Oscar - The Man Who Turned Down a Beckoning International Career by Matt Gee His playing is precise, and his music is enticing, charming, and at places, dreamy. With three albums that sold very well in Europe and nothing like the "Guitar Hero" image as we know from television (an acquired taste, you know), Oscar Sher chose to remain in Eilat, away from the massive, demanding spotlight… and today he proclaims: "Not only this isn't an unfulfilled potential. On the contrary, I actually progressed".

History

Born in Argentina, he spent his childhood and youth playing Spanish guitar and listening to the Beatles, Santana, John McLaughlin and Chic Corea, as well as local musicians. Rather than fully emulating his heroes, he absorbed and mixed his inspirations and soon became an in-demand session man, playing for and alongside famous singers such as Victor Heredia and Angela Irene, and gaining exposure on the way.

Having chosen to eschew a political persecution in 1981, Sher swapped Argentina for Israel. Albeit purely for Zionism rather than for the strings of his Spanish guitar, his relocation was soon followed by assimilation with the local musical scene, and he was quick to feature in festivals and also found a job as a guitar tutor, combining business and pleasure.

Such a newly found routine for the newcomer couldn't be more promising, but all that was to change, after another re-location, this time for the coastal resort of Eilat. In the wake of a contract with the luxurious Brasserie restaurant, Sher would play every night to exclusive partygoers, and it was there and then that he was spotted by Steve Gilston, a former US entrepreneur, who offered to produce him an album or two… or three.

Photographs by Reuven Hadar

The Music

The first release, a cassette tape of Sher's instrumental interpretations for Israeli standards, sold very well in the Holy Land…

But it would be the second release that Sher is most proud of, both for its sound and overall expression.

With production duties taken by Steve Gilston, together with English-only presentation on the cover and aimed directly for the international market, the 1993 CD album Oscar (released in certain territories as "The Classical Spanish guitar of Oscar Sher") showcased various influences, but unlike with the previous release, it featured interpretations of assorted covers as well as three original compositions, and was appropriately dedicated to Sher's dad Jaime, who did not live to witness his son's progression.
Now, bearing in mind the obvious effect of popular band the Gypsy Kings on the contemporary western music market in the early 90s, it's interesting to point how Oscar didn't succumb to commercial rules in the narrow way, and managed to hold an identity of its own.

Encouraged by European sales of the second release and air time on Israeli media, producer Gilston soon commenced work on a follow-up, and a third album, For My Guitar, hit the international audience in 1995. Like its predecessor, it consists of covers and originals played with a great aplomb and style, and for the first time, sleeve notes presenting Sher as a true find.

Among the originals, the title track is a magnificent, melancholy oeuvre that, despite its complex nature, wouldn't sound out of place on a love scene in any of Tarantino's films.

On the covers side, his variations on "Greensleeves" is an interesting re-work that takes the famous medieval tune into territories that King Henry VIII (to whom that piece is attributed) might have been too orthodox to approve.

The interlude

Released in 1996, the fourth International album Magic Guitar was in fact an amalgam of tracks previously released on Oscar and For My Guitar; attempting to focus on the supposedly best cuts from the two by sequencing them equally and cleverly into "urban" side and "rural" side.
Magic Guitar did very well in Europe, and particularly in France. In a parallel universe, that plan would have launched Sher into the realms of great success… but when the mixture of pressure and ego launched at him by the guys in suits took its toll, he opted to relinquish and retain his day job as a guitar tutor.
"I didn't get a penny from those international sales", he attempts to conclude the aforementioned, somewhat exhausting affair, "but consider that I didn't actually invest a penny, well… the pleasure is all mine".

Re-launch, restoration and recreation in the new millennium

As is often the case, music has no boundaries; and one's mind has a tendency to work regardless of reality, and sometimes, in between guitar tutorials. New ideas have lives of their own, and they sound it and manage to climb their way out, without a ladder.
When guitarist (and master in his own right) Sasha Pumpian heard those new ideas, he immediately encouraged Sher to rework and record them. The result album, 2004s Agua Pura (pure water) is a joint work, and was produced independently at Pumpian's home studio.
"Everything was fine and crafted without pressure, and when thoughtful/emotional elements are employed [rather than single-dimensioned commercial consideration], their interaction is to a great effect. There were absolutely no ego clashes, and the progression was already there before we played a single note together", Sher and Pumpian proudly present the achievement… which they still celebrate in their sporadic gigs across the country. The two just love to play music and to learn from each other, and it shows.

Although Agua Pura (which is currently sold only at gigs) is arguably rooted where the material from previous releases lies, this time all tracks are original and the overall feel is, indeed, of unchained nature. So much so, that suddenly, even a "Blues" can wear a smile from beyond the breeze.

The album is dedicated to Menashe Bakish, who first gave Sher the chance to play in Israel.

The Present

These days, when the media is sadly redolent of image, Sher is, well… more than happy to disassociate from the industry, and he sticks to his guns by concentrating on what he terms "The real thing".

Considering the "what is real" endless debate, I've been listening to Agua Pura for some time now, and couldn't help but notice the pulses of freedom and progression shifted all over the place, at least for fifty four minutes… so Sher may be correct after all.


by Matt Gee
march 2010