George Shearing

When George Shearing came to New York from London in the late '40s, he had a problem: how to stand out from hordes of great jazz pianists. His answer was to create the GS Quintet. Shearing's distinctive mix of vibes, guitar, and piano became hugely popular and much imitated (even today, listen to the Frasier TV show theme). His lyrical piano combined bop, Latin and classical touches with swing. Likewise, Shearing brought jazz chops to his highly successful series of "mood music" albums on Capitol. His shimmering keyboard work conjures up images of New York penthouses and the club he celebrated in his standard "Lullaby of Birdland."