George Shearing enjoyed a stellar career, pairing his distinctive, small-group “Shearing sound” with musical titans such as Frank Sinatra, Stéphane Grappelli, Nat King Cole, and Peggy Lee. But he fell into an artistic rut in the 1970s, after three decades of leading five- and six-piece bands that followed an unvarying approach. “I could do the whole show in my sleep,” he recalled in 1986. He wasn’t kidding. During one performance in Oklahoma City, “I saw him literally fall asleep in the middle of a chorus of ‘Tenderly,’” said his bassist, Al McKibbon. “He woke with a start and carried right on.”
Born blind to working-class parents in the Battersea section of London, Shearing became one of the best-known jazz pianists of his time, feted by aficionados ranging from Jack Kerouac to Dave Brubeck, and knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2007, said the Associated Press. He wrote some 300 songs during his career, 299 of which, he told an audience at Carnegie Hall in 1999, “enjoyed a bumpy ride from relative obscurity to total oblivion.” The outlier was an enduring jazz standard, “Lullaby of Birdland.”
The “Shearing sound” remains his lasting legacy, said The New York Times. Arriving in the U.S. in 1947, he adapted to the reigning bebop style, with its complex chords and breakneck tempos. But seeking a different sound, he hit upon a mellow, melodic approach for a five-piece unit consisting of piano, vibraphone, guitar, bass, and drums. “He had the vibraphone double what his right hand played and the guitar double the left.” To his many fans, it defined “the essence of sophisticated hip.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After disbanding his final quintet in 1978, Shearing played duets with various bassists and vocalists. His collaboration with singer Mel Tormé in the 1980s resulted in two Grammy awards for Tormé.
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dadIn the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach BoysFeature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
Sly Stone: The funk-rock visionary who became an addict and recluseFeature Stone, an eccentric whose songs of uplift were tempered by darker themes of struggle and disillusionment, had a fall as steep as his rise
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin AmericaFeature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
-
Dame Maggie Smith: an intensely private national treasureIn the Spotlight Her mother told her she didn't have the looks to be an actor, but Smith went on to win awards and capture hearts
-
James Earl Jones: classically trained actor who gave a voice to Darth VaderIn the Spotlight One of the most respected actors of his generation, Jones overcame a childhood stutter to become a 'towering' presence on stage and screen
-
Michael Mosley obituary: television doctor whose work changed thousands of livesIn the Spotlight TV doctor was known for his popularisation of the 5:2 diet and his cheerful willingness to use himself as a guinea pig
-
Morgan Spurlock: the filmmaker who shone a spotlight on McDonald'sIn the Spotlight Spurlock rose to fame for his controversial documentary Super Size Me
