Shear Brass: Celebrating Sir George Shearing (UBU0137)

Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of Shear Brass, a newly formed jazz ensemble.

Led by Sir George Shearing’s great nephew, drummer Carl Gorham, Shear Brass brings a fresh and dynamic new approach to the music of one of Britain’s greatest ever jazz pianists and composers.

Its debut album, Celebrating Sir George Shearing, combines the punch of a big band with the intimacy of a small group, as this hard-swinging, highly melodic outfit showcases some of the UK’s most gifted soloists. Whether reinterpreting classics such as Conception and Lullaby of Birdland or re-introducing lesser-known tunes such as Night Flight and Children’s Waltz, its richly varied repertoire mirrors Shearing’s own development, encompassing swing, be-bop, cool and Latin jazz, topped off with some of the most celebrated vocal numbers of the 20th century.

Carl Gorham describes the idea behind the project: “I’ve known my great uncle George was a celebrated jazz pianist from an early age as his records were around the house when I was a boy. I have numerous other memories stretching back; meeting him in his dressing room at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London with my family before a gig in the seventies; attending his recording of ‘This is your Life’; seeing the photos and hearing the stories of my mum and dad’s visits, in later years, to see Sir George and his wife Ellie in New York and their summer home in the Cotswolds.

“It was my mum’s father - my grandad - who worked at the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square in London and helped organise his career-making move to the States after World War II.  They’d always been close; when George was a boy, Grandad used to run alongside him, when he was riding his bike in Battersea Park; he also gave George his first braille typewriter.

“I’ve always thought that his was an amazing story and in my other career as a TV writer / producer, I actually looked at making a documentary about him years ago. My interest was revived more recently after I inherited a folder when my mum passed away. It contained various old press cuttings, concert programmes and photos. One in particular stood out – an image from the early 1950s, taken in a Battersea flat. In it, he’s playing piano for the family with my mum, in her early twenties, who sat right next to him, watching on. The photo somehow seems to encapsulate his incredible journey – the international jazz star going right back to his roots, playing piano in a tiny front room in South London.”

Carl continues, giving his view of the music on the album: “I genuinely think Sir George Shearing has been undervalued as a composer. Sure, everyone knows ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ and ‘Conception’ but there are other great tunes of his. Since no one has recreated the classic ‘Shearing Sound’ quite as well as Shearing himself, I also wanted to do something different with them, not least because he himself was always trying new things; with the iconic quintet when it was first formed, then with his move towards more Latin flavoured jazz in the fifties and his later classical work – things like ‘Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare’.

“I spoke to a long-time friend and collaborator, Jason McDermid from Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, and he came up with some marvellous new arrangements based on a brass front line. I’ve also written lyrics to a couple of pre-existing melodies, creating new songs. Whilst the sound of these Shearing-related tracks is different to what you might expect, we’ve kept things Shearingesque in other ways – focussing on melody, keeping the whole thing swinging, then just letting the soloists go. It’s a mainstream album that is, I hope, fresh and exciting, as well as accessible.” 

Carl shares perspective on the making of the album: “The first couple of recording sessions we did were originally intended to provide the soundtrack for a revival of that documentary idea. However, we liked what we heard so much, I sent the tracks to Ubuntu, and suddenly things took off in a different direction.”

“This album has been blessed from the start – Jools Holland was incredibly supportive in giving us time in his private recording studio and a combination of the Shearing name and the wonderful new arrangements by Jason McDermid helped attract some fabulous British jazz names - the album features James Pearson, Pete Long, Louise Marshall, Alistair White, Chris Storr, Alec Dankworth, Arnie Somogyi, Anthony Kerr, Simon Wallace, Sarah Moule, Satin Singh and Jason McDermid, as well as myself on drums. I am particularly pleased too, that my daughter Romy Sipek, Sir George’s great, great niece, sings ‘Lullaby of Birdland’.

“I’ve written a live show, with the first dates in September, to coincide with the launch of the album; an evening that combines those new arrangements with the extraordinary story of Sir George’s career. For the future, I am already planning a second album in a similar vein, and I fully intend to go back to the documentary as well when time permits, since the project has acquired huge momentum and each of the elements is driving the other, which is tremendously exciting. For now, this is the first one to come to fruition – the debut album from our band, Shear Brass. I’m thrilled to be ‘Celebrating Sir George Shearing’, and we hope you enjoy it too!”

Carl concludes with his thoughts concerning the new relationship with Ubuntu Music: “When I sent the tracks from the first session to Martin Hummel, the biggest thing that struck me was his enthusiasm. Not just for this particular project but for all kinds of jazz. It’s that passion that makes Ubuntu such a tremendous label; they just love the music and the musicians that make it and that informs everything they do, the way they communicate with their artists, the way they involve them in every aspect of the process. Their organisation, marketing, and distribution, the nuts and bolts of a record label, are also excellent and they have a wonderful roster of talent too, so it seems fitting that an album celebrating Sir George Shearing should sit alongside new releases by artists such as Chet Baker and Darius Brubeck. It’s been a great collaboration so far and I hope it leads to many more in the future.”

Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, gives his parting thoughts: “I was pleasantly surprised when Carl approached me and soon became overjoyed with the concept and, ultimately, the execution of this album. There is so much depth and richness within the Sir George Shearing catalogue. Carl brought these Shearing compositions to life with an exceptional array of top-class musicians. The first leg of this journey is a triumph and there’s an abundance of potential options to extend this much further. We simply cannot wait to do so!”