George Shearing

During much of the 1950s and the opening years of the 1960s, George Shearing led one of the globe's most successful jazz ensembles, a level of mainstream acceptance that, according to the longstanding jazz suspicion of broad popularity, left him somewhat undervalued. His primary renown rested on creating a distinctive quintet texture built from piano, vibraphone, electric guitar, bass, and drums. Inside this framework Shearing employed a technique he termed "locked hands," a method he adapted and polished after encountering Milt Buckner's early-1940s arrangements for the Lionel Hampton band together with the sax-section voicings of Glenn Miller and the approach of the King Cole Trio. By stating melodies on the piano in tightly voiced, harmonized block chords while the vibraphone and guitar doubled the line in unison, Shearing moved millions of copies of recordings issued by MGM and Capitol during his peak period.

The widespread appeal of this polished style tended to overshadow another major achievement of the same era, namely his role as an early exponent of vibrant small-group Afro-Cuban jazz throughout the 1950s. Cal Tjader developed his interest in Latin jazz during his tenure with Shearing, who also featured such noted congueros as Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, and Armando Peraza. As a writer Shearing earned greatest recognition for the intricately formed bop standard "Lullaby of Birdland" along with "Conception" and "Consternation." Although his solo manner remained entirely personal, it incorporated elements drawn from leading boogie-woogie and classical pianists as well as from Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Erroll Garner, Art Tatum, and Bud Powell, and fellow pianists consistently praised his light, polished touch. He further performed on accordion and sang from time to time.

Born blind, Shearing began studying piano at age three and later received formal instruction at London's Linden Lodge School for the Blind while absorbing jazz through Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller 78s. By the late 1930s he was working professionally with the Ambrose dance band and completed his earliest recording sessions in 1937 under the guidance of fellow Briton Leonard Feather. He rose to prominence in Britain through BBC broadcasts, contributed significantly to the London-based ensembles led by the self-exiled Stéphane Grappelli in the early 1940s, and captured seven straight Melody Maker polls before relocating to New York City in 1947 at Feather's urging. Upon arrival he assimilated bebop, took Garner's chair in the Oscar Pettiford Trio, and co-led a quartet with Buddy DeFranco. In 1949 he assembled the first and most celebrated of his quintets, featuring Marjorie Hyams on vibes, Chuck Wayne on guitar, John Levy on bass, and Denzil Best on drums. After brief recording engagements with Discovery and Savoy, Shearing established long-term and profitable relationships with MGM from 1950 to 1955 and Capitol from 1955 to 1969, the latter yielding albums with Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, and Nat King Cole. He also produced a single album for Jazzland in 1961 alongside the Montgomery Brothers, including Wes Montgomery, and initiated concert appearances with symphony orchestras.

Upon departing Capitol, Shearing gradually disbanded his by then familiar quintet, ending the group in 1978. He launched his own short-lived Sheba label in the early 1970s and recorded trios for MPS later that decade. Although his visibility had diminished during the 1970s, a 1979 signing with Concord sparked a renewed period of activity. He collaborated on several highly regarded albums with Mel Tormé that simultaneously elevated the singer's standing, and he documented projects with Ernestine Anderson, Jim Hall, Marian McPartland, Hank Jones, and classical French horn player Barry Tuckwell. Additional solo-piano releases allowed his full range of influences to surface. After moving to Telarc in 1992 he continued performing and recording through the early 2000s, most frequently in duo or trio formats. Having been largely inactive since a 2004 fall in his New York City apartment, Shearing died of congestive heart failure at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital on February 14, 2011, at the age of 91.