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By way of introducing myself and my work, I offer the content of this recently published article. It takes the place of my old bio page, and contains a good deal more information.
John Sherman Interviewed by Dr. Alfredo De Pietra
appearing in Vol. No. 64 (May 2003) Keltika magazine
Translated from the Italian by the interviewee
It's a somewhat lamentable fact that solo instrumental recordings often do not enjoy wide public popularity. This is often a problem of targeting: the general run of audio consumer (or, put another way, those not already confirmed aficionados of the instrument in question) tends to regard this kind of recording as meant for a select audience of musical and instrumental specialists, which tends to depress the market for them. Well, the American guitarist John Sherman's new album, Far Green Country , two tracks from which are included on this issue's CD compilation, might be the perfect challenge to this premise: a Celtic guitar album not directed solely at guitarists, but put together so as to appeal to and hold the interest of all fans of Celtic music. A well-considered mix, which, as Sherman acknowledges in our interview, is informed by a global approach, with an emphasis on the musicality of the content rather than a narrow instrumental perspective.
Sherman has been playing this music for over 20 years. He is not only a guitarist, being proficient as well on fiddle, bouzouki, banjo and bagpipes (Translator's note: strike that last one! I really have forgotten how to play them.) He first became interested in Celtic music toward the end of the 1970's, a time when he was steeped in learning traditional American string band music. Discovering that music's strong ties with Irish and Scottish music led him to deepen his understanding of these antecedent traditions as well. Far Green Country is Sherman's third album, preceded by the release of Farewell to the Creeks in 1987 and So Inclined in 1996, both well-received by the public and acclaimed critically in the American musical press. In addition to his solo work, the guitarist was one of the founding members of the band Inisheer which also released two albums. Although not a full-time member of any group at present, he regularly works with singer-songwriter Dave Hawkins and fiddler Peg Buchanan in the trio Celtic Core which released it's own live recording Live Core! in 1998. (Translator's note: This went to press before I joined Silver Arm).
The American guitarist also has strong ties to Italy, having spent a goodly part of his childhood growing up in Rome, and he still speaks good Italian.(Translator's note: I haven't really had occasion to speak it in over 35 years. I think Dr. De Pietra would be disappointed if he heard me try! In fact, this interview was conducted by e-mail, in English, but I have decided to translate Dr. De Pietra's questions, and my answers, as they were rendered in Italian in the magazine.)
ADP: John, your biographical notes indicate that your love of Celtic music was a by-product of your playing American traditional music back in the 1970's What other musical precursors can you say led you to become one of the masters of Celtic guitar?
JS: Quite a few of the tunes common in American traditional music are also part of the Scottish and Irish traditional repertoires. Many of these dance tunes spread through the British Isles, Ireland, and America during the 18th century, and came to America as part of the sizeable emigration of Ulster Scots ( called Scotch-Irish here in America) during that century. While I was playing these tunes on the fiddle at this time (the late 1970's), learning the relatively unornamented American versions of the tunes, I was captivated by the more highly ornamented styles of fiddlers like Sean Keane of the Chieftains, Peter Knight of Steeleye Span, and Frankie Gavin and Tommy Peoples. I became involved in learning the highland bagpipes soon afterward, which also taught me more about Celtic ornamentation. And, as I've mentioned in other places, I heard Pierre Bensusan's work and that inspired me to work out dance tunes on the guitar.
ADP: How would you sum up the current state of Celtic guitar in the U.S.A.?
JS: It's probably past the point where it could be considered a "new" stylistic category, though I think it still is becoming steadily more popular. There is still a divide between guitarists playing Celtic material (represented by, for example, El McMeen, Pat Kirtley, Steve Baughman and William Coulter) who are mainly solo performers, and Irish musicians who play guitar, like John Doyle and Zan McLeod, who are mainly known as rhythmic accompanists. Guitarists who frequent Irish sessions tend to be of the latter type. The number of players arranging jigs and reels still seems to be pretty small-- I don't know of any Americans besides myself that have done a lot of that, though Joseph Sobol has done some spectacular work with citterns. Pat Kilbride, the late Tony Cuffe and Tony McManus are or have been known for working up fast fingerstyle tunes, and while not Americans, have lived and or toured and played extensively in the U.S.
ADP: If I understand you correctly, you yourself don't have an Irish or Scottish background, and at any rate it's been pointed out often that many of the most notable Celtic guitar players have backgrounds that aren't in the least "Celtic". Don't you find this a bit strange? Or is it rather that this music really is more universal in character?
JS: Well, yes and no-- like many Americans, my ancestry is mainly a mix of English and Scots/Irish, with a bit of Scottish and Welsh, but it all came to the shores of America centuries ago (1600s-1700s). It is true, however, that "Celtic guitar" is an international phenomenon, and has been since its early days (not so long ago!). Besides, no one finds it strange that a Spaniard, Andres Segovia, acheived fame transcribing Bach for guitar, and thereby elevated it into something more than a tavern instrument. His parents were scandalized-- they had wanted him to study the cello! The point I want to make is that, in each case, there is a natural marriage of an adaptable and lyrical instrument with music that has stood the test of time. And it's true that Irish and Scottish traditions did not use the guitar much, even for accompaniment purposes, until folk musicians embraced the traditional tunes, a phenomenon which began in the '60s but didn't really become a revolution until the Bothy Band, Tannahill Weavers and Silly Wizard came on the scene. The music, I think, is universal because it's so good!
ADP: On your latest album you've taken what might be termed a "global" approach to the music; certainly, the solo guitar pieces are there, but lots of other instruments as well, plus the beautiful voice of Sue Mogan-Mattison...
JS: I have considered it important that an album not just have music of one type on it, however well-executed, but that it also be varied and surprising enough to continue to engage the listener's attention and entertain them. 50 minutes of delicate slow airs played by a solo guitar would begin to get boring even for me, and even if the player was very, very good.
ADP: And your interests go well beyond Irish music; on "Far Green Country" we find music from Scotland, Galicia...
JS: I can't say I make a special effort to seek out the more obscure tunes-- I mainly stumble across the ones that interest me musically and turn out to be fun on the guitar. We (here in the U.S.)regularly get exposed to a mix of Scottish and Irish music, which after all are pretty closely related. The "Galician" tune, Caracena, in fact was actually written by Irishman Bill Whelan.
ADP: Who are your main influences?
JS: Tony McManus has said that he isn't much influenced by the work of other guitarists, but rather by tunes as he's heard them played on the traditional instruments: pipes, fiddles, flutes, whistles or voice. I would have to agree that that's largely my approach too. Pierre Bensusan of course was an early influence in showing me the possibilities for arranging the tunes; and Micheal O'Domhnaill and Daithi Sproule for their early work in DADGAD accompaniment.
ADP: You lived some of the years of your childhood in Rome. Any particular memories of that period of time? Would you like to go back to visit?
JS: Lots of memories-- of course the high cultural points, like seeing the Sistine Chapel, Pompeii/Herculaneum, Florence, Pisa, Siena and Venice, not to mention the Roman antiquities. Going to the beach at Fregene or Castelfusano... trying to ski at Terminillo (and not succeeding)... paying 30 lire (about 5 cents at the time) to ride a bike around a small track in the Villa Borghese park...(Alfredo translated this as "merry-go-round"-- my description probably left a bit to be desired.) Yes, I'd very much like to go back!
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