New for 2019 Election season - Lester Young for President T-shirt

Being a political junkie, I spend a chunk of every day keeping up on the news of the bizarre situation on our planet here and the attached t-shirt idea came to me.

I gave the idea to my artistically talented daughter, Ani, and we now have t-shirts for sale at www.shermusic.com.

Speaking of crucial decisions, I wrote the following letter to the editor which has now been printed in 23 newspapers, nation-wide. I hope you find it useful &/or enlightening. If so, please pass it on. Peace - Chuck Sher

"What Will Our Children Say?" 

The last year or two has seen an unusual number of U.S. natural disasters: major hurricanes, massive Midwest floods, way too many deadly tornadoes, severe wildfires, subzero cold spells, some of the hottest years on record, etc. The rest of the world has likewise suffered increasing droughts, desertification, melting glaciers, typhoons, flooding, heat waves, etc.

These phenomena are not unrelated. The vast majority of climate scientists say they are the beginning effects of 'climate disruption' that will, without question, get significantly worse in the foreseeable future. For the next 11 years, according to the latest reports from scientists at both the UN and the US government, we have the chance to ensure that the worst case scenarios do not come to pass, by de-carbonizing our economies. (For more information, see David Wallace-Wells on YouTube.)

Each additional degree of global warming will make the extreme weather we've already seen many, many times worse for future generations (as well as creating untold millions of climate refugees). But it can be turned around, and must be, starting now.  This is no joke, no hoax, but rather a deadly serious, long-term, life-threatening emergency.

Instead of denial, we need to ask ourselves one serious question: What will our children and grandchildren say about us 30 or 50 years from now? Will they curse us for willfully ignoring the clear signs of the impending destruction of a reasonably livable planet for them? This question requires our active attention.

Chuck Sher's end-of-the-year jazz radio show

For over a decade now I have been presenting high-quality recorded jazz on our local public radio station, KRCB-FM, generally the first Saturday of each month.

Coming up this Saturday, December 1st, from 7 pm to 11 pm, Pacific time, I'll be playing the best tracks of 2018 (or at least new to me this year). To listen in, just go to radio.krcb.org. Enjoy! - Chuck

New book from Randy Vincent!

I think it is safe to say that Randy Vincent has become the world's foremost authority on learning to play jazz guitar. With his latest release, "The Guitarist's Introduction to Jazz," he has created a reference book that someone who plays guitar but wants to learn jazz will find most useful. His book's webpage gives all the particulars but here I would just like to say that Randy is a unique kind of genius, if I may use that sometimes abused term. Randy is a practicing fool and his personal submersion in mastering the craft of jazz guitar makes him a pleasure to play music with (which I have had the honor of doing for many years now) and also an invaluable member of the jazz guitar community, via the medium of his method books and his personal one-on-one teaching. Out just in time for Christmas or Chanukkah presents this year, it will be of great use to guitar teachers as well as individuals for self-study. Many thanks to one of the great musical minds of our time, Randy Vincent, for giving us the honor of publishing his books!

New Sher Music books for 2018!

Folks - Sher Music Co. now has four new books that have been released in the past month. Many thanks to the authors and each of the members of the Sher Music team for 'beyond the call of duty' efforts to get these books ready for publication! A little 'behind the scenes' description of their publication follows:

