My passion for jazz began in my early twenties, as I realized that no other music could touch the range and depth of emotions that jazz had. For over 50 years, I’ve played the bass professionally — touring with vocal legend Jon Hendricks and performing with Bay Area greats like Vince Wallace, Dave MacNab, Michael Aragon, Ken Cook, Kendrick Freeman, Randy Vincent, Sheldon Brown and many others.

In 1978, after a tendon injury left me unable to play for over a year, I used the time to turn my teaching experience and notes into my first book, The Improvisor’s Bass Method. It was critically acclaimed, including endorsements from Eddie Gomez and Rufus Reid, which opened the door to something unexpected: a way to be of service to the whole jazz community.

Thus Sher Music Co. was born, and it has since become my life’s work.

Milestones Along the Way

I’ve always felt that the Universe wanted me to use my abilities to help the music I love thrive. As just one example, at a jam session one day I discovered Sky Evergreen (then Bob Bauer) who at the tender age of 17 was one of the best pianists I’d ever heard. He had virtually perfect relative pitch and so could easily take any song off the record. I wondered how I could persuade him to create more charts for us to play in the several groups we were both part of. Then the message came to me, “Ask him to transcribe songs for a new fake book and then you’ll be able to pay him out of the proceeds.” The result of that initial collaboration was The World’s Greatest Fake Book — the first legal, professional-level fake book ever published. That book launched our reputation for producing the highest quality jazz books on the market.

Not long after, Mark Levine approached me to publish The Jazz Piano Book, which went on to become a best-seller and modern classic. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to publish books by some of the most gifted musicians and educators in jazz and Latin music: Randy Vincent, Rebeca Mauleón, Neff Irizarry, David Berkman, Bryan Bowman, Hal Galper, Tim Armacost, Dan Greenblatt, Lukas Gabric, Barry Finnerty, Jeb Patton, Nelson Faria, Oscar Stagnaro, and many more.

What Sets Us Apart

What makes Sher Music different is simple: I’m a musician first, and a publisher second. The books we publish are not commercial products, but companions on the path to reaching our musical potential. We spare no effort to ensure that every title meets the highest standards of usefulness and beauty.

As a result, we are regularly contacted by musicians who tell us that Sher Music produces the best music books they own. That’s what keeps us going.

Gratitude for the Team

Sher Music Co. has always been a labor of love — and a group effort. I’ve been blessed to work with people who share the same commitment to excellence.

Pianist, musical editor and music engraver Larry Dunlap has been instrumental in shaping many of our most beloved books, including The Standards Real Book, The Latin Real Book, and The Practice Notebooks of Michael Brecker. His musicality and dedication are second to none.

My longtime graphic designer, Attila Nagy, has brought elegance and clarity to many of our book covers and layouts. My flutist and webmaster, Bob Afifi, has helped keep our business afloat for decades — wearing many hats and always coming through when it mattered most.

Doug Morton, who leads the Novato Jazz Workshop that I am part of, developed our internal royalty system to ensure that all authors and copyright holders are paid fairly and accurately. And my wife, Sueann Bettison Sher — the love of my life — has contributed mosaics and other artwork for the covers of dozens of our books, and has given me a lifetime of love and friendship, for which I am eternally grateful.

A Final Word

To everyone who has supported Sher Music over the years — thank you! Your passion for this music is what inspires us to keep creating. We believe jazz is one of the greatest forms of human expression, and we’re honored to play our part in keeping it alive and evolving.

Long live jazz!

— Chuck Sher
Founder, Sher Music Co.