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This article appeared in the Sunday Show section of the Chicago Sun-Times on Dec. 11, 1977.
There was a time, not long ago, when my idea of a perfect evening was to hear George Shearing and his Quintet at the London
House, where they played two or three engagements each year.
Since the London House closed in 1975, Shearing has
had too few opportunities to entertain his legion of fans here. There's good news today, however, because Rick's Cafe Americain
has booked Shearing and bassist Victor Gaskin for three weeks in March and April.
In the meantime, Shearing's fans
will be happy to know that all is well with the master. Not long ago, I heard Shearing and Gaskin working together beautifully
at the Cafe Carlyle in New York before a warm, appreciative audience. They were offering a blend of Shearing classics, bebop
numbers and contemporary song--salthough whatever and whenever Shearing plays, time never seems more elusive, and yesterday
becomes today.
One evening before he performed at the Carlyle, Shearing reminisced with me about his early days
in New York, where he emigrated from his native London in 1947. The two creators of bebop, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker,
dominated the jazz scene. Shearing made nightly visits to all the jazz clubs on 52d Street and in Harlem. Before long, he
was working with house trios at the Three Deuces, eventually with Oscar Pettiford and J.C. Heard.
It was Shearing's
first quintet, formed in 1949, which took the jazz world by surprise and brought him to national attention. "I had John
Levy on bass and Denzel Best on drums in tow for a gig at the Clique Club," Shearing recalled. "The owner asked
if we'd mind adding Buddy DeFranco on clarinet. Would we mind? Buddy's just about one of the world's greatest clarinet players.
So we formed a quartet.
"Buddy was negotiating with Capitol Records, and I with M-G-M. Our careers couldn't
exist side by side with separate negotiations. So Leonard Feather and I conceived of maintaining the rather subdued rhythm
section while adding Marjie Hyams on vibes and Chuck Wayne on guitar. The five of us--John Levy, Denzel Best, Marjie Hyams,
Chuck Wayne and myself--sat down at an accidental rehearsal and accidentally played "September in the Rain" and
accidentally sold 900,000 copies!"
The Shearing sound is easily identifiable, emphasizing clear melodic lines,
rich harmonies and strong bebop influences.
"Our sound was doubly derivative," Shearing explained, "from
the Glenn Miller saxophone section and from Lionel Hampton's pianist, Milt Buckner, who used it in the blues." Shearing
was referring to Buckner's locked-hand or block-chord style. The Miller influence was subtler. Miller voiced the lead clarinet,
playing the melody line, in unison with, but one octave higher than, the lead tenor sax, while the other three saxes provided
divided harmonies. Shearing voiced the guitar (without vibrato) one octave higher than the vibes (without a motor), both playing
the melody in unison while Shearing played harmonies in the block-chord style. The bass and drums remained subdued.
Marjie Hyams (who contributed a number of songs to the original quintet, including the haunting "November Seascape")
left Shearing's group in late 1950 and moved to Chicago, where she married Bill Ericsson, a banker. She continued to play
professionally and teach music here until recently.
"There was a lot of excitement in that first-quintet,"
she recalled. "All of us worked so well together. George marveled at our ability to outguess him, to sense where he was
headed. And we always played behind the beat, adding still another dimension to the distinctive sound of the quintet.
"Today, you can hear something resembling the Shearing sound just riding an elevator. But the initial reaction was
one of amazement. Black as well as white audiences accepted us; we even played the Apollo on several occasions. And Miles
Davis was one of our biggest fans.
"Perhaps we were too well received by the public. George came to restrain
us on our solos, returning to the melody sooner than some of us liked, which is partly why I left. As far as pianists go,
though, there will always be only one George Shearing."
You can bet Marjie Hyams will be at Rick's Cafe Americain
to hear Shearing in March, along with the rest of his fans here.
"Chicago always has been one of my favorite
cities," Shearing said. "Whats become of the London House?" Feeling like a messenger carrying bad news, I told
him it had been turned into a Burger King.
"A Burger King? Oh, no!" Shearing replied. "Well, it
wont be the first or the last time I haven't had it my way."
Discography
The Best of George Shearing (Capitol)
A dozen Shearing classics, including Lullaby of Birdland, September in the Rain, East of the Sun, Early Autumn and You Stepped
Out of a Dream. Capitol also has reissued a number of early Shearing albums, including those with Latin influences, Billy
May's orchestral arrangements and vocals by Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee and Nancy Wilson.
Wes and Friends (Milestone)
This reissue once again makes available some Jazzland 55 sides recorded in 1961 by Shearing, Wes Montgomery and his two brothers,
Buddy and Monk, Walter Perkins, Armando Perazza and Richard Chimelis. Sides include "Love Walked In", "The
Lamp is Low", "Double Deal" and "Mambo in Chimes". An exceptional album--everyone stretches out!
As Requested (Sheba)
A recent version of the quintet plays Shearing old and new: "I'll Never Smile Again", "There'll Be Another
Spring", "My Silent Love", "Close to You", "We've Only Just Begun", and more. Chicagoans
will recognize drummer Rusty Jones, who used to accompany Judy Roberts here.
Out of This World (Sheba)
Shearing by himself is sometimes Shearing at his very best--playing soft ballads. "I believe that if a man has the health
and strength to stay in bed," Shearing proclaims, "he shouldnt get up." Harry Warren's "Serenade in Blue",
Harold Arlen's "Out of This World", John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's "Here, There and Everywhere", and
Shearing's own "Funny Sunny" and "The Road to Nowhere" confirm the master's philosophy.
George Shearing: The Early Years
The Young George Shearing (both on Everest)
These two albums bring back Shearing before the Quintet.
The first album contains sides originally recorded in
1948 on Decca. Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie can be felt on "The Man from Minton's", "The Fourth Deuce",
"Consternation" and "To Be or Not to Bop" (the Shearing dilemma). The second album includes some January
1939 sides by then 20 year-old Shearing that suggest why the annual Melody Maker poll would select him as Britain's top pianist
seven times before he emigrated to the States after the war.
Finally, be on the lookout for those old 10-inch LPs
by the original quintet on the MGM label. They turn up at garage sales and swap meets and they're priceless if they are in
good condition. Also, watch for three new Shearing albums on the MPS label. Shearing is joined by Niels-Henning, Orsted Pederson
on bass, and Louis Stuart on drums. It should be out in 1978 and if, as Shearing sighs, "record stores arent too busy
selling rock albums to carry a few by George Shearing."
George Spink, now living in Los Angeles, is originally from Chicago. When he wrote this article for the Chicago Sun-Times
in 1977, he worked as assistant director of publications for the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and hosted
the Saturday Swing Shift on WHPK-FM from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
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