1) "Decoding Afro-Cuban Jazz: The Music of Chucho Valdes" by Chucho and Rebeca Mauleon. My esteemed colleague Rebeca Mauleon approached me and asked if I would like to publish her 'magnum opus.' I said, 'Sure,' but was not really prepared for what a masterpiece she had created. To my informed eye, it is the most definitive treatise on both Latin Jazz and the origins of Afro-Cuban music in general that has ever been written. If you are a lover of Latin music, don't miss it!
2) "New Orleans Trumpet: A Down-Home Conservatory Method" by Jim Thornton. I gave Jim's manuscript to Doug Morton, the excellent trumpet player in my band,  to review and he gave it back to me saying it was the most enjoyable trumpet method book he'd ever read. And, in fact, after reading through it myself I was in total agreement. Jim is such a personable guy and the story of how he became a trad jazz trumpet player by moving to New Orleans and totally immersing himself in the music and the lifestyle of the Big Easy is completely engaging (even for a non-trumpeter). Along the way he explains some crucial music theory concepts and technical information that will benefit anyone reading the book, I'm sure. Another unique Sher Music publication!
3) "Jazz Scores and Analysis, Vol.1" by Richard Lawn. Rick sent me his manuscript and the sheer magnitude of this 'labor of love' bowled me over. In 433 pages Rick presents the fully annotated scores for six masterpieces of contemporary large ensemble jazz writing, one each by Vince Mendoza, Bob Mintzer, Jim McNeely, John Hollenbeck, Darcy James Argue and John Fedchock. He then dissects each one and shows the inner workings of the piece by explaining numerous characteristic passages and showing how the piece is constructed overall. It also includes interviews, a discography of each composer and more. Every arranging student or professional needs to have this in their library and I am super-proud to be the publisher of this landmark work.
4) "Jazz Songs for the Student Violinist" by Joanne Keefe and Kevin M. Mitchell. An old acquaintance of mine, Kevin approached me with the idea for this project saying that his kids had grown up in the Suzuki method but that there was nothing resembling jazz in any of their recitals. So he decided to create that additional repertoire himself, and this book is the result. We hope it will create many life-long lovers of jazz by exposing them to our unique art form at an early age. We are honored to have pianist Larry Dunlap and violinist Jeremy Cohen perform the audio for each piece, available on our website.

You can see details on all of these books at the top of our home page at www.shermusic.com. More coming later this year so stay tuned and keep swinging! - Chuck Sher

New - 3-Horn Arrangements for "The Real Easy Book, Vol.2"!

When we turned The Real Easy Book, Vol.1 into a three-horn version two years ago, band directors were thrilled by the possibilities that the expanded arrangements opened up for their ensembles. The three-horn version contains two extra harmony parts to be played during the melodies, as well as three background parts behind soloists and 'shout choruses' before the out heads.
So we are now offering the same sort of three-horn arrangements for eight selected tunes in The Real Easy Book, Vol.2.

Available on our website only (http://shermusic.com), they are being offered as a single digital package consisting of:

• Two extra complete horn parts for all eight songs.
• For the melody player, we have included background parts for use behind soloists and also 'shout chorus' parts for each tune. (The melodies themselves are not included here, but remain the same as in the printed book.)
• Each of these horn parts are given in C, Bb, Eb and bass clef versions.
• All this at a minimal cost of $24, which comes out to $3 per song.

Songs included in this upgrade are:

1. “Barbara” by Horace Silver
2. “Black Orchid” by Cal Tjader
3. “Fantasy in D” by Cedar Walton
4. “Jeannine” by Duke Pearson
5. “Jubilation” by Junior Mance
6. “Peace” by Horace Silver
7. “Sky Dive” by Freddie Hubbard
8. “Whisper Not” by Benny Golson 

New Sher Music books for 2017!

Folks - We have three (actually 5) new books just released today. More information on all of them is available at http://shermusic.com/new-books.php. Hope you find one or more of them intriguing to you and here's to a swinging 2017! - Chuck

1. "Reading, Writing & Rhythmetic" by Roberta Radley - A second Sher Music publication from the assistant chair of the Ear Training Dept. at Berklee College of Music. This one gives you a systematic way to develop the skills necessary to transcribe music off your favorite records and onto paper. The rewards will more than justify the time needed to absorb all the information here.
2. "Modern Etudes for Solo Trumpet" by Cameron Pearce - A set of challenging, but not ridiculously difficult, etudes written for the trumpet player needing something substantial to work on. The accompanying CD has the etudes performed by Dave Douglas, Terell Stafford, Ingrid Jenson, etc. Highly endorsed by Bobby Shew, Ray Vega, Randy Brecker, Chase Sanborn, etc. Cool stuff!
3. "Flamenco Improvisation - Vol.1 - 3" by Enrique Vargas - Here's a real masterpiece---a three-volume set of books detailing the the melodic and harmonic implications of the Western and Arabic scales used in Flamenco music today. Over 1200 pages filled with patterns, analysis, guitar fingerings and tab (although the books can be used by any instrument), and discussions of the "tricks" that make Flamenco such a unique form of music. Enjoy!

Sher Music releases George Marsh's "Inner Drumming"!

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! 

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/1883217881.php. 127 pages (including Spiro's 16-page written overview of how to study these transcriptions and incorporate them into your own playing) - $26 book / $19 PDF download.

Another great effort by one of our coolest authors - enjoy! - Chuck Sher

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

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