BIOGRAPHY
 John Carlini is a veteran guitarist and composer whose portfolio is a fascinating journey from Broadway to jazz to bluegrass. An often-cited founding member of the seventies' West Coast "New Acoustic Music" scene, he is also an acclaimed arranger, orchestrator, conductor and five-string banjo player. Carlini, whose father was a New York Philharmonic violinist and whose mother is a retired, nationally-touring concert pianist, immersed himself in the New York City folk music scene while still a teenager after discovering the Wheeling West Virginia Jamboree on radio. From there the journey took root.
With a distinct sense of direction, Carlini's was a dedicated decision to make a career of music. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he enrolled in its School of Music. Upon graduation, he earned a place playing big band rhythm guitar in the U.S. Navy Show Band, with which he toured for three years throughout the United States and South America. Upon completing his tour of duty, he enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston, whose renowned jazz program enticed him. It was there that Carlini gained the technical knowledge to make music his life's choice, graduating with a major in arranging and composition with guitar as his main instrument.
A chance meeting brought Carlini and mandolin innovator David Grisman together, a relationship that has endured for more than two decades. Among his affiliations with Grisman: he served as musical director for the (then new) David Grisman Quintet; he replaced guitarist Jerry Garcia in the groundbreaking Great American Music Band; he was the arranger for the 1982 release of "Dawg Jazz," a tune featuring Grisman with the Tonight Show Band; he was the DGQ guitarist on the Grammy-nominated Dawg '90 (Acoustic Disc). In still another medium, Carlini was enlisted to orchestrate and compose music for the Federico DeLaurentiis filrn, King of the Gypsies, which also found him on camera, performing on guitar with the late, legendary violinist Stephane Grappelli.
Among other diversified arenas in which Carlini's multi-faceted abilities have been employed over the years are the Ice Capades, with which he spent eight touring seasons as musical director, including four months in Japan. His inventive arrangements and orchestrations have been performed and recorded by such respected groups as the Turtle Island String Quartet and the Kronos Quartet. In 1992, Carlini was called upon by producer Richard Frankel to orchestrate Frankel's Off-Broadway musical, Song of Singapore, as well as to serve as conductor and associate producer for the cast recording. Featuring captivating forties swing music, Song of Singapore landed Carlini a prestigious Drama Desk Award nomination for orchestration.
In 1995, John joined long-time friend and fellow guitarist Tony Rice to release River Suite for Two Guitars (Sugar Hill), an opportunity for the two to rekindle their "new acoustic music" roots and present a superb collection of contemporary jazz and original pieces.
Also that year, Carlini co-founded with mandolinist/guitarist Todd Collins the spicy "jazz-grass" acoustic music band Over the Edge. The group relies heavily on Carlini compositions and arrangements and provides an ongoing outlet for Carlini's bluegrass influenced banjo as well as guitar. Recently, he has been intricately involved with the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, for whom he conducted, arranged and appeared as solo guitarist on its recording, Plectrasonics (CMH), nominated in two categories for the 1997 Nashville Music Awards.
Currently channeling his many talents, extraordinary versatility and technical expertise into an exciting new project, John has assembled the John Carlini Quartet. With emphasis on showcasing Carlini's own compositions, the ensemble will also be a sounding board for a limited repertoire of original music from select composers of Carlini's choosing. With a recording in the works and preparing for its debut tour, the Quartet features John on guitar as well as occasional five-string banjo, and Brian Glassman on acoustic bass, Josh Rubin on guitar, and Steve Holloway playing drums and percussion. Each brings to the group a superb and seasoned professional music background. In addition, a companion tab/notation book of Carlini's flatpicking jazz compositions (Mel Bay Publications) is in production.
While this latest endeavor will offer Carlini the artistic vehicle with which to introduce new original material, it also will allow him the flexibility to teach, arrange, orchestrate and conduct in various musical genres and platforms. He will continue to challenge his unique and imaginative musical creativity in a variety of media while focusing on live performance with the new John Carlini Quartet.
DISCOGRAPHY
CDs
The Games Afoot (2005)
PURCHASE: Flatpicking Mercantile | iTunes
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"Serious music worthy of serious listening," says Tony Rice of The Game's Afoot , the latest project from the John Carlini Quartet. Ably assisting John and Don Stiernberg (mandolin), Brian Glassman (acoustic bass), and Steve Holloway (drums and percussion) is special guest Pat Cloud, 5-string banjo wizard. |
Track List:
1. Kool Kitsch
2. Blues al Dente
3. BitterSweet
4. The Game's Afoot
5. Poor Wayfaring Stranger
6. Yer Bad Self
7. Aerborn
8. So It Goes
9. Mugavero
Quotes/Reviews:
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!
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.
Bluegrass Now, www.bluegrassnow.com
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A Christmas Gift (2003)
PURCHASE: Flatpicking Mercantile | iTunes
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This joyful Christmas album features great artistsuch as Bill Robinson singing, and Earl May, Rob Paparozzi, and Nick Prout. This is a wonderful album that will put anyone in the holiday spirit |
Track List:
1. Winter Wonderland
2. Good King Wenceslas
3. Silent Night
4. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
6. Up On The Rooftop
7. The First Noel
8. O Come All Ye Faithful
9. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
10. Sleigh Ride
11. Away In A Manger
12. Medley: Do You Hear What I Hear / What Child Is This
13. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Quotes/Reviews:
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, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine/FGM Records |
Appearances on other FGM Releases:
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LINKS
Check out John Carlini's official website at: http://johncarlini.com
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