John Carlini: Quotes & Reviews

   

What are folks -- DJs, fellow artists, and fans -- saying about John Carlini?

For those simply looking for bluegrass, The Game's Afoot! is not for you. For those looking for amazing picking on traditional instruments normally associated with bluegrass--flatpick guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass--this disc delivers. "Bluegrass be-bop" is a term used in the liner notes and aptly fits much of the music. The Quartet--featuring Grisman Quintet veteran John Carlini on guitar, Don Stiernberg on mandolin, Brian Glassman on bass and Steve Holloway on drums--pulsates tight choreographed music. Carlini is given composer credits, which in this case means a lot more than just writing a tune. He obviously spent hours charting the precise parts needed for the unit to play the "head" of each piece in harmony before the soloists improvise over a structured set of chord changes.

Special guest, Pat Cloud, has never sounded so good. The Quartet is a perfect match for his be-bop sense of the 5-string that has rarely been put to vinyl, let alone CD. Most impressive is that the entire recording was done live without overdubs, so the interplay between musicians is spontaneous and coherent (and extremely precise). The recording quality is superb with the only possible exception being that the drum cymbals are sometimes mixed higher than the notes of the melody instruments. With so many of today's hot pickers also exploring the swing sounds pioneered by the likes of Grappelli and Reinhardt, The Game's Afoot! should encounter a ready-made audience that will devour this project and be left looking forward to future releases in the same vein by John Carlini and company.
www.bluegrassnow.com
Flatpicking Guitar Magazine is sending feelers into some diverse territory these days. While many bluegrass fans might focus their attention on the David Griers and Tony Rices of the guitar world and call it flatpicking, FGM has cast a wider net and caught some pure, unadulterated, acoustic jazz from the John Carlini Quartet. "The Game's Afoot!" is jazz, make no mistake--jazz rhythms, jazz melodies and harmonies, jazz bass lines and percussion, jazz from start to finish (despite liner note descriptions such as "Bluegrass be-bop!" or "A bluegrass 'three horn' chart…"). And it's good jazz. Mellow jazz. Snazzy jazz, all from the pen and soul of John Carlini.

Guitarist Carlini has been playing acoustic string jazz for decades, working with David Grisman and Richard Green during the mid-'70s. Although it's his name now fronting the quartet, his smooth guitar work is just as likely to defer to the sparkly mandolin of Don Stiernberg or the artsy five-string banjo of guest Pat Cloud. A beautifully pensive rendition of "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" gives listeners equal portions of all three instruments, illustrating the respect each has for the others. Brian Glassman's acoustic bass is equally prominent, in a strut-your-stuff undercurrent kind of way, taking center stage on "Yer Bad Self" for an eyes-closed, head-back break. "Mugavero," the eight-minute closing track, is a Carlini guitar show piece, a samba that lets him dance up and down the frets, trading episodes with the mandolin as the tempo builds to close out the album.
www.bluegrassmusic.com
Blend the talents of acoustic jazz whiz kids John Carlini, Don Striernberg and Pat Cloud over a mélange of cleverly twisted originals and jazzed-up string band music and you get one of the best releases I've heard in years. Carlini, in addition to being a brilliant guitarist and arranger, shows here that he's even better as a composer and bandleader. His original tunes are fresh and memorable, laying down memorable heads, then giving the soloists plenty of harmonic room to exercise their exceedingly fertile musical imaginations.

Known to most flatpicking guitarists as the man who introduced Tony Rice to the basics of jazz improvisation, Carlini shows again and again here why he's actually one of the most under-appreciated talents on acoustic guitar. From the lickety-split bebop lead lines on Aerborn to his delicate, dreamlike chord fragments on So It Goes, Carlini displays a love supreme for the fretboard, coaxes intimate phrases and intelligent lines out of nearly every solo and accompaniment passage.

No reader of Mandolin Magazine should be unfamiliar with Jazzy Notes Columnist Don Stiernberg's incomparable mandolin playing. Combining the dexterity and darting tremolo of Dave Apollon, Jethro Burns' extended sense of jazz harmony and witty improvisation and the power and vibrancy of the best progressive bluegrass mandolin players, "Big Stern" is without peer on the most complex, demanding jazz changes.

Whether he's dropping angular arpeggios like an abstract painter under the samba beat of Mugavero or lacing a solo through the uptown bebop of Kool Kitsch with daring, Dizzy Gillespiesque freedom, Don simply defines the epitome of modern jazz mandolin.

