Over 25 years in the making, drummer George Marsh's finally completed book, "Inner Drumming" has just been released and we are very proud of the high quality of the work in this landmark publication.
Glowingly endorsed by Matt Wilson, Joey Baron, David Garibaldi, Roy Burns, John Abercrombie, Denny Zeitlin, Jim Chapin, and Ed Soph, among others, "Inner Drumming" is a one-of-a-kind study of how to connect with the energy that flows through the body and four limbs while you are playing drums.
The book comes with a beautifully-produced DVD in which George demonstrates and explains each category of exercises. There's no way to adequately explain the value of George's approach in words - it's something you must experience first-hand. Nonetheless, please go to http://www.shermusic.com/188321789X.php to get a taste of how his unique method might be of great use to you.
Another high-class, world-class publication from Sher Music Co. - don't miss it, drummers!
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Thursday, June 2, 2016
New Latin percussion book by Michael Spiro!
We are happy to announce the publication of a new book by
award-winning percussionist Michael Spiro. Entitled "The Language of
the Masters: Transcriptions and Etudes of 10 Great Latin Percussion
Artists," this book is the first collection of transcribed solos by
such artists as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Orestes Vilato, Manny
Oquendo, Armando Peraza, etc.
In addition to the transcriptions, Michael Spiro has written etudes for each artist, summarizing their approach to soloing. Each etude also comes with easily downloadable play-along tracks, one with and one without the solo being present. The end result is a unique and inspiring look into the origins of salsa and Latin jazz percussion. As Karl Perazzo says, “This book allows us to walk through the minds of the legends whose legacies inspire us still.”
Available at http://www.shermusic.com/
Another great effort by one of our coolest authors - enjoy! - Chuck Sher
In addition to the transcriptions, Michael Spiro has written etudes for each artist, summarizing their approach to soloing. Each etude also comes with easily downloadable play-along tracks, one with and one without the solo being present. The end result is a unique and inspiring look into the origins of salsa and Latin jazz percussion. As Karl Perazzo says, “This book allows us to walk through the minds of the legends whose legacies inspire us still.”
Available at http://www.shermusic.com/
Another great effort by one of our coolest authors - enjoy! - Chuck Sher
Friday, April 22, 2016
Major new book published "The Digital Standards Songbook"!
About a year and a half ago, the opportunity was given to Sher Music Co. to publish, in digital form only, a book of standards tunes by all the great Tin Pan Alley composers. So we jumped at the chance and our latest labor of love is finally out and in the world with all its fingers and toes. The book features 176 tunes (by Gershwin, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Rodgers & Hart, etc.) in the following formats:
- Single-song downloads in any key (for vocalists)
- Also for vocalists, High Voice and Low Voice complete books
- For instrumentalists, the complete 354-page book comes in C, Bb and Eb editions.
These charts were originally in The Standards Real Book and also The New Real Book, Vol.1-3, so they have Sher Music's gold standard quality on every page. All tunes include the lyric and also the introductory verses, whenever they exist. The initial feedback from vocalists has been overwhelmingly positive, for which we are very grateful. But don't take my word for it, go see for yourself at http://www.shermusic.com/1883217903.php.
I can't let this opportunity go by without thanking some of the main people who were instrumental in making this a dream a reality---James Grupenhoff, Matt Smith, John Hinchey, Larry Dunlap, Tim Allwein, Ron Bilodeau, Linda McLaughlin, and first and foremost, my webmaster Bob Afifi, who gets the award for MVP here at Sher Music Co. this year, as he has for many years now. Thanks one and all!! - Chuck
- Single-song downloads in any key (for vocalists)
- Also for vocalists, High Voice and Low Voice complete books
- For instrumentalists, the complete 354-page book comes in C, Bb and Eb editions.
These charts were originally in The Standards Real Book and also The New Real Book, Vol.1-3, so they have Sher Music's gold standard quality on every page. All tunes include the lyric and also the introductory verses, whenever they exist. The initial feedback from vocalists has been overwhelmingly positive, for which we are very grateful. But don't take my word for it, go see for yourself at http://www.shermusic.com/1883217903.php.
I can't let this opportunity go by without thanking some of the main people who were instrumental in making this a dream a reality---James Grupenhoff, Matt Smith, John Hinchey, Larry Dunlap, Tim Allwein, Ron Bilodeau, Linda McLaughlin, and first and foremost, my webmaster Bob Afifi, who gets the award for MVP here at Sher Music Co. this year, as he has for many years now. Thanks one and all!! - Chuck
Saturday, January 23, 2016
New Sher Music books for 2016
We're very happy to add four new books to our catalog as of the beginning of this year.
In no particular order, they are:
a) "Wisdom of the Hand: A Guide to the Jazz Pentatonic Scales" by Seattle pianist, educator and composer, Marius "Butch" Nordal. This is, dare I say, a revolutionary approach to fingering the pentatonic scales on piano. The wider intervals of the pentatonic and blues scales calls for a different approach than the traditional, Western "thumb under" approach. This book opens up a new and better approach to this condundrum all pianists face. But don't take my word for it - check out the sample pages at http://www.shermusic.com/1883217849.php and see for yourself.
b) Also for pianists is Jeb Patton second book for Sher Music, "An Approach to Comping, Vol.2: Advanced Concepts and Techniques." Endorsed by Kenny Barron, David Hazeltine, Harold Mabern, etc., Jeb's second book is a masterful and thorough look at the comping of Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Hank Jones, Barry Harris, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and others. As a bassist, I know that the pianist's comping is one of the most crucial elements in creating forward motion in a band and Jeb's books are the definitive word on the subject. Webpage is http://www.shermusic.com/1883217873.php
c) "Rhythm First!: A Beginner's Guide to Jazz Improvisation" by Tom Kamp is designed for K-12 music students and their teachers. His basic stance is that kids can easily be turned off to music by having to learn and practice a bunch of scales and chords before they can even start to make music. But in this book, Tom has them enjoying the feeling of playing jazz right away by getting them to play rhythms first, before concerning them selves with note choices. "Rhythm First!" then provides a systematic way to learn all the basic rhythmic figures they are likely to need for years, while slowly introducing the notes of the Blues Scale. This is also a revolutionary and long-overdue approach to teaching jazz that we hope will be widely utilized by elementary, middle school and high school teachers. Sample pages and the Table of Contents can be found at http://www.shermusic.com/1883217865.php.
d) Lastly, Randy Vincent has turned his last guitar book ("The Cellular Approach") into a method book for any instrument, entitled "Building Solo Lines from Cells." This book came into being because Jamey Aebersold found himself practicing out of "The Cellular Approach" one day soon after its release last year and wrote us the following: "This book is good for ALL instruments. The patterns and exercises are excellent! There is much food for thought in here." So, of course, we decided that Jamey had a point and that was the genesis of "Building Solo Lines from Cells." Again, take a look at http://www.shermusic.com/1883217830.php and see for yourself.
Also, stay tuned for two unique books for drummers (by George Marsh) and percussionists (by Michael Spiro) that we will release in March of this year (I hope!), as well as a "Digital Standards Songbook," featuring 170+ individual songs, downloadable in any key, from the best of Cole Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Henry Mancini, etc. etc. All are pristine Sher Music lead sheets---the gold standard in jazz charts. Thanks for supporting our labors of love, and keep swinging! - Chuck Sher
In no particular order, they are:
a) "Wisdom of the Hand: A Guide to the Jazz Pentatonic Scales" by Seattle pianist, educator and composer, Marius "Butch" Nordal. This is, dare I say, a revolutionary approach to fingering the pentatonic scales on piano. The wider intervals of the pentatonic and blues scales calls for a different approach than the traditional, Western "thumb under" approach. This book opens up a new and better approach to this condundrum all pianists face. But don't take my word for it - check out the sample pages at http://www.shermusic.com/1883217849.php and see for yourself.
