Tone Poets, Stiernberg/Carlini CD reviews

Chicago Tribune

Music

RECORDINGS

Reviewed by David Royko

Published November 4, 2005

VARIOUS ARTISTS: Tone Poets (Acoustic Disc, 2 discs)

DON STIERNBERG & JOHN CARLINI: By George (Blue Night)

David Grisman, Acoustic Disc’s commander, has come up with another huge winner for both casual string fans and aficionados alike, gathering 42 of the world’s greatest mandolinists and guitarists for a series of solos and duets. A hook for hard core musicians is that they all used the same vintage guitar or mandolin, but for everyone else, it is what they do with those instruments that makes Tone Poets as special as the pickers it showcases. One of the duos is Don Stiernberg--who makes his home in Skokie--and John Carlini, and on By George they are joined by bassist Jim Cox and drummer Phil Gratteau to deliver an exciting and vigorously creative tribute to Gershwin. Anyone looking for state-of-the-art straight ahead string jazz should hear By George.

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