Born in London on 13 August 1919, George Albert Shearing was blind from birth. He attended the Linden Lodge School for the Blind, and although he studied classical piano, he showed an aptitude for improvisation from the start. In the late ’30s, Shearing toured with an all blind band led by Claude Bampton. He was slowly learning about jazz by listening to American records such as “Stratosphere” by Jimmie Lunceford and “Caravan” by Duke Ellington. After a stint with Bert Ambrose’s octet in the early ’40s, (where he absorbed elements of the Glenn Miller saxophone section harmonies), he joined noted French swing violinist Stephane Grappelli. A friendship with fellow Englishman composer and jazz critic Leonard Feather led him to visit America in 1946. In 1947, he went to stay.

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