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
Lonely Moments
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O is for the only one I see.
V is very, very extraordinary.
E is even more than anyone that you adore can.
Love is all that I can give to you,
Love is more than just a game for two.
Two in love can make it.
Love was made for me and you.
L is for the way you look at me.
O is for the only one I see.
V is very, very extraordinary.
E is even more than anyone that you adore can.
Love is all that I can give to you,
Love is more than just a game for two.
Two in love can make it.
Take my heart and please don't break it,
Love was made for me and you.
(That's almost true)
For me and you.
The lyrics of George Shearing's song Lonely Moments are an ode to love, describing its unique power and beauty. The first verse delves into the spelling of the word "love," with each letter representing a different aspect of what makes it so special. The way someone looks at the singer, represented by the letter L, is the starting point for the intense emotions that follow. The letter O stands for the person the singer is completely devoted to, the only one they can see. The letter V emphasizes how extraordinary love is, and how powerful it can be. Finally, the letter E emphasizes the depth of the emotions involved, going beyond mere admiration to true adoration.
The second verse emphasizes the importance of love and the way it can transform lives. It is not just a simple game for two people to play; it is an all-consuming passion that can bring two people closer than they ever thought possible. The final lines of the verse are a plea to the loved one to cherish the singer's heart and not break it, because love is what binds them together. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the simplicity and power of the message: love is all that matters, and it can conquer any obstacle.
Overall, George Shearing's Lonely Moments provides a timeless depiction of the beauty and power of love, and how it can transform our lives. The lyrics are simple but deeply emotional, emphasizing the ways in which love can be both extraordinary and fragile.
Line by Line Meaning
L is for the way you look at me.
The letter L represents the way you look at me, conveying an intense feeling of love and happiness.
O is for the only one I see.
The letter O symbolizes that you are the only one I see, as no one else can catch my attention or affection.
V is very, very extraordinary.
The letter V signifies that our relationship is very special and unique, filled with extraordinary moments and experiences.
E is even more than anyone that you adore can.
The letter E shows that the love I have for you is greater than anyone else's admiration or fondness for you.
Love is all that I can give to you,
The only thing I can offer you is my love, as it's the most valuable and precious gift that I can possibly give.
Love is more than just a game for two.
Love is not just a trivial game that two people play, but a profound and meaningful connection that requires effort, commitment, and understanding.
Two in love can make it.
If two people are in love, they can overcome any obstacle, challenge, or setback that comes their way and build a strong, lasting relationship.
Take my heart and please don't break it,
I offer you my heart and trust you to handle it with care, hoping that you won't hurt me or betray my feelings.
Love was made for me and you.
Love is not just a coincidence or a random occurrence, but a destiny and a purpose that brings us together and makes our lives complete.
That's almost true
This final line is a hopeful and optimistic expression that suggests that our love may not be perfect, but it's close enough to feel real and meaningful.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MARY LOU WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind