Customer Reviews

My Ship

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are few pianists who shine with such originality in a solo piano setting as George Shearing and he has been doing it for over half a century! This recording is a much for the fan of solo Jazz piano as it is for the audiophile; not only is it beautiful music it is beautiful music to listen to as the nuances of the acoustic piano are wonderfully captured on this recording. Shearing not only plays the instrument utilizing both hands, three pedals and all 88 keys, he also introduces startling arrangements of many art songs that have become Jazz standards. Wait until you hear his grogeous interpretation of Kurt Weill's "My Ship," from which the CD gets its title; his stride piano version of Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays" and his dirge-like interpretation of "Happy Days Are Hear Again." Also, included are very unique renderings of "How Deep Is The Ocean," Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" and a startling version of "Greensleeves." His performance of "April in Paris" is poignant, charming and unforgettable. It is not often that one gets to attend such a masterful solo piano recital given by one of the true geniuses of Jazz piano. This is just such an opportunity; don't miss it.

I own the LP version of this recording and was given a copy for doing someone a favor; I now have the CD version as well.

This is the finest recording I have ever heard, period. The piano, a ten foot Bosendorfer sounds incredible (compliments to the audio engineer), the piano playing of George Shearing is on such a high level you forget you're listening to the performer and just listen to the music - the highest possible compliment. His arrangements of these fine songs are on an incredible level as well. Buy this for yourself, buy this as a present for a friend.

I would give this recording six stars if possible. Greensleeves is worth the price alone.

You would not be reading this unless you are at least a fan of jazz piano if not of George himself. So, if you do not already own an oversupply of jazz-styled pop song standards by really good pianists, then just buy this before it goes out of print totally. I have liked Shearing since the early '60's, and saw him in concert around 1963 with a quartet or quintet. He was of course, delightful. I prefer the trio and larger settings to the solo work, or at least having George accompanied by a good singer. His album with Joe Williams for instance, is wonderfully simple and simply wonderful. I must say this is the second solo CD I own by GS, and I like this better than the other one, called "Out of This World." That is also good, but "My Ship" seems richer and more varied. Shearing has been playing now for probably 60 years, so he ought to know how. On this CD, he even sings "Send in the Clowns" and for an old guy, he sounds pretty darn good. As with most Shearing releases, one should listen attentively a time or two, even with earphones to appreciate the subleties and intelligence behind the mix of improvisation and straight playing. After that pleasurable hour or two of study, you can throw this on as background to your housework or reading or computer-using. It is mostly mellow, but you'll be glad to hear the occasional swinging number. Shearing made this one in 1974, so he wasn't really all that old at the time, but he'd been selling records since the end of World War II. He also made good albums in the 80's and 90's. Like Dave Brubeck, the player of the 50's and the player of the 90's are both worth hearing.

George Shearing sounds different on his few solo albums: equally as individual, but different.

There is a lot more to him than the locked hands melody in the bass doubled by vibes which you hear in his group performances.

I love the way he incorporates little snippets of other songs, such as his quote from Debussy's Engulfed Cathedral in "My Ship" and the cheeky Walk in the Black Forest ending to his sombre version of "Happy Days Are Here Again."

A rare feature of this album is his singing on the final track (Send In the Clowns).

"My Ship" has had to take a lot of battles and replays as an LP, that's why I wish to give myself the CD-version, to me his most beautiful rendering of songs and ballads.My daddy, had he not only loved classics, would have played like George Shearing. His playing goes extremely deep in one's sentiments.

I actually had the pleasure of meeting this man; he was with his wife, and the lady graciously assisted Mr. George Shearing in signing an autograph for me;
Now, keeping that in mind, one has to wonder how he managed to write, arrange ,orchestrate and play with some of the centuries most famous musicians!?
The answer: The man is Brilliant.
And it shows, or rather sounds brilliant when you listen to Mr. Shearing's 'piano voyage' across an ocean of incredible melodies in, "My Ship". He truly navigates this course over some of the
most popular songs ever heard. My own personal favorite is, "Send In The Clowns"!
Have a chair on the 'bow' and enjoy!

There are many recordings available for you to buy in memory of the great pianist George Shearing, "My Ship" is without a doubt one you should own for your own enjoyment and to perserve for your family in the years to come. As a professional pianist, I have listened and studied the Shearing sound for decades. This 1974 recording is amazing; the precision of his technique, the genius of his arrangements, the theory of his harmonics, and the excellent engineering of the recording. This is a must recording for any serious student of music. Two traks jump out; "The Entertainer", and "Greensleeves" - the theme and variations of each is a joy to listen to - there are times when his chord resolutions absolutely arrest your musical soul and take your breath, the only response is, "I didn't hear that coming"!. His occasional addition of a great classical theme (A Rachmanioff Concerto theme for instance) just adds to the joy. He is not a vocalist, but the final "Send In The Clowns" is so lonely and sad, the truth of his passing hits home. Time to stop reading and order this recording. You will be so thankful you did so.

There have been few people to approach G. Shearing's talent for playing the piano. This record was no exception as his phrasing and arranging done "internally" on one instrument is typically impeccable. The selection of material is likewise very, very good. However, this recording was done at the private studio of Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer in 1974. While the equipment there might have been quite good for a private studio in 1974, the tape noise on the recording is so pronounced as to be a real distraction. Perhaps as an MP3 recording listened to in a car this would be an acceptable level of fidelity, but on a decent modern home system....no. This is the first Shearing recording I've ever regretted purchasing. That's the bad news. The good news is that there are numerous other examples of his talent out there in print and many of them sound absolutely wonderful, even for their age.