b) Also for pianists is Jeb Patton second book for Sher Music, "An Approach to Comping, Vol.2: Advanced Concepts and Techniques." Endorsed by Kenny Barron, David Hazeltine, Harold Mabern, etc., Jeb's second book is a masterful and thorough look at the comping of Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Hank Jones, Barry Harris, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and others. As a bassist, I know that the pianist's comping is one of the most crucial elements in creating forward motion in a band and Jeb's books are the definitive word on the subject. Webpage is http://www.shermusic.com/1883217873.php
c) "Rhythm First!: A Beginner's Guide to Jazz Improvisation" by Tom Kamp is designed for K-12 music students and their teachers. His basic stance is that kids can easily be turned off to music by having to learn and practice a bunch of scales and chords before they can even start to make music. But in this book, Tom has them enjoying the feeling of playing jazz right away by getting them to play rhythms first, before concerning them selves with note choices. "Rhythm First!" then provides a systematic way to learn all the basic rhythmic figures they are likely to need for years, while slowly introducing the notes of the Blues Scale. This is also a revolutionary and long-overdue approach to teaching jazz that we hope will be widely utilized by elementary, middle school and high school teachers. Sample pages and the Table of Contents can be found at http://www.shermusic.com/1883217865.php.
d) Lastly, Randy Vincent has turned his last guitar book ("The Cellular Approach") into a method book for any instrument, entitled "Building Solo Lines from Cells." This book came into being because Jamey Aebersold found himself practicing out of "The Cellular Approach" one day soon after its release last year and wrote us the following: "This book is good for ALL instruments. The patterns and exercises are excellent! There is much food for thought in here." So, of course, we decided that Jamey had a point and that was the genesis of "Building Solo Lines from Cells." Again, take a look at http://www.shermusic.com/1883217830.php and see for yourself.
Also, stay tuned for two unique books for drummers (by George Marsh) and percussionists (by Michael Spiro) that we will release in March of this year (I hope!), as well as a "Digital Standards Songbook," featuring 170+ individual songs, downloadable in any key, from the best of Cole Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Henry Mancini, etc. etc. All are pristine Sher Music lead sheets---the gold standard in jazz charts. Thanks for supporting our labors of love, and keep swinging! - Chuck Sher
Monday, September 28, 2015
Mark Levine's "Jazz Theory Book" now available in Spanish
Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" has been translated into 7 or 8 languages besides English (those editions are published by overseas publishers), but we are happy to now offer it in Spanish right on our own website at http://www.shermusic.com/1883217857.php. So if you or someone you know would find this a valuable resource, please do spread the word. Thanks for being a supporter of our world-class books! Much appreciated! - Chuck Sher
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Chuck Sher's "Poetry+Jazz: A Magical Marriage" audiobook CD released!
I've been a jazz
musician and jazz book publisher most of my adult life, and about two
years ago I
also started writing poems. Then one day
some real magic happened - I started reading something I'd written along
with a jazz recording that had a similar emotional tone. And,
seemingly all by
itself, the music started wrapping itself around the words, as if it
had been created specifically for that purpose, sometimes changing along with the words line by line! The feeling I got was almost spooky it was so beautiful. This turned out not to
be a fluke, but happened over and over with other poems and music - like magic, like their being together was "meant
to be." I felt then, and continue to feel, blessed and honored to be the conduit for these 'marriages made in heaven.'
I then started putting music with the poems of my teacher at the time, Alison Luterman, and then Rumi and Rainer Maria Rilke, Philip Levine, Mark Strand, Kenneth Rexroth and all the rest of the poets included on this CD. Again, it has been a great honor to have these profound artists be part of this project.
Then one more piece of synchronicity happened. A long-time tennis buddy of mine, Cory Bihr, gave me a Christmas present a few years ago of him reciting Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales." Cory's immense talent completely floored me and so I played him the iphone recordings I had made of the rough drafts of poetry+jazz. The rest, as they say, is history, because Cory is the now the main voice on the CD, with other tracks being performed by Coleman Barks, Rumi's most-loved translator, and Rene Marie, a great jazz singer and actress, among others.
This project took about two years to complete, largely because of the business end of things. All the living poets (or the estates of recently deceased ones) are being paid for the use of their work, all the publishers of the songs are will be getting regular royalties, all the record companies are being paid royalties for the use of their master recordings, all the readers have been paid, of course, and the studios the tracks were recorded in, etc. etc. An expensive proposition, but well worth it to me because to my ears these are uniquely beautiful, new artistic creations. I'm thrilled to have this project out and available to people who might also find great beauty in it.
Sample tracks are available at http://shermusic.com/poetry-jazz. Don't miss it!
