Sherman Irby | Virtuoso Saxophone Artist Endorser

As a leader

Full Circle (Blue Note)
Big Mama’s Biscuits (Blue Note)
Black Warrior (BWR)
Faith (BWR)
Organ Starter (BWR)

As a Sideman

Gunn Fu – Russell Gunn
Moment to Moment – Roy Hargrove
Reel Time – Wynton Marsalis
Sweet Release – Wynton Marsalis
Blues for the New Millennium – Marcus Roberts
To Ella, With Love – Ann Hampton-Calloway
Straight Swingin’, Vol 1 – Willie Jones, III
Rosewood – Warner Brothers Motion Pictures (Soundtrack)
Ethnomusicology: Vol. 2 – Russell Gunn
Enough is Enough – Dennis Taylor
Unconditional – Dennis Taylor
In the Mood – Dennis Taylor
Rhythm of Life – Claudia Acuna
Gerald Cannon – Gerald Cannon
Unforgivable Blackness – Wynton Marsalis
Congo Square – Wynton Marsalis

Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Sherman began playing music at the age of 12, almost immediately recognizing that it was his life’s calling. Upon graduating high school – during which he had the opportunity to play and record with Gospel immortal James Cleveland – Sherman attended Clark Atlanta University, graduating with a B.A. in Music Education. He joined Atlanta-based piano legend Johnny O’Neal’s quintet in 1991.

After moving to New York in 1994, Sherman quickly connected with the fertile and vital scene at Smalls, where he was a regular until 1997. Here Sherman caught the attention of Blue Note Records, for which he recorded his first two albums, Full Circle and Big Mama’s Biscuits, released in 1996 and 1998 respectively.

During the Smalls period Sherman also toured the U.S. and the Caribbean with the Boys Choir of Harlem in 1995; was a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra from 1995 to 1997; recorded and toured with Marcus Roberts and participated in the incomparable Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead Program during those same years; and began his four year stint with Roy Hargrove in 1997. Recognizing the shift in economics of the record industry, Sherman left Blue Note to form Black Warrior Records, releasing Black Warrior, Faith, and Organ Starter. Departing from Roy Hargrove’s ensemble around the same time, Sherman shifted his primary focus to his own group. Although this is his primary commitment, Irby took the opportunity to join the final ensemble of the peerless Elvin Jones in 2004, and after Elvin’s passing, joined Papo Va’zquez’s Pirates Troubadours. Currently, he has rejoined the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and continues to perform with his quartet and his newly formed group, Organomics.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

JALC Orchestra
TBA
Hollywood Bowl - Hollywood, CA
JALC Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis

Friday, July 11, 2008

JALC Orchestra
TBA
Red Butte Garden Amphitheater - Salt Lake City, UT
JALC Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis

Saturday, July 12, 2008

JALC Orchestra
TBA
Lincoln Center - Fort Collins, CO
JALC Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis

Monday, July 14, 2008

JALC Orchestra
TBA
Bass Performance Hall - Fort Worth, TX
JALC Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis

The Virtuoso was a pleasant surprise for me. The sound is big and full, the scale is great, and the craftsmanship is excellent. One important quality of this instrument is that it blends well in a saxophone section. For a working musician, all of these qualities are a necessity. This is a horn that will work in any situation, and at a price point that is realistically within a musician’s budget. Like I said, a pleasant surprise! - Sherman Irby