This is where stuff that won't fit on the Shellac Shanty or AudiOddities blogs. Lounge, funk, or just stuff that I happen to like run through my addled brain. Eclectica forever!

Monday, September 11, 2006

You're Hearing George Shearing




This is an EP that I really wish I had a copy of in better condition than the one I have to post for you today. Why? Because, this EP shows George in a very transitional phase between 'just a jazz pianist' and where he would end up 8 to 10 years later, as a phenominal arranger & composer. This EP shows the beginnings of where the lounge classics that we all know and love... the ideas were percolating in his head for all those classics on Capitol... just listen to his solo rendition of "Summertime" on this disc and you'll see what I mean.

George goes solo on a couple of cuts, the remainder is his quintet, and the arrangements are all lush and in the Shearing Style.

I think that some of these may have been released on 78, because I distinctly remember a couple of cuts here... and there are none of the dynamic acrobatics from the mixing console that really impaired his recordings on Discovery in 1958-9... those were really really over-engineered... none of that here!

I got to meet Mr. Shearing in 1973 when he was on tour and played at my high school, such a gentleman, and he has HUGE hands! Now you know how he was able to achieve all those wonderful chord voicings!

Cover scans are here:
The front...
The back (with some very nice liner notes by Leonard Feather, including a little history of George's transition between the UK and the US in the late 40s).

Relax and celebrate, for You're Hearing George Shearing!

1 Comments:

Blogger mel said...

This LP (10" LP, not EP)was the cause of a turning point in my musical life when, at the age of about 14, quite by chance I acquired it from a schoolmate who didn't like it as he was only into traditional jazz. This LP introduced me and turned me on to modern jazz.

Ever since then Shearing's "Tenderly" has been replaying in my head (when not listening to something else), to be accompanied a few years later by "Rouge" (Miles Davis, from the so-called Birth Of The Cool sessions).

I've managed to get "Tenderly" and some of the other tracks on a CD Shearing compilation but I never thought I would ever see "You're Hearing George Shearing" again.

Many thanks.

Regards - Mel.

11:58 PM

 

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