London-born George Shearing was a classically trained pianist when he began to absorb the work of the great jazz pianists from records, and brought his training and natural improvisational gifts with him to New York in the late '40s. The historic quintet (piano, vibes, guitar, bass, drums) he led at that time was among the first small jazz groups to achieve widespread popularity. In the late '50s, while performing classical work with symphony orchestras, he would sometimes include arrangements that featured his quintet.