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#32541 08/16/09 11:00 PM
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As you may know, the bass player on many of the Jazz RealTracks is Neil Swainson. Neil is a native of Vancouver Island, B.C. He played with George Shearing for 10 years.
Here is a great video of George and Neil playing Lullaby of Birdland.
=============================================================
George Shearing was born blind,
to working class parents (his father
delivered coal and mother cleaned trains)
in Battersea, South London, England, 1919,
He was the youngest of nine children.

He started learning the piano at age 3,
and at age 28 made his first appearance,
as a musical guest on the BBC.

In 1947, he moved to the United States,
and his career took off.
He played with Oscar Pettiford,
Nat King Cole, Nancy Wilson and,
most notably, Mel Tormé, among others.

Here he is, towards the end of his career,
playing "Lullaby of Birdland,"
with Canadian bassist Neil Swainson.

http://www.jazzonthetube.com/page/290.html

- Lester Perkins
Jazz on the Tube


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Peter Gannon
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Awesome cat, thanks for the four-one-one, Peter!


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Mac #32543 08/17/09 09:16 AM
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That was great!

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Peter:
Brought back lots of memories of my catching the jazz/Shering bug in Chicagoland. Saw him at the London House on Michigan Ave., and saw Mel Torme gigging over at Mister Kelly's on Rush Street.
Let me have the bass chart on that one.....
Just Kidding of course, unless you can talk your great bass player into it....
What a dynamic duo ...nice to hear George without his guitar/vibes unison arrangement..he such a great jazz pianist! I also saw him do a similar duo scene once before at a workshop at the Rivinia Park Jazz series.

Neil Swainson!! My thanks, to you also!!!


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Oh I love this. Lullaby of Birdland has always been one of my fav standards.

Neil Swainsons has great intonation on those high bass positions, very hard to play. great soloist, too.
Thanks, Peter, for adding such a great player to the BIAB Band. Now some real charts of his soling would be great for some bass students.

Sandra


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Wow....does that mean that I can now say that I've played with the bass player who's played with George Shearing?


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Wow,
I can't wait to get those jazz Real Tracks installed.

I suspect, Mr. Swainson, that I am going to very much appreciate your work.

Fabulous stuff. I always loved listening to Mel Torme and George Shearing together, but I never knew George was blind. It's amazing the things you learn.

Gary


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I was very reluctant to get involved with RealTracks when they were first introduced but it was the bass playing that convinced me I would never be able to continue playing along with midi when I could be playing with a real bass player.

Since then, and even though I don't have a great need for the competition when I am practicing , I have been totally impressed by another Canadian musician's contribution to RealTracks. Those of Ian McDougall, the Canadian jazz trombonist. I may have mentioned on the forum previously that I first heard him when I was still living in the UK and he played with Johnny Dankworth's band. Later I was impressed with his soloing on recordings, particularly those with the Boss Brass. It has still got me beat how the solo phrases recorded for RealTracks fit together so well into a logical solo chorus. Nearly every one of them sounds like it has been specifically improvised over the chord progression of the tune.

http://www.ianmcdougall.com/


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Quote:

but I never knew George was blind. It's amazing the things you learn.

Gary




Well, by Shearing's own definition, the definition of "Endless Love" is himself and Ray Charles playing a game of tennis.

When pitching his CD's, he would say that profits from the sales would go the blind. "Not many of the blind, mind you...."

And he liked to play "On A Clear Day, I Still Can't See A Thing"

Philip

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