The Reunion (Remastered) Stéphane Grapelli & George Shearing Trio

• 1 I'm Coming Virginia 03:01
• 2 Time After Time 04:45
• 3 La chanson de rue 03:55
• 4 Too Marvelous for Words 04:05
• 5 It Don't Mean a Thing 04:07
• 6 Makin Whoopee 05:04
• 7 After You've Gone 04:19
• 8 Flamingo 04:21
• 9 Star Eyes 03:11
• 10 Folks Who Lives On the Hill 05:35
• Total Runtime 42:23

Info zu The Reunion (Remastered)

Als sich diese beiden im Jahre 1976 zu einer Reunion zussammenfanden, konnten sie bereits auf eine lange Geschichte zurückblicken. Es war 1940, als ein junger Londoner Pianist namens George Shearing in die Band des elf Jahre älteren, damals schon überaus erfolgreichen Geigers Stéphane Grappelli einstieg. Für ihn war es die Eintrittskarte zu einer erfolgreichen Laufbahn. Dreieinhalb Dekaden später kreuzten sich ihre Wege erneut. Mit Shearings Begleitern Andy Simpkins (b) und Rusty Jones (dr) entstand eine espritvolle Einspielung von Standards, die die beiden Herren auch im reiferen Alter jugendlich frisch eingefangen hat. Dabei swingt die Band in den Midtempo-Nummern wie “I’m Coming Virginia” oder “Too Marvelous For Word” mit eleganter Geschmeidigkeit, reisst in Ellingtons “It Don’t Mean A Thing” durch ihre fantastischen Improvisationsfluss mit. Grappelli begeistert mit seinen nuancenreichen Verzierungen und Glissandi (mit großem Effekt in “Making Whopee”), Shearings Erfindungsgabe überwindet auch stilsitische Barrieren wie etwa im Debussy-Intro von “Flamingo”. Als herausstechend gilt schließlich auch Grappellis Eigenkomposition “La Chanson De Rue” mit ihrer geradezu zärtlichen Leidenschaft im Finale.

Andrew Simpkins, Bass
Rusty Jones, Schlagzeug
George Shearing, Klavier
Stéphane Grapelli, Violine

Digitally remastered

Stéphane Grapelli
One of jazz’s greatest violin soloists, Stephane Grappelli (1908-1997) originally became famous for his association with guitarist Django Reinhardt, but he had a lengthy solo career long after Django had passed away.

Born in Paris, Grappelli worked in movie theaters and orchestras before first teaming up with Reinhardt in 1933. Although they were a bit of an odd couple, with Grappelli being sophisticated and Reinhardt a gypsy, musically they meshed together perfectly. As co-leaders of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, an all-string group consisting of the co-leaders, two rhythm guitarists, and a bassist, Django and Stephane made musical history.

The classic group lasted until the outbreak of World War II. when Reinhardt decided to return to the European continent while Grappelli opted to stay in England. The violinist formed a new group that featured the young pianist George Shearing. He had several postwar reunions with Django during 1946-1949, happy occasions that ended with the guitarist’s death in 1953.

Although Grappelli worked steadily in Europe during the 1950s and ’60s, he was in relative obscurity. It was during this era that he collaborated on a record date in 1957 with violinist Stuff Smith, the Oscar Peterson Trio, and drummer Jo Jones. Violins No End has been reissued in the Original Jazz Classics series. But it was not until he began traveling around the world in the early 1970s that Grappelli was rediscovered. Americans were delighted to hear the violinist in prime form playing vintage swing tunes.

From his later period comes a Pablo trio date with guitarist Joe Pass and bassist Niels Pedersen (Live at Tivoli Gardens) as well as several enjoyable dates for Concord: At the Winery, Vintage 1981, and Stephanova. 1980’s One on One (for Milestone) is particularly stimulating for it is a successful duet set with pianist McCoy Tyner.

Stephane Grappelli continued circling the globe and playing the music he loved up until the time of his death in 1997 when he was 89.

George Shearing
enjoys an international reputation as a pianist, arranger and composer. Equally at home on the concert stage as in jazz clubs, Shearing is recognized for inventive, orchestrated jazz. He has written over 300 compositions, including the classic “Lullaby of Birdland,” which has become a jazz standard.

Shearing was born in 1919 in the Battersea area of London. Congenitally blind, he was the youngest of nine children. His father delivered coal and his mother cleaned trains at night after caring for the children during the day. His only formal musical education consisted of four years of study at the Linden Lodge School for the Blind. While his talent won him a number of university scholarships, he was forced to refuse them in favor of a more financially productive pursuit…playing piano in a neighborhood pub for the handsome salary of $5 a week! Shearing joined an all-blind band in the 1930’s. At that time he developed a friendship with the noted jazz critic and author, Leonard Feather. Through this contact, he made his first appearance on BBC radio.

In 1947, Mr. Shearing moved to America, where he spent two years establishing his fame on this side of the Atlantic. The Shearing Sound commanded national attention when, in 1949, he gathered a quintet to record “September in the Rain” for MGM. The record was an overnight success and sold 900,000 copies. His U.S. reputation was permanently established when he was booked into Birdland, the legendary jazz spot in New York. Since then, he has become one of the country’s most popular performing and recording artist. In 1982 and 1983 he won Grammy Awards with recordings he made with Mel Torme. Mr. Shearing was the subject of an hour-long television documentary entitled “The Shearing Touch” presented on the Southbank Show with Melvyn Bragg on ITV in the UK.

Three presidents have invited Mr. Shearing to play at the White House.. Ford, Carter and Reagan. He performed at the Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He is a member of the Friars Club and the Lotos Club in New York and the Bohemian Club in San Francisco.

His awards and honors are many. In May 1975, he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Music from Westminster College in Salt Lake City. In May of 1994, Hamilton College in upstate New York awarded him another honorary doctorate in music. DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana presented him with an honorary doctorate of music on June 1, 2002. He received the prestigious Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans in 1978 and a community recreational facility in Battersea, south London, was named the George Shearing Centre in his honor. In May of 1993, he was presented with the British equivalent of the Grammy…the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement. In June of 1996, Mr. Shearing was included in the Queen’s Birthday Honors List and on November 26, 1996 he was invested by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his “service to music and Anglo-US relations.” He was presented the first American Music Award by the National Arts Club, New York City, in March of 1998.

In 1999, his 80th birthday was celebrated in England where he played to a sold-out house at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. Also appearing with him were the BBC Big Band, the strings of the London Symphony, Dame Cleo Laine and John Dankworth. BBC Radio 2 presented a 2 1/2-hour “Salute to Shearing” in honor of his birthday. For more info visit: www.georgeshearing.net

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