Don Shirley
Pianist, composer, and arranger Don Shirley was born in Pensacola, Florida, on January 29, 1927. He began playing piano at age two, and seven years later had developed his skills so rapidly, he was studying theory at the prestigious Leningrad Conservatory of Music. Shirley made his concert debut with the Boston Pops in 1945, while the following year, the London Philharmonic Orchestra performed one of his first major compositions. In the ensuing years between 1954 and 1968, Shirley performed as a soloist and as a member of several symphonies, including the Boston Pops, Detroit Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington. Shirley also composed several organ symphonies, a piano concerto, two string quartets, and numerous pieces for piano. His musical language also encompassed tastefully mastered combinations of standards, show tunes, ballads, spirituals, and jazz performed with his own trio. Incredibly, Shirley also found time between performing and recording to obtain a PhD of Music, Psychology, and Liturgical Arts. Throughout the '50s and '60s, he released numerous albums on the Cadence label. In 1999, Collectables began reissuing several of those albums as two-for-one sets. Shirley died of heart disease on April 6, 2013.
© Al Campbell /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Gospel According to Don Shirley
Pop - Released by Columbia - Legacy on 16 Dec 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Don Shirley Point Of View
Jazz - Released by Rhino Atlantic on 26 Jul 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don Shirley Trio
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cadence Records on 3 Jan 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don Shirley's Best
Pop - Released by Cadence Records on 1 Jan 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Solos
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cadence Records on 7 Jan 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ultimate Piano Jazz Collection
Jazz - Released by Classic Music International on 19 Apr 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Orpheus in the Underworld
World - Released by TP4 Music on 6 Jan 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert Series Vol. 3
Jazz - Released by ClassicWorks on 31 Jul 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert Series Vol. 4
Jazz - Released by ClassicWorks on 2 Aug 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert Series Vol. 6
Jazz - Released by ClassicWorks on 13 Aug 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert Series Vol. 5
Jazz - Released by ClassicWorks on 2 Aug 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Pianist Extraordinary
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cadence Records on 1 Jun 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tonal Expressions
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cadence Records on 3 Jan 1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Piano Perspectives
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cadence Records on 1 Jun 1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don Shirley Works, Vol. 1
International Pop - Released by PROFOUND on 21 Jun 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Orpheus of the Underworld (Hd Remastered)
Vocal Jazz - Released by Reborn recordings on 24 May 2019
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Water Boy (Hd Remastered)
Vocal Jazz - Released by Reborn recordings on 24 May 2019
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Don Shirley Collection
Jazz - Released by Milestones Records on 6 Feb 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don Shirley Trio (Hd Remastered)
Vocal Jazz - Released by Reborn recordings on 3 Jan 1961
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo