“An evening of unpretentious, gently swinging jazz” Ian Mann
Highlighting the work of the influential and important British pianist, George Shearing, these five wonderful musicians celebrate one of the greatest jazz musicians this country has ever produced and the distinctive sound of his classic quintet. The repertoire includes Shearing’s best-known compositions including ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ and ‘September in the Rain’ but also features some of Shearing’s slightly more unfamiliar tunes and arrangements.
Initially trained as a classical pianist, Shearing turned towards jazz, playing in pubs and music halls before moving on to make recordings and radio broadcasts and then settling in the U.S.A. in 1946. Shearing was one of only a very few British jazz musicians of that era to establish a truly international reputation. Born in 1919, the long-lived Shearing remained creative until well into his 80s and was knighted for his services to music in 2007. He died on Valentine’s Day in 2011.
Over the last twenty years Nick Tomalin has become a mainstay of the London jazz scene and works regularly with some of the country’s leading jazz musicians including Jim Mullen, Mark Lockheart, Stan Sulzmann and Alan Barnes amongst many others. When still a student Nick appeared in a masterclass with George Shearing which was filmed for the Southbank Show episode ‘The Shearing Touch’. Partly inspired by this, Nick decided to form the ‘Shades of Shearing’ Quintet dedicated to performing his unique and popular compositions and arrangements.
