Don Shirley
Encyclopedia
Don Shirley is an American-Jamaican jazz pianist and composer.
Shirley's prodigious piano skills were recognized early and Shirley began his career as a composer and virtuoso performer at a young age.
Don Shirley's music is hard to categorize. It is possible to say that as an arranger-composer he treats each piece of music as a new composition, not just an arrangement. Don plays Standards in a non-standard way. He is a virtuoso, playing everything from show tunes, to ballads, to his personal arrangements of Negro spirituals, to jazz, and always with the overtone of a classically-trained musician who has utmost respect for the music he is playing.
, Jamaica
. His first teacher was his mother. He began playing piano at age of 2½ and made his first public performance at the age of 3. At the age of nine he was invited to study theory with Mittolovski at the Leningrad Conservatory of Music, and he later studied with famous organist Conrad Bernier and studied advanced composition with both Bernier and Dr. Thaddeus Jones at Catholic University of America in Washington D. C.
He made his concert debut at the age of 18 with the Boston Pops June 25, 1945, with Dean Dixon
as guest conductor playing the Tchaikovsky B-flat minor concerto
. In 1946 his first major composition was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
.
In 1949 he received an invitation from the Haitian government to play at the Exposition International du Bi-Centenaire De Port-au-Prince
followed by a request from Archbishop Le Goise and President Estime for a repeat performance the following week.
At Arthur Fiedler
's invitation he appeared with the Boston Pops in Chicago in June 1954. He performed the Tchaikovsky concerto in the fall of 1968 with the Detroit Symphony. He has appeared as soloist with the Detroit Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra
, the NBC Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra Washington to name only a few. Including his appearances with the trio, he averaged some 95 concerts a year.
He has written symphonies performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra
and the New York Philharmonic
, and has composed four organ symphonies, numerous pieces for piano, two string quartets, and a piano concerto. He played as soloist with the orchestra at Milan's La Scala
opera house in a program dedicated to Gershwin's music. Only two other pianists have performed there as soloists, Arthur Rubinstein
and Sviatoslav Richter
.
He holds a Doctorate of Music, Doctorate of Psychology (University of Chicago
, Phi Beta Kappa), and Doctorate in Liturgical Arts. He speaks eight languages fluently, and is considered an expert painter as well.
He abandoned the piano as a career while quite young, and it was while in Chicago as a psychologist that Don "tripped" back into a musical career. He was given a grant to study the relationship, if any, between music and juvenile crime wave which had suddenly broken out in the early 1950s. Working in a small club there, he used his knowledge and skill to perform experiments in sound, whereby he proved that certain tonal combinations affected the audience's reactions. No one in the audience knew of his experiment, or that students had been planted among them to gauge their reactions. But Don Shirley the pianist became a sensation.
During the 1950s and 60s he cut some 16 albums for Cadence Records
. He then began to make appearances in New York followed, notably at "Basin Street East", where Duke Ellington
first heard him. Here started their warm friendship which was highlighted by Don's performance in 1955 of the premiere of Duke's Piano Concerto at Carnegie Hall
with the NBC Symphony of the Air. An appearance on the Arthur Godfrey
Show launched his career nationwide.
He has composed 3 symphonies, two piano concerti, a cello concerto, three string quartets, a one-act opera, works for organ, piano and violin, a symphonic tone poem based on Finnegan's Wake
and a set of "Variations" on the legend of Orpheus in the Underworld
.
has said of him, "His virtuosity is worthy of Gods."
Sarah Vaughan
"The most glorious sense of shading, phrasing and balance I've ever heard."
Artie Shaw
says "Don Shirley brings dignity where it is needed."
Bentley Stegner Chicago Sun-Times
: "He can play big round notes that fall as softly as velvet, or make bright, little ones leap up like the tinkle of ice in a glass."
Archie Bleyer
"I say he is a uniquely talented creative artist - perhaps a genius - who brings an extraordinary musical experience to anyone who listens to him with an open mind and an open heart."
The Christian Science Monitor
says "Don is destined to revolutionize the popular forms of music."
Shirley's prodigious piano skills were recognized early and Shirley began his career as a composer and virtuoso performer at a young age.
Don Shirley's music is hard to categorize. It is possible to say that as an arranger-composer he treats each piece of music as a new composition, not just an arrangement. Don plays Standards in a non-standard way. He is a virtuoso, playing everything from show tunes, to ballads, to his personal arrangements of Negro spirituals, to jazz, and always with the overtone of a classically-trained musician who has utmost respect for the music he is playing.
Biography
Don Shirley was born Donald Walbridge Shirley, 29 January 1927, KingstonKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. His first teacher was his mother. He began playing piano at age of 2½ and made his first public performance at the age of 3. At the age of nine he was invited to study theory with Mittolovski at the Leningrad Conservatory of Music, and he later studied with famous organist Conrad Bernier and studied advanced composition with both Bernier and Dr. Thaddeus Jones at Catholic University of America in Washington D. C.
He made his concert debut at the age of 18 with the Boston Pops June 25, 1945, with Dean Dixon
Dean Dixon
Charles Dean Dixon was an American conductor.Dixon was born in New York City, where he later studied conducting with Albert Stoessel at the Juilliard School and Columbia University. When early pursuits of conducting engagements were stifled because of racial bias , he formed his own orchestra and...
as guest conductor playing the Tchaikovsky B-flat minor concerto
Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
The Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between November 1874 and February 1875. It was revised in the summer of 1879 and again in December 1888. The first version received heavy criticism from Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky's desired pianist....
. In 1946 his first major composition was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
.
In 1949 he received an invitation from the Haitian government to play at the Exposition International du Bi-Centenaire De Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
followed by a request from Archbishop Le Goise and President Estime for a repeat performance the following week.
At Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...
's invitation he appeared with the Boston Pops in Chicago in June 1954. He performed the Tchaikovsky concerto in the fall of 1968 with the Detroit Symphony. He has appeared as soloist with the Detroit Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
, the NBC Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra Washington to name only a few. Including his appearances with the trio, he averaged some 95 concerts a year.
He has written symphonies performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
and the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, and has composed four organ symphonies, numerous pieces for piano, two string quartets, and a piano concerto. He played as soloist with the orchestra at Milan's La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
opera house in a program dedicated to Gershwin's music. Only two other pianists have performed there as soloists, Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein KBE was a Polish-American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music of a variety of composers...
and Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
.
He holds a Doctorate of Music, Doctorate of Psychology (University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, Phi Beta Kappa), and Doctorate in Liturgical Arts. He speaks eight languages fluently, and is considered an expert painter as well.
He abandoned the piano as a career while quite young, and it was while in Chicago as a psychologist that Don "tripped" back into a musical career. He was given a grant to study the relationship, if any, between music and juvenile crime wave which had suddenly broken out in the early 1950s. Working in a small club there, he used his knowledge and skill to perform experiments in sound, whereby he proved that certain tonal combinations affected the audience's reactions. No one in the audience knew of his experiment, or that students had been planted among them to gauge their reactions. But Don Shirley the pianist became a sensation.
During the 1950s and 60s he cut some 16 albums for Cadence Records
Cadence Records
Cadence Records was an American record company based in New York City. It was founded by Archie Bleyer, who had been the musical director and orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey in 1952...
. He then began to make appearances in New York followed, notably at "Basin Street East", where Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
first heard him. Here started their warm friendship which was highlighted by Don's performance in 1955 of the premiere of Duke's Piano Concerto at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
with the NBC Symphony of the Air. An appearance on the Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
Show launched his career nationwide.
He has composed 3 symphonies, two piano concerti, a cello concerto, three string quartets, a one-act opera, works for organ, piano and violin, a symphonic tone poem based on Finnegan's Wake
Finnegan's Wake
"Finnegan's Wake" is a ballad that arose in the 1850s in the music-hall tradition of comical Irish songs. The song is a staple of the Irish folk-music group, The Dubliners, who have played it on many occasions and included it on several albums, and is especially well known to fans of The Clancy...
and a set of "Variations" on the legend of Orpheus in the Underworld
Orpheus in the Underworld
Orphée aux enfers is an opéra bouffon , or opéra féerie in its revised version, by Jacques Offenbach. The French text was written by Ludovic Halévy and later revised by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux....
.
Quotes
Igor StravinskyIgor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
has said of him, "His virtuosity is worthy of Gods."
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
"The most glorious sense of shading, phrasing and balance I've ever heard."
Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
says "Don Shirley brings dignity where it is needed."
Bentley Stegner Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
: "He can play big round notes that fall as softly as velvet, or make bright, little ones leap up like the tinkle of ice in a glass."
Archie Bleyer
Archie Bleyer
Archie Bleyer was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive.-Early life:He was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. He began playing the piano when he was only seven years old...
"I say he is a uniquely talented creative artist - perhaps a genius - who brings an extraordinary musical experience to anyone who listens to him with an open mind and an open heart."
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
says "Don is destined to revolutionize the popular forms of music."
Discography
- Tonal Expressions
- Piano Perspectives
- Orpheus In Underworld
- Improvisations
- Solos
- With Two Basses
- Plays Love Songs
- Trio
- Pianist Extraordinary
- Famous Spirituals
- Birdland Lullabies
- Plays Show Tunes
- Golden Classics
- The Don Shirley Point of View
- Home With Don Shirley
- Pianist Extraordinaire 1 (Box Set)
- Pianist Extraordinaire 2 (Box Set)
- Tonal Expressions
- Piano Perspectives
- Orpheus in the Underworld
- Duo Improvisations
- Solos
- Don Shirley (with two basses)
- Don Shirley Plays Gershwin
- Standards
- Love Songs
- Don Shirley Plays Birdland Lullabies
- Showtunes
- Plays Shirley
- Tonal Expressions Vol. 1
- Tonal Expressions Vol. 2
- Piano Perspective Vol. 1
- Don Shirley (1959)
- Don Shirley Trio (1961)
- Pianist Extraordinary (1962)
- Piano Spirituals (1962)
- Don Shirley Presents Martha Flowers (1962)
- Drown In My Own Tears (1962)
- Don Shirley Trio in Concert (1968)
- Gospel According to Don Shirley (1969)
- Home with Donald Shirley (2001)
External links
- "Jamaica's Classical Musicians"
- "The Cadence Story"
- "Shirleys of African-American Ancestry Research Center"
- "Jazz Review"
- "Discography of Cathedral Church of St. John The Divine New York City"
- "Bassist - Richard Davis"
- "Misc. Blog article"
- "New York Times Article Dec.7/82"
- "Afri-Classical.com"
- "Misc. dicussion board"
- "A Don Shirley Tribute"
- Interviewed by Josef Birdman Astor in "Lost Bohemia", a 2010 documentary about the Carnegie Hall studios, where Shirley lived and worked for many years.