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The George Shearing Quintet: Christmas With The George Shearing Quintet
ByBoy Meets Jazz. In 1973, while in high school, a close friend of mine lent me two cassette tapes, The Oscar Peterson Trio The Trio and George Shearing George Shearing and the Montgomery Brothers. These recordings were my first real exposure to Jazz. I wore them both out. But, where I purchased more Oscar Peterson, I allowed George Shearing to go fallow. That is until 1998 and I never forgot that Shearing sound.
Holiday Jazz. 1995 saw the release of Oscar Peterson's collection of Christmas ditties on Telarc Jazz An Oscar Peterson Christmas (CD-83372). Telarc Jazz continues their display of Jazz caroling with the release of Christmas with The George Shearing Quintet. What both of these discs have in common is they sound like seasonal tunes interpreted by the interpreters, i.e., they both place their indelible stamp on the old tunes. The Shearing disc was immediately recognizable to me with his trademark quintet sound coupling the guitar and vibraphone. Listening to it felt like coming home.
The Gentleman of Jazz. George Shearing is a gentlemanly and urbane musician with an encyclopedic mind and a sensitive, kind heart. All of this is expressed in his holiday release. I have found few Jazz holiday discs that have worked for me, but Mr. Shearing's immediately captures the warmth of a log fire with frost on the windows and snow in the yard. "Sleighbells ring are you listenin'..." .
Track Listing
Ding Dong! Merrily On High, White Christmas, Winter Wonderland, The Christmas Waltz, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, No
Personnel
George Shearing
pianoGeorge Shearing: Piano and Vocals, Reg Schwager: Guitar, Don Thompson: Vibraphone, Neil Swainson: Bass, Dennis Mackrel: Drums
Album information
Title: Christmas With The George Shearing Quintet | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Telarc Records
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