George Shearing interview by Joe Williams - 3/8/1996 - NYC

In this conversation with Joe Williams, George Shearing shares stories of his first gigs in England, arriving in the U.S., playing for dancers, and his interest in Latin music.
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[@jibsmokestack1]

As a fellow South Londoner it’s great to see George was still one of us despite his years in the States! Mentioning making a cup of tea proves that! 😂

[@edzielinski]

Wonderful. What a joy to listen to these men who have a lifetime of amazing experiences in music. I'm taking notes! Thank you.

[@filliusjazzarchive]

Thanks Ed, this was a wonderful meeting of two musical giants. George's story about the band of unsighted musicians is one for the books.

[@LongwingSeagull]

Yes, really enjoy listening to the old-timers chew the fat. People back then had a certain manner of speaking, maybe just manners in general, that was really natural but stimulating.

[@threeam____]

What beautiful souls these 2. Its artists like Mr. Shearing that really pulled me into learning Piano.

[@goobfilmcast4239]

George Shearing is an Incredible Raconteur ...... There a few other interviews and short docs on YT........ worth the time !!

[@TheAwesomeGingerGuy]

I love George Shearing!

[@beverlyharris9859]

❤THANK YOU😊!

[@filliusjazzarchive]

Yeh! Two musical giants in the same room, memorable! Monk

[@mariahyman2025]

Wonderful interview

[@gheewhiz]

the very last thing shearing says before shaking joe's hand is so profound! too bad we'll never hear it

[@filliusjazzarchive]

We had to edit the sound due to music licensing issues. From the transcript, here is what George said at the end: ...that we could be dead dog tired and sit there and talk and enjoy every word that we say to each other. And it will be that way from here on, as it has been in the past. JW: Thank you, George. Through snow and sludge and mud, here we are. GS: Especially the mud. JW: Good food, good drink, I love it. And we’ll see you, Hamilton, yes we will.

[@jameswebb4593]

Joe is spot on . Jazz was Dance Music . It didn't end with Bop . Both Gillespie and Monk would dance on the stage . Free form was the death knell for Jazz , no swing , no melody . no friggin good .

[@j.walker6845]

Shearing played some beautiful music. Now I’m going to dig up some Jimmie Lunceford!

[@sofiablakey6454]

Computerized music can never take the place of a live performance. My uncle, who was a guitarist, was really offended by elevator music, where the instrumentation was electronic with no feeling. Never can compare canned music with live musicians. It has destroyed the musical industry.

[@JohnNijland]

Sofia Blakey you are right