Sir George Shearing, 91, jazz pianist

NEW YORK - Sir George Shearing, 91, the ebullient jazz pianist who wrote the standard "Lullaby of Birdland" and had a string of hits both with and without his quintet, has died.

Sir George, blind since birth, died early Monday in Manhattan of congestive heart failure, his longtime manager, Dale Sheets, said.

Sir George had been a superstar of the jazz world since a couple of years after he arrived in the United States in 1947 from his native England, where he was already hugely popular. The George Shearing Quintet's first big hit came in 1949 with a version of songwriter Harry Warren's "September in the Rain."

He remained active well into his 80s, releasing a CD called Lullabies of Birdland as well as a memoir, Lullaby of Birdland, in early 2004. In March of that year, though, he was hospitalized after suffering a fall at his home. It took him months to recover, and he largely retired from public appearances after that.

In 2007, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. His bebop-influenced sound became identified with a quintet - piano, vibes, guitar, bass, and drums - which he put together in 1949. More recently, he played mostly solo or with only a bassist. He excelled in the "locked hands" technique, in which the pianist plays parallel melodies with the two hands, creating a distinctly full sound.

Among the luminaries with whom Sir George worked over the years: Tito Puente, Nancy Wilson, Nat "King" Cole, Mel Torme, Marian McPartland, the Boston Pops, Peggy Lee, Billy Taylor, Don Thompson, Stephane Grappelli, and Sarah Vaughan, whom Sir George called "the best contralto in pop."

"I've lost a dear friend," pianist Dave Brubeck said Monday. "His photo is over my piano in the studio. Over the years, we've played many concerts together. I consider him one of the greatest musical minds I've ever been around."

Sir George took only 10 minutes to compose "Lullaby of Birdland," named for the famous New York jazz club. Among other songs recorded by the George Shearing Quintet: "I'll Never Smile Again," "Mambo Inn," "Conception," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," and "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)."

The landmark albums he and the quintet made include

The Swingin's Mutual

, backing up vocalist Wilson, and

Nat King Cole Sings/George Shearing Plays

.

Sir George laid the quintet to rest in 1978, except for occasional revivals. "I needed a breath of fresh air and a chance to grow individually," he told the Associated Press.

He was born Aug. 13, 1919, to a working-class family and grew up in the Battersea district of London.

He studied classical music for several years before deciding to "test the water on my own" instead of pursuing additional studies at a university. He began his career at a London pub when he was 16.

He had a daughter, Wendy, with his first wife, the former Trixie Bayes, whom he married in 1941. The marriage ended in divorce in 1973 and two years later he married singer Ellie Geffert, who survives him.