The George Shearing Quintet

Highly respected jazz pianist and composer George Shearing was born in Battersea, London, England on August 13, 1919. Blind from birth, he began piano lessons at the age of three and trained at Linden Lodge, a local school for the blind. His talent soon began to be recognized and, as a young adult, he was drafted into various ensembles led by leading musicians of the day including Welsh bandleader Harry Parry and acclaimed violinist Stéphane Grappelli. In 1947, George Shearing emigrated to the USA and formed the George Shearing Quintet two years later. After a series of well-received singles, they released George Shearing Quintet (1950), which featured the pianist joined by John Levy (bass), Denzil Best (drums), Chuck Wayne (guitar), and Marjorie Hyams (vibraphone). Later that same year, the quintet released You’re Hearing George Shearing. With the introduction of his quintet, George Shearing’s career blossomed. “September in the Rain” (1949) was big hit single for the group as was “Lullaby of Birdland” (1954), his best known song which is now considered a jazz standard. Throughout the course of the quintet’s career, the line-up of the ensemble would evolve, but under Shearing’s leadership, they remained a viable force in the world of jazz music. Shearing would continue to release albums with the quintet – Black Satin (1957), Blue Chiffon (1959), White Satin (1960), Out of the Woods (1964), and Shearing Today (1968) – alongside albums released under his own name and the George Shearing Trio. George Shearing died on February 14, 2011 at the age of 91.

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