As anyone who heard his daring, utterly original banjo work on Dave Peter's masterpiece, Art in America, knows, Pat Cloud plays jazz banjo without borders or limits or clichés. At times languid and soulful, then again blisteringly fast and provocative, Cloud's banjo adds a unique sound to five of the nine tunes here that catapults Carlini's music into an exciting direction even he probably never expected.

The Game's Afoot! captures three of the world's most lyrical, inventive and imaginative jazz voices ever to play stringed instruments into a freeform, fun-loving session where each musician challenges and pushes the next soloist to ever higher degrees of self-expression.

This is a must-have for anyone who enjoys acoustic jazz, and I guarantee that any student of jazz mandolin will find plenty to work on here. Maybe Don can be coerced into transcribing more of these exquisite heads and solos in some future Mandolin Magazine columns. See Mugavero in the Fall 2003 Issue.
Mandolin Magazine, Winter 2003-2004

“The Game’s Afoot”, the new release by the John Carlini Quartet is a different kind of jazz album, to say the least. Carlini and his band have produced an album that combines the best elements of both jazz and bluegrass music. It’s an unlikely pairing but, surprisingly, it works out quite well. Carlini, on acoustic guitar, is joined by Don Stiernberg on mandolin, Brian Glassman on acoustic bass, Steve Holloway on drums and percussion and special guest Pat Cloud on 5-string banjo. Together they create a sound unlike anything that I’ve ever heard before. While the bluegrass ‘roots’ (no pun intended) are quite strong on this recording – and impossible to ignore especially when you’re listening to that banjo a’fiddlin’ – this really is more of a jazz album than a bluegrass album.

The CD consists of 9 tracks, all composed and arranged by Carlini. They represent quite a variety of styles. “Kool Kitsch” is the most bluegrass-sounding track on the album. I haven’t listened to much bluegrass music, but this is the track that comes closest to how I imagine traditional bluegrass to sound. “Blues El Dente” has a very 60’s ‘cool jazz’ feel to it. “Bittersweet” and “So It Goes” are both achingly beautiful ballads, with some particularly tasty mandolin playing. Either of these tracks would be quite at home on any smooth jazz station’s playlist.

“Poor Wayfaring Stranger” and “Yer Bad Self” are both blues tracks, but while the former has a heavy country undercurrent to it, the latter sounds more like something Horace Silver might have composed. The humor of the melody is undeniable, yet the structure is all blues. The album closes with a samba tune, “Mugavero”, that really captures the essence of the samba tradition. This is the track on the album that strays furthest from the band’s bluegrass influences and yet does not seem out of place on this collection at all.

If you’re a fan of bluegrass music or just want to hear something a little bit different, I would highly recommend you give this disc a spin.
Roman St. James, jazzreviews.com

The music created here by the John Carlini Quartet with Pat Cloud is serious music worthy of serious listening. Miles Davis once said that when pianist Bill Evans plays a chord it is perceived as more of a "sound" than a chord, per se. And so it is here, as played by well-seasoned, well-schooled musicians, playing together as a unit to create a pleasant listening experience.
Tony Rice, liner notes to The Game's Afoot!

It’s no accident that the John Carlini Quartet has the same potential to wow an audience that the Don Stiernberg Quartet exhibited before several thousand people at a Jazz in June concert this summer.

This good-time jazz has the same lively bounce, the same level of talent and same sense of humor as the Stiernberg foursome. Oh, and it also has Don Stiernberg on mandolin. In addition to guitarist-leader Carlini and mandolinist Stiernberg, the rest of the quartet consists of bassist Brian Glassman and drummer Steve Holloway. Expanding the quartet in a prominent way—and emphasizing its bluegrass leanings—is special guest Pat Cloud on banjo.

Sometimes this recording has the feel of a progressive collaboration between popular mandolinist David Grisman and eclectic banjo picker Bela Fleck. Carlini himself describes the opener, “Kool Kitsch,” as “bluegrass bebop.” But “BitterSweet” is just that, a wistful, contemplative tune. With a title apparently inspired by a classic exchange between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, “The Game’s Afoot!” has the feel of a chase scene through the streets of London in a black-and-white movie.

The timeless folk dirge “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” is a beautiful tribute to Carlini’s late brother, Peter, who also was a musician. In fact, the entire recording is lovingly dedicated to him, and it serves as an impressive monument to his memory and the music. The whole band is in flight on the up-tempo “Aerborn,” before returning to earth for the tender ballad “So It Goes.”

