newest love interest,
Can never last,
Will not stand the test of time,
And when its past,
It will end at some point.
I'll be around when he's gone
When your newest love leaves, I will still be there for you as I was before.
Oh drop a line to say you’re feeling fine
Occasionally send me a message indicating that life is treating you well.
And when things go wrong
In case things don't work out in your new relationship,
Perhaps you'll see
Maybe you'll realize,
You're meant for me
That we are meant to be together.
So I'll be around when he's gone.
I will remain by your side even after your next failed relationship.
Good-bye again,
Saying goodbye to another temporary lover,
And if you find a love like mine
If you ever happen to meet someone who loves and cares for you passionately like I do,
Just now and then,
Once in a while,
Oh drop a line to say your feeling fine
Please let me know that you're still okay.
And when things go wrong
In case things don't work out as planned,
Perhaps you'll see
You may eventually realize,
You're meant for me
That we would be great together.
So I'll be around when he's gone.
I will still be there for you after your next failed relationship.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES JACKSON, MARVIN JEROME YANCY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kepler Gso
Marvellous. So simple, and so rich too ! I listen to it often. Perfect chords and sequence of these chords. That is a very good arrangement, classical, but perfect ! What a lesson !! Listen to the chain between the improvisation and the return of the theme !! So fine !! Jacques, from France.
Tony Thompson
As always, GS is superb. Shame about the indifferent recording quality, but that doesn't mask the brilliance of this wonderful pianist.
joeyb4ever
Just love this Alec Wilder tune. One of my favorites to sing.
Robert Boney
Great ballad and arrangment by Shearing.
John No one
How did he do it? It has been a voyage of pleasurable musical discovery for me starting as an art student with Geoges's Latin Escapade to this lovely melodic and rhythmic number.it has been a wonderful journey.
GM
So thrilling, words cannot describe this feeling.
Dita de Lugt
Marvellous .…. Still always since than …
r
Wow, never thought I'd find this tune. Been searching for it for a while. Thanks!
anosjk
Now please run to hear Billie Holiday's definitive version (Decca Records).
StreetChat 505
Wasn't that familiar with the artist previously, a haunting melody.