New Books from Sher Music Co. – January 2022 Update

Sher Music fans —
We had some trouble with our blog a year or so ago and stopped posting, but that seems to have been resolved now. So let me catch you up on the new books we’ve released since then!

1. Syncopation Companion by Bryan Bowman
Bryan is a Bay Area drummer and bandleader who approached me in 2020 with a book that expands the possibilities of Ted Reed’s classic Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer. The result is a fresh and valuable contribution to drum pedagogy.
I’ll let the book’s webpage and Peter Erskine’s glowing endorsement speak for themselves.
Personally, I’ve had the pleasure of playing with Bryan on several COVID-safe outdoor gigs here in Petaluma — and he’s always swinging. So yes, his method works. And he's a super-nice guy to boot!

2. Drum Chart Supplement for The Real Easy Book Vol. 1 by Alan Hall
Another excellent drummer and longtime Bay Area musician, Alan Hall created full drum charts for every song in The Real Easy Book, Vol. 1 — plus some rock-solid instructional content for beginning drummers.
This includes:

• How to read drum notation

• Basics of modern drumming styles

• Advice on how to be a good bandmate
  It also comes with video demos of Alan performing each chart in both real time and slow motion.

3. Contemporary Latin Jazz Guitar by Neff Irizarry
Neff, a Finnish guitarist featured in The European Real Book, submitted a manuscript last year that blew me away. It’s a masterfully organized book that covers everything from the core rhythms of Afro-Cuban music to a 6-page transcription of a killer Steve Khan solo.
It includes:

• ~100 shorter transcriptions from legendary Latin jazz guitarists

• Analytical breakdowns

• Practical examples

• Accompanying videos of Neff demonstrating exercises
  We’re proud to publish this comprehensive guide.

4. The Jazz Saxophone Book by Tim Armacost
Tim is one of NYC’s leading jazz saxophonists and educators. When he proposed a book on melodic soloing, I encouraged him to take it further — to make it the saxophone equivalent of Mark Levine’s The Jazz Piano Book.
He rose to the challenge, and the final product is fantastic — a deeply helpful guide for any improviser.

Endorsed by a who’s who of sax masters: Jerry Bergonzi, Bob Mintzer, George Garzone, Bob Sheppard, Jamey Aebersold, Steve Wilson, Walt Weiskopf, and David Berkman.

Coming soon:

• Jazz Scores and Analysis, Vol. 2: Strings and Things by Rick Lawn

• More jazz songbooks from Andy Narell, Randy Brecker, Denny Zeitlin, Steve Khan, Duke Pearson, and more.

Be well, stay safe, and keep it swinging!
—Chuck Sher