I then started putting music with the poems of my teacher at the time, Alison Luterman, and then Rumi and Rainer Maria Rilke, Philip Levine, Mark Strand, Kenneth Rexroth and all the rest of the poets included on this CD. Again, it has been a great honor to have these profound artists be part of this project.
Then one more piece of synchronicity happened. A long-time tennis buddy of mine, Cory Bihr, gave me a Christmas present a few years ago of him reciting Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales." Cory's immense talent completely floored me and so I played him the iphone recordings I had made of the rough drafts of poetry+jazz. The rest, as they say, is history, because Cory is the now the main voice on the CD, with other tracks being performed by Coleman Barks, Rumi's most-loved translator, and Rene Marie, a great jazz singer and actress, among others.
This project took about two years to complete, largely because of the business end of things. All the living poets (or the estates of recently deceased ones) are being paid for the use of their work, all the publishers of the songs are will be getting regular royalties, all the record companies are being paid royalties for the use of their master recordings, all the readers have been paid, of course, and the studios the tracks were recorded in, etc. etc. An expensive proposition, but well worth it to me because to my ears these are uniquely beautiful, new artistic creations. I'm thrilled to have this project out and available to people who might also find great beauty in it.
Sample tracks are available at http://shermusic.com/poetry-jazz. Don't miss it!
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Digital editions of all Sher Music method books now available!
In addition to the Digital Edition of "The New Real Book, Vol.1," we are happy to report that PDF downloads of all of our jazz and Latin music method books, including Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and "The Jazz Piano Book" are currently available at http://shermusic.com.
Again, my webmaster, Bob Afifi, was instrumental in bringing these books to you in digital form and my great thanks to him for that.
We are working on other digital products, and will let you know as they become available. Thanks for supporting our labors of love here at Sher Music Co.! - Peace - Chuck Sher
Again, my webmaster, Bob Afifi, was instrumental in bringing these books to you in digital form and my great thanks to him for that.
We are working on other digital products, and will let you know as they become available. Thanks for supporting our labors of love here at Sher Music Co.! - Peace - Chuck Sher
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Digital Edition of "The New Real Book, Vol.1" released!
For about 15 years now, we have been getting repeated requests to offer our fake books in digital form, as musicians increasingly use iPads, Kindles, computers, etc. to practice, rehearse and gig with. Since the print licenses already obtained for the hard copy of these books did not extend to digital use, each song had to be re-licensed and this was simply not possible until last year. At that point, the major copyright holders decided to allow digital use of the songs they controlled in The New Real Book - Vol.1 and that started the ball rolling. Many months and endless hours of work later, and The New Real Book, Vol.1 - Digital Edition is now available for download!
The book is beautifully crafted from the highest quality scans we could produce. (The original book was hand-copied and so no digital source files exist.) Many thanks to Sunil Sharma for a careful and professional job in that department.
The book features an interactive Table of Contents where you can click on any tune and be immediately transported there - an invaluable feature on gigs. Every effort was made to retain the look and feel of the original edition and we are happy with how close we were able to come, even with the photographs.
All musicians who will be using this digital edition owe a debt of gratitude to my webmaster, Bob Afifi, for single-handedly pushing for this project to come to fruition, and for his invaluable aid and advice in creating the highest quality finished product possible. It simply wouldn't have happened without him. Thanks, Bob!
By giving musicians a legal, high-class alternative to the poorly-done, illegal scans of our New Real Books, we hope to make everyone's job of creating great music just a bit easier. Anyway, 'nuff said - enjoy our labor of love! - Chuck Sher
The book is beautifully crafted from the highest quality scans we could produce. (The original book was hand-copied and so no digital source files exist.) Many thanks to Sunil Sharma for a careful and professional job in that department.
The book features an interactive Table of Contents where you can click on any tune and be immediately transported there - an invaluable feature on gigs. Every effort was made to retain the look and feel of the original edition and we are happy with how close we were able to come, even with the photographs.
All musicians who will be using this digital edition owe a debt of gratitude to my webmaster, Bob Afifi, for single-handedly pushing for this project to come to fruition, and for his invaluable aid and advice in creating the highest quality finished product possible. It simply wouldn't have happened without him. Thanks, Bob!
