Best of George Shearing (1955-1960)

Read About This Recording

Pianist George Shearing has been one of the most popular jazz performers of the past half-century. Born blind in London in 1919, Shearing learned piano at an early age and when he discovered jazz, his early influence was Teddy Wilson. He worked steadily in England starting in the late 1930s, was part of violinist Stephane Grappelli's wartime group and was a poll winner in British jazz magazines.

Shearing first visited the United States in 1947 and, at the urging of critic Leonard Feather, in 1949 recorded with a quintet consisting of piano, vibes, guitar, bass and drums. The unusual sound of the group (with piano, vibes and guitar playing the melody in unison) caught on and the George Shearing Quintet was a popular attraction for 20 years.

In addition to his work with his quintet, Shearing also recorded a series of solid-selling mood music albums in which his combo was joined by orchestras. For this sampler drawn from his 1955-60 recordings for the Capitol label, Shearing is featured on 18 selections, often with orchestras arranged by Dennis Farnon or Billy May. The emphasis is on ballads (although there are a few exceptions) and there is some variety in instrumentation with percussionist Armando Peraza adding a strong Latin tinge to some numbers, Shearing having Friendly Persuasion as an unaccompanied solo and the quintet being showcased on live versions of September In The Rain and East Of The Sun. Overall, the music is soothing, peaceful, lightly swinging and full of class.

-Scott Yanow

Contents

Midnight In The Air; Have You Met Miss Jones; Dancing On The Ceiling; Cuban Love Song; The Folks Who Live On The Hill; Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You; Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love); Later; Cheek To Cheek; Sand In My Shoes; Kinda Cute; September In The Rain; East Of The Sun; Estampa Cubano; A Ship Without A Sail; Laura; Bernie's Tune; Canadian Sunset.

George Shearing, Piano; Toots Thielemans, Dick Garcia, Guitars; Johnny Rae, Warren Chiasson, Emil Richards, Vibes; Al McKibbon, Wyatt Reuther, Carl Pruitt, Basses; Bill Clark, Percy Brice, Lawrence Marable, Ray Mosca, Drums; Dan Little, Ben Ventura, Cal Massey, Lamar Wright, Trumpets; Dick Brace, Chuck Mason, Larry Wilson, Hale Rood, Trombones; Bob Northern, Julius Watkins, French Horns; Zuke Zatcher, Tuba.