“He developed his own unique genre by fusing blues, spirituals, show tunes and popular music into his compositions.”Īdditionally, Parker revealed, somewhat in contrast to the depiction of Shirley in Green Book, he also participated in the civil rights movement: The composer, who often had to go through the back door of nightclubs and use closets for dressing rooms at his own shows, befriended activists, including Nina Simone and the Rev.

1 in B flat.” However, a few years later, Shirley’s mentor discouraged him from pursuing a career in classical music because of his skin color. And at 18, he made his concert debut with the Boston Pops Orchestra, playing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. The pianist, born January 29, 1927, in Pensacola, Florida to Jamaican immigrants, “learned the piano at 2 and picked up the organ at 3, playing the latter at his local church where his father served as an Episcopal minister.”Īt age 9, Parker continued, Shirley traveled to “the Soviet Union to study theory at the Leningrad Conservatory of Music. Parker’s recent biographical sketch provides a thoughtful overview of Shirley’s life and career. Which made us wonder: who was the real Don Shirley, and what is his cultural legacy? A biographical overview As journalist Najja Parker pointed out in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 1, Shirley’s family called the depiction “a symphony of lies.” Then there is the controversy around its portrayal of Shirley, whose alienation from his family and Black culture are critical to the film’s characterization. While the film’s warm message of friendship prevailing over racial tensions appeals to audiences in our own fraught times, some critics find fault with the its soft, sugar-coated approach to the Jim Crow-era chapter in American history. Getting to know the complex, often contradictory piano virtuoso (mis)characterized in the award-winning filmĬontroversial winner of the 2019 Academy Award for Best Picture, Green Book tells the tale of real-life piano virtuoso Don Shirley (played by Mahershala Ali, who won Best Supporting Actor) and the challenges he faced during a tour in the racially segregated American South of the early 1960s.Īdmirers of Green Book praise it as a charming “Odd Couple” buddy flick, largely due to the chemistry between Ali and Viggo Mortenson, who plays Tony Lip, hired as Shirley’s driver and bodyguard.

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