John Mc Sherry is hailed as one of the finest exponents of the art of uilleann piping in the world today – “a true master” – Irish Music Magazine. Described as being “at the forefront of modern innovation” – Green Man Review, he has taken piping and whistle playing to new heights with his unique style. John has toured the world as both a solo performer and a member of several outstanding bands. He was a founding member of top trad bands Tamalin’, ‘Lúnasa’ and ‘At First Light’ as well as lead instrumentalist with Donal Lunny’s ground-breaking supergroup ‘Coolfin’, which also included Sharon Shannon.
He is a composer, producer and arranger, with several highly acclaimed solo and collaberative albums to his credit, including his latest release – the award winning ‘Soma’.He is also an established studio session musician of world class renown, recording and performing with everybody from Clannad (on their Grammy-winning Landmarks album) and Sinéad O’Connor to Nancy Griffiths and The Corrs.
Born in West Belfast and coming from a family steeped in traditional music, John focused his energies on the pipes from an early age. By the time he reached fifteen he had two All Ireland Championship titles under his belt and at the age of eighteen he was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious and much coveted ‘Oireachtas’ piping competition. Combining with his musical siblings, John formed the exciting and innovative band ‘Tamalin’, bringing their unique fusion of Irish, Rock, Eastern and Celtic music to enthusiastic audiences around the world. Their bold debut album, ‘Rhythm & Rhyme’ was released in 1996 to wide critical acclaim including a four-star rating in Q Magazine.
Sometime previous to this (1995), John began collaborating with fiddle player Sean Smyth, flautist Mike McGoldrick and guitarist Steve Cooney, touring extensively throughout Ireland and England. The seeds for ‘Lunasa’ were being sown. A year or so later, and with a few changes in personnel, ‘Lunasa Live’ (their dynamic debut album) was released. Described as – “simply stunningly impressive” – Irish Music Magazine, it is now considered to be something of a classic. As well as being a founding member of Lúnasa, John was a lead instrumentalist with Donal Lunnys’ now legendary super group ‘Coolfin’, which included Sharon Shannon. Yet again, John was at the forefront of a band which would re-shape the boundaries of Irish music. The ground breaking album ‘Coolfin’ was released in 1998 and a heavy touring schedule ensued. The band played host to a wide range of artists, among them Sinéad O’Connor, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, and Eddie Reader.
2001 saw John team up with life long musical comrade Michael McGoldrick to release ‘At First Light’, which received the award for ‘best traditional album of the year 2001′ – Irish American News. It was from the touring of this benchmark album that John’s current band ‘At First Light’ arose which features ace fiddle player Donal O’Connor. In 2006 John and Donal teamed up to produce the album ‘Tripswitch’. Described as ‘Acoustic perfection’ – Debbie Koritsas – Living Tradition, the album received outstanding reviews worldwide and yet again placed John right at the forefront and cutting edge of Irish music.
John’s next venture saw him collaborate with Dónal O’Connor and the legendary American slide guitarist Bob Brozman to release ‘Six Days in Down’ in October 2010. Influential BBC broadcaster DJ Ritu, has described the album as: “One of the most impressive Cds to fly through my letter-box this year”, Ian Kearney, from ‘fRoots’ has deemed the album “a joyous fusion” whilst Irish Times journalist Siobhan Long gave the album a four-star rating, heralding it as a “Strapping collection of tunes”.
John’s first solo venture also came in 2010 with the adventurous ‘Soma’ album. Mixing traditional music with John’s own compositions it has achieved outstanding reviews worldwide:
“A timeless masterpiece..” – Ireland Journal
“A masterpiece of restraint and nobility…” – Siobhan Long, Irish Times
The album received an IMA (Irish Music Association) award for ‘Best New Irish Album of 2010’.
Official website: www.johnmcsherry.com
