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
It's You Or No One
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How did I guess that the long loneliness was past.
I merely looked at you and I knew that I knew.
It's you or no one for me
I'm sure of this each time we kiss
Now and forever and when forever's done
You'll find that you are still the one
Please don't say no to my plea
'Cause if you do then I'm all through
There's this about you
My world's an empty world without you
It's you or no one for me
Please don't say no to my plea
'Cause if you do then I'm all through
There's this about you
My world's an empty world without you
It's you or no one for me
For me
The lyrics of George Shearing's classic song It's You or No One speaks of the realization of a love that is meant to last. The song's theme is undeniably romantic, as it tells the story of the singer's realization that the person he is looking at is the one he wants to be with for the rest of his life. The lyrics are simple yet emotionally charged, expressing the depth of the singer's feelings by way of the realization that he knew immediately upon seeing the object of his affections.
The opening lyrics imply a newfound warmth and a sense of hope after a period of loneliness. The singer acknowledges that he recognized that the wait was over the very moment he looked at his lover. In essence, the singer is saying that he can't imagine being away from the love of his life, and that it is ultimately this person or no one else. The song has a passionate and pleading tone, eliciting the fear of losing the love of his life.
In conclusion, It's You or No One is a declaration of lasting love, a choice to remain with the one to whom the heart belongs. The song captures the true spirit of love, emphasizing the emotional connection two people can share, which extends beyond just physical attraction. It is a song about finding someone who makes life worth living, and the fear of losing that person.
Line by Line Meaning
How did I know that the warmth of the glow would last.
I was unsure before, but looking at you now, I can tell that the warmth I feel when I'm with you is here to stay.
How did I guess that the long loneliness was past.
It's a mystery how, but somehow I have a strong feeling that the loneliness I've felt for so long is over, and you're the reason for that.
I merely looked at you and I knew that I knew.
It's as simple as this - when I looked at you, I just knew that you were meant to be with me, and that we belong together.
It's you or no one for me
I'm convinced that you're the only one for me, and I'm not interested in anyone else.
I'm sure of this each time we kiss
Every time we kiss, I become more and more certain that you're the one I want to be with forever.
Now and forever and when forever's done
I want to be with you now and forever, even beyond the boundaries of time.
You'll find that you are still the one
No matter what happens, you'll always be the one I love and want to be with.
Please don't say no to my plea
I'm begging you not to turn me down or reject me, because I can't bear the thought of being without you.
'Cause if you do then I'm all through
If you reject me or say no, it would be the end of the road for me, because I don't want anyone else but you.
There's this about you
I can't put my finger on what it is, but there's something about you that I can't resist, and I can't let go of.
My world's an empty world without you
Without you, my world is bleak and empty, and I can't imagine a life without you in it.
It's you or no one for me
I'll say it again - you're the only one for me and I don't want anyone else.
For me
I can't stress this enough - everything I'm saying applies only to me, and how I feel about you.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Donya Lane
THIS WAS SO COOL! Thank you for sharing this. Shearing, with his dazzling technique and cross-genre versatility, and a 14 yr old Harry, tearing it up with "Straight No Chaser." The fact that he was even playing Monk at that age is probably, in large part, thanks to his legendary teacher, Ellis Marsalis. Shearing and Connick... what a wonderful moment in music history!
Leonard Shevlin
Playing at a faster tempo makes the stride elements obvious.
Tilly Sanders
Just shows a star is born ..Harry is composed, articulate and talented .. like an old soul .. beyond merely 14 years.
ET M
@elizabeth b the ones who play classical and jazz
elizabeth b
Right? What kid says "the jazz idiom"?
becky rubin
Not to mention adorable 🥰
Derek M
I wasn't this mature at 40......
NM Dakini
George Shearing was one of the very great jazz pianists. And a really wonderful human!
Pietro Parker
What a wonderful surprise to see how much talent Harry Connick had at age 14 - wow!
mrfester42
His playing is great BUT add to that his composure, his natural and ready smile and his ease with the interviewer and he's like a grown man at 14.