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 Didn't Know What Time It Was
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yesterday, perhaps
Danced with Jim and Paul
And kissed some other chaps
Once I was young
But never was naive
I thought I had a trick or two
And now I know I was naive
I didn't know what time it was
Then I met you
Oh, what a lovely time it was
How sublime it was too
I didn't know what day it was
You held my hand
Warm like the month of May it was
And I'll say it was grand
Grand to be alive, to be young
To be mad, to be yours alone
Grand to see your face, feel your touch
Hear your voice say, "I'm all your own"
I didn't know what year it was
Life was no prize
I wanted love and here it was
Shining out of your eyes
I'm wise and I know what time it is now
Grand to be alive, to be young
To be mad, to be yours alone
Grand to see your face, feel your touch
Hear your voice say, "I'm all your own"
I didn't know what year it was
Life was no prize
I wanted love and here it was
Shining out of your eyes
I'm wise and I know what time it is now
The lyrics to George Shearing’s song “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” is a beautiful and romantic ode to the feeling of finding love unexpectedly. The song begins with the singer reminiscing about her youth when she danced with Jim and Paul and kissed other chaps. She thought she had a trick or two up her sleeve, but she now realizes that she was naive. The singer then goes on to describe the lovely and sublime time she had when she met her lover. She didn't know what time or day it was, but being with her lover made everything wonderful. The feeling of being alive, young, and madly in love is grand, and the singer is happy to be hers alone.
The second verse starts with the singer describing how bleak life was before she met her lover. She yearned for love, and her lover came into her life shining out of her eyes. The singer is now wise and knows what time it is now. The same feeling of grandeur is used in the chorus as the singer repeats how grand it is to be alive, young, and madly in love. The singer cherishes her lover, and it's evident in the way she describes seeing her face, feeling her touch, and hearing her voice say, "I’m all your own."
Overall, the lyrics to "I Didn’t Know What Time It Was" are about how finding love unexpectedly can bring immense joy and happiness to one's life. The singer describes the feeling of being alive, young, and in love with such sincerity and emotion that the listener cannot help but feel the same way. The song is a beautiful portrayal of the power of love and how it can transform an individual's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I was young
In the past, I was not yet old
Yesterday, perhaps
It could have been any time in the past
Danced with Jim and Paul
I danced with men named Jim and Paul
And kissed some other chaps
I kissed other men in addition to Jim and Paul
But never was naive
Despite my youth, I was not gullible
I thought I had a trick or two
I believed I had some skills or knowledge that set me apart
Up my imaginary sleeve
That were only in my imagination
And now I know I was naive
Looking back, I realize I was in fact gullible
I didn't know what time it was
I was unaware of the time of day
Then I met you
Until I encountered you
Oh, what a lovely time it was
It was a delightful period of my life
How sublime it was too
It was wonderful beyond measure
I didn't know what day it was
I was unaware of the current date
You held my hand
You took my hand in yours
Warm like the month of May it was
Your touch was comforting and soothing
And I'll say it was grand
I must acknowledge that it was magnificent
Grand to be alive, to be young
It was splendid to be living and youthful
Grand to see your face, feel your touch
It was magnificent to see and touch you
Hear your voice say, "I'm all your own"
To hear you claim to belong to me was marvelous
Life was no prize
Life was not particularly rewarding or satisfying
I wanted love and here it was
All I desired was love, and I found it with you
Shining out of your eyes
The love I sought was radiating from your eyes
I'm wise and I know what time it is now
Now I am intelligent and aware of the current situation
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin Parker
I'm 81 and this gets better every time I hear it pure class marvellous
Ken Borden
Great stuff...always! Love it...any time!
Kenneth Gross
A sound that matches Garner and Peterson for originality. Mis you George........
arthur gamez
Sounds so classy and elegant😃👍🎵
Peter Shaw
Good old George. Great stuff. Much appreciated. Thanks.
John Smith
Not the ex-RAF Peter Shaw I used to fly with?
Barry Schlesinger
Jazz timeless.. From 1949.... Still Fresh.....
Ian Rowlandian
Timeless..I guess I,m an old romantic ..Loved Shearing sound when I was 14 and now 60 yrs later still loving the sound
Joe NationAnimation
Yes! The great music always sounds as if it could have been written/recorded "yesterday." It never sounds dated; it could have come from any time.
Massimo Mortari
George Shearing fantastico dopo 74 anni!!!