Lullaby Of Birdland – 1992

George Shearing (1919-2011) had a long and significant career, starting out as a swing and boogie-woogie pianist in his native England in the 1930s.

In the mid-1940s Shearing discovered bebop, moved to the U.S., and with his quintet (a group consisting of his piano, vibes, guitar, bass and drums) made his brand of bebop accessible and the George Shearing Quintet very popular.

A virtuoso with a strong wit, Shearing kept his quintet together for 30 years and then spent his later period performing in duos.

While he wrote many songs, only one (“Lullaby Of Birdland”) became a standard; he played it at virtually every performance from the early 1950s on.

This version, performed in 1992 at a concert in Munich, Germany with bassist Neil Swainson, features Shearing in top form.

-Scott Yanow