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| George Shearing: Swing Era (Photo: Idem) |
Monday, 14 February 2011
Legendary jazz pianist and composer George Shearing has died. He was 91.
Shearing succumbed to congestive heart failure in New York on Monday.
Born blind in London in 1919, he began playing the piano at the age of three. He was already popular in England when he decided to emigrate to the United States in 1947 where he embarked on an extraordinary career.
Shearing wrote more than 300 compositions. But he is probably best known for the 1952 classic Lullaby of Birdland .
Shearing received numerous awards during his six-decade career, including a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 for his contribution to music.
From OpryGhost:
ReplyDelete"Great cool era musician. Anyone remember Margie Hyams on vibes?
Love "September in the Rain"; "Jumpin' with Symphony Sid"; "How High the Moon", and of course his, "Lullaby of Birdland"."