Musical Moments: George Shearing, Autumn in New York

Soft, fun and elegant...

Sir George Shearing

 

 

 

 

Autumn in New York is George Shearing at his best. 

 

It's soft, fun and elegant.

 

Shearing was a popular British jazz pianist who composed more than 300 titles, including Lullaby of Birdland.

 

He was born in London and started learning the play the piano at the age of three.  He began formal training at Linden Lodge School for the Blind, where he spent four years.

 

Shearing emigrated to the US in 1947, where his style of mixing swing, bop and modern classical influences gained popularity.  He became an American citizen in 1956.

 

He never forgot his native country, and in his last years, split his year between New York and Chipping Campden, Gloucester, UK, where he bought a house with his second wife, singer Ellie Geffert.

 

He was appointed to the Order of the British Empire in 1996 and was knighted in 2007.

 

"So," he noted later, "the poor blind kid from Battersea became Sir George Shearing.  Now, that's a fairy tale come true."

 

Source: Wikipedia 

 

Enjoy Sir George's Shearing Sound with his stylish Autumn in New York:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqtpSST-AEQ