SHERMAN IRBY
Genres: Hard Bop, Soul Jazz • United States

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. During high school he had the opportunity to play and record with Gospel immortal James Cleveland. After completing high school in 1986, Sherman attended Clark Atlanta University, graduating with a B.A. in Music Education.  After college, he joined Atlanta-based piano legend Johnny O’Neal’s quintet for a time before moving to New York City in 1994. After moving to New York, Sherman quickly connected with the fertile and vital scene at Smalls Jazz Club, where he was a regular until 1997. It was while playing at Smalls that Sherman caught the attention of Blue Note Records, the label for which he recorded his first two albums, Full Circle and Big Mama’s Biscuits, released in 1996 and 1998 respectively. During the period in which he was performing at Smalls, read more...