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
Mack The Knife
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe
And he keeps it, ah, out of sight
Ya know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, oh, wears old MacHeath, babe
So there’s never, never a trace of red
Now on the sidewalk, huh, huh, whoo sunny morning, un huh
Lies a body just oozin' life, eek
And someone’s sneakin' ‘round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?
There's a tugboat, huh, huh, down by the river dontcha know
Where a cement bag’s just a'drooppin' on down
Oh, that cement is just, it's there for the weight, dear
Five'll get ya ten old Macky’s back in town
Now d'ja hear ‘bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe
After drawin' out all his hard-earned cash
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor
Could it be our boy's done somethin' rash?
Now Jenny Diver, ho, ho, yeah, Sukey Tawdry
Ooh, Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town
I said Jenny Diver, whoa, Sukey Tawdry
Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town
Look out, old Macky's back!!
The lyrics to George Shearing's song "Mack the Knife" are a telling of the deeds of the infamous criminal "MacHeath" or "Mack the Knife." The first verse speaks of the shark-like teeth of Mack, which he keeps hidden in his pocket with his jackknife. The next verse describes a gruesome scene of a murdered person on the sidewalk, with the suspicion that Mack is the perpetrator. The following verse speaks of a possible sighting of Mack by the river as a cement bag drops into the water. The final verse lists off several women who have been associated with Mack, and the line forms as he returns to town.
These lyrics paint a picture of a dangerous and mysterious figure in society. While it never outright confirms that Mack is guilty of any of the crimes mentioned, it is heavily implied. The use of animal imagery to describe Mack's violent tendencies adds to the eerie nature of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
The dangerous and cunning Mack the Knife has a set of sharp teeth that he uses to harm.
And it shows them pearly white
His teeth are white and visible.
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe
Mack the Knife only uses a small, yet deadly knife.
And he keeps it, ah, out of sight
Mack the Knife conceals his weapon to deceive others.
Ya know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe
When Mack the Knife attacks, it's as lethal as a shark with its sharp teeth.
Scarlet billows start to spread
Blood spills and stains the area.
Fancy gloves, oh, wears old MacHeath, babe
Mack the Knife wears expensive gloves to avoid leaving any traceable evidence when he commits a crime.
So there’s never, never a trace of red
He ensures that there is never a hint of his wrongdoings.
Now on the sidewalk, huh, huh, whoo sunny morning, un huh
On a beautiful, clear day, on the street pavement.
Lies a body just oozin' life, eek
A person's body is there, slowly losing its life, oozing blood.
And someone’s sneakin' ‘round the corner
A figure is sneaking and spying around the corner.
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?
It's possible that Mack the Knife is responsible or involved.
There's a tugboat, huh, huh, down by the river dontcha know
By the river, a tugboat is present, you understand.
Where a cement bag’s just a'drooppin' on down
A bag of cement is slowly dropping into the water from the boat.
Oh, that cement is just, it's there for the weight, dear
The cement in the bag is present to add weight.
Five'll get ya ten old Macky’s back in town
It's extremely probable that Mack the Knife has returned to town.
Now d'ja hear ‘bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe
Have you heard about Louie Miller? He vanished.
After drawin' out all his hard-earned cash
Before he went missing, Louie had withdrawn all of his hard-earned money.
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor
Mack the Knife now spends money recklessly, like a sailor on shore leave.
Could it be our boy's done somethin' rash?
It's possible that Mack the Knife has acted recklessly and harmed someone.
Now Jenny Diver, ho, ho, yeah, Sukey Tawdry
Now Jenny Diver, Sukey Tawdry, and other women.
Ooh, Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown are included too.
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
A queue of women is forming on the right side.
Now that Macky’s back in town
Now that Mack the Knife has returned to town, the women are eager to see him.
I said Jenny Diver, whoa, Sukey Tawdry
I mentioned Jenny Diver and Sukey Tawdry.
Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Also, Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown.
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
A line of women is starting to form on the right side.
Now that Macky’s back in town
Now that Mack the Knife has returned to town, the women are interested and waiting in line to see him.
Look out, old Macky's back!!
Be cautious, Mack the Knife is back in town!!
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BERTOLT BRECHT, EUGEN BERTHOLD BRECHT, KURT WEILL, MARC BLITZSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Edward Carron
There must be a lot of really fabulous musicians up there in heaven and I'm sure George will be right there playing standards in his own unique way. Don't rest in peace George. Keep on spiinning your magic till the end of time.
Clamchucker
Haunting - and yes, beautiful, too! God bless you, George. This is art!
athankyou4u
Thank you, thank you for posting this. I heard this today for the first time on NPR as I was driving home in my car. It is haunting and so very beautiful. RIP George Shearing.
Andy White
such an beautiful depth of expression...George, you continue to astound.
musamor75
This is proof that many - not all - jazz musicians possess excellent knowledge of the Classical music culture. Personally I hear Debussy, Ravel, and certainly Chopin - especially in the tonic- fifth- tenth voicing in the left hand. Thank goodness that bouderies can interpenetrate, especially in Music. God bless George Shearing.
sotiris zegiannis
One of the kindest melodies i have heard.
Jewel Atkins
I could listen to this over and over.
Gustavo Azevedo
The best piano and best version of this music ever!
graham turton
as always , beautiful , George . Thankyou ...
flabadoo
I miss him!