Meet the Musicians: Glenn Sharp

In this series, we get to hear from the musicians themselves. This month, we hear from multi-instrumentalist Glenn Sharp.

Glenn has been working as a guitarist for many years and world music is his passion. His recent performances include flamenco, Latin, Arabic and African music.Glenn has worked as a session guitarist on numerous albums and has been a producer for many years. In addition to his solo performances, Glenn is the guitarist for flamenco group Calaita with singer Chico Pere. He has gigged and toured with numerous world-music artists including Nitin Sawhney and Aref Durvesh, and has colloborated with musicians from Nigeria, Sudan, India, Spain, Palestine and Egypt.

1. How long have you been performing and what inspired you to get into music? 

I have been gigging now for 20 years. All sorts of performances, from events groups to solo classical recitals, hip-hop, jazz, experimental electronica and finally ‘world music’, flamenco in particular. When I was eight years old, I heard my next door neighbour playing guitar. I don’t think she realised at the time that she was to be my teacher every week for the next five or so years! I discovered flamenco in 1996. I saw a Paco Peña gig and the next morning I changed everything and dedicated to myself to learning flamenco guitar. Been hooked ever since!

2. What or who are your influences? 

Far too many to mention, so I will just concentrate on the more recent ones. My guitar hero is Gerardo Nuñez, who is also a fantastic composer, my saz hero is without doubt, Erkan Oğur (also a wonderful composer) and my oud favourites are Simon Shaheen, Nasser Shamma and Nizar Rohana.  I would say my biggest influences are Erkan Oğur, Trio Joubran, Yasmin Levy, Vicente Amigo, Goksel Baktagir, Yair Dalal as well as classical composers such as Gorecki, Duruffle, Verdi and Arvo Pärt.

3. What are your all-time favorite albums? 

Anadolu Beşik and Gülün Kokusu Vardı by Erkan Oğur

Duquende y la guitarra de Tomatito 

Ganoub - en arabe vent dire sud 

Maqamat Ziryab by Simon Shaheen

Koyaanisqatsi by Philip Glass

Ciudad de las Ideas by Vicente Amigo

Vision by Tarik Banzi

Verdi Requiem 

East meets East by Nigel Kennedy and Kroke

Miles_Gurtu by Robert Miles and Trilok Gurtu

Power to the Women by Madosini

Sounds of Sudan 

Berber Blues by Cherifa

Rise by Anoushka Shankar

Everything by Le Trio Joubran, Camarón, and Gerardo Nuñez

4. What are you listening to right now? 

The Silimbo Passage by Seckou Keita–amazing combination of kora and Egyptian violin with some flamenco vibes!

5. Have any upcoming gigs/shows we should know about?

Working on a collaboration with percussionist Guy Schalom for gigs later this year; a fusion of Flamenco and Arabic music with Flamenco dance. All my other forthcoming dates available at www.myspace.com/glennsharpworld

Hear samples of tracks from Glenn's latest album with the Jadid Ensemble: www.jadidensemble.com
Read my review of the Jadid Ensemble review: http://nomadsplaylist.blogspot.com/2011/01/album-review-sigh-of-moor-by-jadid.html

Album Review: Sigh of the Moor by Jadid Ensemble

Album: Sigh of the Moor
Artist: Jadid Ensemble
Release Date: March 10, 2011
Genre/Region: Fusion, Middle-Eastern, Flamenco, North African

This is the outstanding debut album from the Manchester group, Jadid Ensemble. Skillfully blending flamenco and jazz with Arabic and Turkish sounds, the group produces a blissfully serene album.

The album features a range of instruments with Glenn Sharp, the driving force of Jadid Ensemble, on guitars, oud and saz, Paul Cheneour on flutes and neys, Olivia Moore on violin, Adam Warne on percussion, and Gavin Barras on double bass. Weaving their different sounds and styles together, this talented group takes an atmospheric journey through Southern Spain and North Africa.

With a dramatic opening, Sigh of the Moor begins with a haunting and distant call to prayer that is eventually enveloped by a sublime guitar. This track, “Llamar”, beautifully sets the tone for the rest of the album—evocative yet peaceful.

Despite the overall feeling of calm and tranquility, the album does have a few delightful tracks full of energy. The track “Vandal” conjures images of a North African street market, busy with activity. “Tango Arabe” is passionate and powerful, suddenly breaking into a rhythmic flamenco-inspired finish. “The Storyteller” again brings you back to the streets as if you had just stumbled upon a street performer who launches into a spirited story.

The finest track on the album is “Ilm”. The simple, ancient-sounding melodies weave delicately in and out of each other, slowing building intensity over a steady pulse.

The album lives up to its claim of “film score style production”, creating a musical story that travels through Spain and the Middle East with a clear beginning and end. While the album makes for undeniably beautiful listening, the music is not superficial and the listener has a definite sense of transformation at its conclusion, very much like a film.

I highly recommend this album. Jadid Ensemble has produced an outstanding debut and set the bar high for subsequent recordings, which I will be eagerly awaiting.

You can listen to “Ilm”, "Raag", "Vandal", and "Tango Arabe" from Jadid Ensemble’s Sigh of the Moor on Glenn Sharp’s myspace page: www.myspace.com/glennsharpworld.

Jadid Ensemble is currently participating in the World Music Network’s Battle of the Bands. Visit their page (www.worldmusic.net/battle/track/186/) to hear the track “Sigh of the Moor” and if you like what you hear, you can vote for them.