When I hear Shearing’s music and feel lost in admiration for how much he achieved as one of the UK’s most successful exports to the USA
Ireton Records – IR01CD/LP
JASON McDERMID – Trumpet (except 5, 8 and 10); PETE LONG – Clarinet (2, 3), Alto Sax (1, 6, 7, 9, 12), Tenor Sax (4, 11); ALISTAIR WHITE – Trombone (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12); MARTIN GLADDISH – Trombone (1); JAMES PEARSON – Piano; ANTHONY KERR – Vibes (except 3, 5 and 10), Percussion (6); ALEC DANKWORTH – Bass (except 5 and 10); CARL GORHAM – Drums (except 5 and 10); SATIN SINGH – Percussion (6, 12); SARAH MOULE – Vocals (6, 9, 11); ROMY SIPEK – Vocals (2, 7)
Bop, Look and Listen / I’ll See You in My Dreams / Caravan / I’ll Be Around / By George! / Black Satin / Do I Love You? / September in the Rain / The Way You Look Tonight / Shear Delight / Just a Mood / Mambo No. 2
Recorded September 17-18, 2024 at Helicon Mountain Recording Studio
Lovely Music. Masterfully played. Twelve tunes by or closely associated with (Sir) George Shearing, played by a 9-piece band made up from Britain’s finest (plus vocals). The band sounds in sum much bigger than its parts thanks to fine arrangements by Jason McDermind. Good value running time and solid sleeve notes by Simon Spillett.
This album is a follow-up to Shear Brass’s first album ‘Celebrating Sir George Shearing’ released in 2023, with mostly the same musicians. Both albums were put together by drummer Carl Gorham, who is Shearing’s great-nephew and he offers some interesting background.
“I’ve known my great uncle George was a celebrated jazz pianist from an early age as his records were around the house when I was a boy. I have numerous other memories stretching back; meeting him in his dressing room at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London with my family before a gig in the seventies; attending his recording of ‘This is your Life’; seeing the photos and hearing the stories of my mum and dad’s visits, in later years, to see Sir George and his wife Ellie in New York and their summer home in the Cotswolds.
“It was my mum’s father, my grandad, who worked at the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square in London and helped organise his career-making move to the States after World War 2. They’d always been close; when George was a boy, Grandad used to run alongside him when he was riding his bike in Battersea Park; he also gave George his first braille typewriter.
“I’ve always thought that his was an amazing story and in my other, parallel career as a TV writer / producer actually looked at making a documentary about him years ago.
“My interest was revived more recently after I inherited a folder when my mum passed away. It contained various old press cuttings, concert programmes and photos. One in particular stood out – an image from the early 1950s, taken in a Battersea flat. In it, he’s playing piano for the family with my mum, in her early twenties, sat right next to him, watching on. The photo, somehow seems to encapsulate his incredible journey – the international jazz star going right back to his roots, playing piano in a tiny front room in South London.
“I then spoke to my long-time friend and collaborator Jason McDermid, from the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, about the possibility of doing something new with Sir George’s music and Jason came up with some wonderful new arrangements based on a brass front line.
“Jools himself was incredibly supportive in giving us time in his private recording studio and we were able to attract some fabulous British jazz names.”
Continuing with the family affair theme, Gorham’s daughter Romy Sipek, Sir George’s great, great niece, sings selected tracks on both albums. For the first album, Gorham wrote original lyrics for two of the Shearing compositions (‘Easy’ and ‘Midnight Mood’) and for the second album Gorham penned words for the classic ‘Black Satin’ and ‘Just a Mood’.
Sarah Moule shares singing honours with Romy Sipek on both albums.
Personally, I marginally prefer the second album although there is a glorious version on ‘Let There Be Love’ on the first. The new album also has two solo piano ‘homage’ tracks (‘Shear Delight’ and ‘By George!’) written and played by the extraordinarily versatile and increasingly ubiquitous James Pearson.
The band’s title Shear Brass is perhaps a tad misleading because the grouping is not a brass choir, it’s a pretty standard saxes and woodwind line up. But the range of instruments played by Pete Long adds breadth and depth to the sound.
Gorham’s aim was to refresh ‘hits’ (‘September In The Rain’, ‘I’ll Be Around’), commemorate collaborations (‘Do I Love You’ with Peggy Lee), go back to roots (‘Bop, Look and Listen’), salute Shearing’s love of Latin (‘Mambo No. 2’) and enhance previously perfect instrumentals with new lyrics. This makes for a good mix of music and styles.
Thankfully there are no ‘faithful’ prolonged recreations of the Shearing blocked chord piano/vibes sound.; just a few respectful nods.
Well-respected vocalist Sarah Moule shares the singing honours with Shearing-linked Romy Sipek. Both do a fine job.
When I hear Shearing’s music and feel lost in admiration for how much he achieved as one of the UK’s most successful exports to the USA, I can never stop remembering what he famously said when back in the UK and slowing down: “Why should a man work when he has the health and strength to lie in bed?”
I can only imagine he was having fun with an innocent interviewer. And this helps sum up so much of what Shearing played, and what Shear Brass are doing – having and spreading fun.
I hope you will all indulge me a closing thought. How nice it would be if we could now see and hear some re-discovery of fellow Brit Eddie Thompson’s wonderful piano work. He overcame the same difficulties as Shearing but never found the same or even remotely similar international fame. My abiding memory is of Eddie Thompson sitting in the audience at the Nice Jazz Festival, listening intently to famous and featured far-less impressive pianists. I kept expecting that someone on stage would invite him to play, but they never did.
