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Biography |
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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. His sense for improvisation has even been compared to that of the great Jazz legend John Coletrane. John has toured the world as both a solo performer and a member of several outstanding bands. He is a composer, producer, arranger and established studio session musician of world class renown, recording with everybody from Clannad and Nancy Griffiths, to Shaun Davey and Donal Lunny. |
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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 collaberating with fiddle
player Sean Smyth, flautist Mike McGoldrick and guitarist Steve
Cooney, touring exstensively 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 Lunasa, John was a lead instrumentalist
with Donal Lunnys' now legendary supergroup 'Coolfin',
which included Nollaig Casey and 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 Sinead O'Connor,
Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill, and Eddie Reader. |
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John,
always in constant demand, has had the opportunity to perform
with a multitude of other artists including Dan Ar Braz,
Riverdance, Ornette Coleman and Secret Garden.
He has made countless T.V appearances and has featured on numerous
film and T.V soundtracks. His latest venture, teaming up with
life long musical comrade Michael McGoldrick to release
'At First Light', recieved the award for best traditional
album of the year 2001 - Irish American News. 'At First
Light'is also the working title of his current band - an ensemble
of the very best of young Irish talent. At present, John is working on a number of albums which will be released shortly, so keep watching this space. |
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