By giving musicians a legal, high-class alternative to the poorly-done, illegal scans of our New Real Books, we hope to make everyone's job of creating great music just a bit easier. Anyway, 'nuff said - enjoy our labor of love! - Chuck Sher
Friday, January 30, 2015
Three-Horn edition of "The Real Easy Book, Vol. 1" released!
Never let it be said that we don't value feedback from people who use our books. At the Jazz Education Network conference last year, several band directors told us that it would be great to have a version of "The Real Easy Book, Vol.1" (our most popular fake book) with harmony parts added, instead of just a melody and chord symbols. Voila! As of January 1st, the new three-horn, expanded edition has replaced the original version.
Included in this three-horn edition are:
- separate pages for each harmony part for every song
- background horn lines underneath soloists
- often "shout choruses" at the end of solos
- background lines and shout choruses include parts for the melody player too
These beautiful arrangements by pianist/arranger Larry Dunlap create a fuller, more professional sound, yet each part is simple enough for beginning improvisers to play, and each part could be played by a number of different instruments. The book is now 172 pages, is available in C, Bb, Eb and Bass Clef, and lists for $28. Enjoy! - Chuck Sher
Included in this three-horn edition are:
- separate pages for each harmony part for every song
- background horn lines underneath soloists
- often "shout choruses" at the end of solos
- background lines and shout choruses include parts for the melody player too
These beautiful arrangements by pianist/arranger Larry Dunlap create a fuller, more professional sound, yet each part is simple enough for beginning improvisers to play, and each part could be played by a number of different instruments. The book is now 172 pages, is available in C, Bb, Eb and Bass Clef, and lists for $28. Enjoy! - Chuck Sher
Saturday, December 6, 2014
New books from Mark Levine and Randy Vincent!
Jazz fans - the Sher Music Co. team has been working like little elves and we now finally have pdf downloads of two new books---one by Mark Levine and one by Randy Vincent! The printed versions will be released January 1st, 2015 (only a few weeks away). We are very proud and pleased to offer these labors of love to all jazz players. Chuck says, 'Check them out!'
"How to Voice Standards at the Piano: The Menu" by Mark Levine is a succinct guide to harmonizing songs, using voicings that the masters of jazz piano use every time they play. Mark has created a one-page 'Menu' of these voicings that (once internalized) will allow you to create spontaneous arrangements of standard songs on the spot. This will be an invaluable resource for generations of jazz pianists---and it wouldn't hurt us non-pianists to learn this material too! Please see details at http://shermusic.com.
"Jazz Guitar Soloing: The Cellular Approach" by Randy Vincent is a thorough, detailed look at how to create long, flowing solo lines based on short, 4-note 'cells' derived from solo phrases by jazz masters like Joe Pass, Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, etc. Randy gives the reader hundreds and hundreds of exercises to incorporate this process into your subconscious so that they will appear on their own as you perform. Fingerings and string choices are often given too, making it particularly valuable to guitarists who want to actually master their instrument. Again, details at http://shermusic.com.
(If you have a minute, please also check out the sample tracks of our forthcoming CD "Poetry+Jazz: A Magical Marriage" at http://shermusic.com/poetry-jazz.)
"How to Voice Standards at the Piano: The Menu" by Mark Levine is a succinct guide to harmonizing songs, using voicings that the masters of jazz piano use every time they play. Mark has created a one-page 'Menu' of these voicings that (once internalized) will allow you to create spontaneous arrangements of standard songs on the spot. This will be an invaluable resource for generations of jazz pianists---and it wouldn't hurt us non-pianists to learn this material too! Please see details at http://shermusic.com.
"Jazz Guitar Soloing: The Cellular Approach" by Randy Vincent is a thorough, detailed look at how to create long, flowing solo lines based on short, 4-note 'cells' derived from solo phrases by jazz masters like Joe Pass, Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, etc. Randy gives the reader hundreds and hundreds of exercises to incorporate this process into your subconscious so that they will appear on their own as you perform. Fingerings and string choices are often given too, making it particularly valuable to guitarists who want to actually master their instrument. Again, details at http://shermusic.com.
(If you have a minute, please also check out the sample tracks of our forthcoming CD "Poetry+Jazz: A Magical Marriage" at http://shermusic.com/poetry-jazz.)
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