It is likely that the Carlini quartet will appear at the 2004 Jazz in June series, so plan now to spend Tuesday evenings that month listening to some great music.
Tom Ineck, bermandmusicfoundation.org

If I tell you that I was not sure if I was going to enjoy a jazz acoustic CD featuring my friend John Carlini on guitar with Pat Cloud in five string banjo and mandolin player, Don Stiernberg you certainly could believe me. But once listening to this elegant presentation my mind was changed. This was a 44 minute adventure into acoustic music with tones of jazz, bluegrass, bop, blues, swing, western swing, and anything that you can imagine put across expertly by some really savvy musicians.

John Carlini is a technical and musical genius, a teacher, composer and guitarist who has a tremendous experience in bluegrass, country, swing, and jazz playing. This production of his includes all acoustically recorded music with some of his originals featured. "Koolkitsch" is a bluegrass bebop piece, and it is believable. "Blues Al dente," another bluegrass three horn chart designed to stimulate the appetite according to John and a wonderful example of how different styles can be mixed by expert players. "Bitter Sweet A Slice Of Life" is another fun cut and, of course, "The Game's Afoot," the title piece is really a mandolin showplace which swings from the outset. "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" is dedicated to John's Brother Peter James Carlini, a loving brother and a great musician.

The last piece on this CD, "Mugavero" is a bossa inspired by a friend, Natalie Mugavero. This is a very interesting and unusual piece and well worth checking out. The CD can be obtained from FGM Records. One can always expect a musical surprise from John and this CD is no exception. Here is another great guitarist hailing from New Jersey that shouldn't be missed.
Dr. Francis A. Forte

I have heard little crossover music as satisfying as a bluegrass quartet taking on classical or jazz music. David Grisman and his quintet set the stage for these investigations. Guitarist John Carlini is no stranger to this world, having been a member on Grisman's trail blazing quintet and performing with Grisman for the past 30 years. Carlini appeared on such essential Dawg-Grass classics as Dawg Jazz, Dawg '90 and DGQ-20.

In the past number of years, Mr. Carlini has been attending to a modest solo career as well as providing his considerable guitar skills, arranging and composing. The Game's Afoot is a welcome return to a group leadership role. An attractive fact about this disc is that the majority of the pieces are original compositions cast in immediately recognizable styles. "Kool Kitsch" lacks only a violin to sound like the Hot Club. "Blues Al Dente" is a moody minor swing featuring Carlini and banjo player Pat Cloud. It takes many twists and turns, all of which make sense, allowing soloists ample room to move. The lone "standard" is "Wayfaring Stranger." The quintet treats this song with respect, just not too much to stifle it. Carlini opens the piece with the unembellished melody and leads it into a gentle swing.

And so the rest of the disc goes. "Yer Bad Self" and "Musgavero" illustrate the fragile delicacy and durable swing to this music. If you're looking for something other than the current Neo-newgrass fare, look no further.
C. Michael Bailey, allaboutjazz.com

Just before Christmas last year, John Carlini sent me A Christmas Gift, the new CD he had recorded with jazz singer Bill Robinson, bassist Earl May and harmonica player Rob Paparozzi. Upon its first playing, this CD became my favorite Christmas recording and I immediately called John and ordered 10 more copies to give to friends and family for Christmas. We spent Christmas at my in-law's home in California last year and that CD stayed in the CD player throughout the holidays. We had about 40 people over on Christmas day and they all commented on the great music that was playing. If you want to have great music this holiday season, I highly recommend A Christmas Gift.

The songs on this CD are all Christmas standards. Personally, I like that. Christmas songs I know by heart set the Christmas mood for me. However, if you feel that you are tired of these tunes, you need to listen to Bill Robinson sing them. Bill's deep mellow voice, combined with his wonderful phrasing, really breathes new life into these tunes. I found his voice captivating and his treatment of these songs superb. John Carlini and Earl May provide accompaniment which is the essence of good taste and fits the mood of the songs perfectly.

The album was produced by John Carlini, former member of the David Grisman Quintet, Tony Rice's partner on the acclaim River Suite for Two Guitars CD, and the featured cover artist in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine (Volume 3, Number 3). John brought to the studio three of the best musicians in the business: Bill Robinson, lead singer for the Lionel Hampton Band; Earl May, internationally renowned jazz bass icon who has performed and recorded with Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis; and Rob Paparozzi, the harmonica player who plays on the theme to the current Cosby show and has performed with Judy Collins, Bobby McFerrin, and Roberta Flack. With a line up like that playing Christmas favorites, how can you go wrong?

I predict that your Christmas season this year will be more enjoyable with A Christmas Gift turning in the CD player. It was for us last year and I am looking forward to playing it many times again this coming Christmas.
Dan Miller, Review of A Christmas Gift