Press

Mandolin Cafe multi-media interview of Don

Review of Swing 220 from JazzMando.com

Article from Chicago Jazz Magazine - Randy Freedman

When I first read that the new Chi-Town Jazz Festival would be held at clubs in the Chicago area in support of charities helping the hungry and others in need, I had already promised myself to attend. (read full article here)

David McCarty writes in Mandolin Magazine:

After taking a brief hiatus from his solo career to record several captivating discs with jazz guitar master John Carlini, Chicago's hometown mando hero Don Stiernberg has returned with a new solo disc that shows once again why Big Stern should be on everybody's list of the world's best mandolinists.

Filled with his trademarked intelligent, insightful soloing, arranging and tune selection, "Home Cookin'" is just a delight from start to finish. Just check out his daring reinterpretation of his mentor's signature tune "Jethro's Tune" recast here to a Latin beat, to see how he brilliantly reorders the familiar into musical statements of unique depth and rare beauty.

James Taylor's "Something in the Way She Moves" gets a most unexpected revamping here, changing the pop tune into a jazz standard as if it had been written during the heyday of Tin Pan Alley.

Surrounding himself with the cream of the Midwest's jazz musicians, including the impeccable Jim Cox on bass and guitarists Curt Morrison and Brian Wilkie, Stiernberg elicits the best of each of his sidemen, giving them plenty of time to show their own skills.

In addition to his world-class mandolin skills, Don has also matured into a fine singer, bringing a warm, approachable sound to new tunes like Dan Hicks' "I Don't Want Love" to dreamy standards like the CD-closing "Let's Get Lost". It's so tasty, "Home Cookin'" will no doubt fill you up and leave you hungry for more.

Ted Eschliman at www.JazzMando.com writes:

Don Stiernberg has made a career of breaking tradition, ironically by...paying homage to tradition.
Several albums already under his belt, he's brought almost single-handedly the genre-stymied mandolin to prominence as a legitimate and justifiable voice in "Standards" jazz in the late '90's and recently, with great projects as "About Time", "Unseasonably Cool", "The Swing Sessions"(with rhythm guitar guru John Parrott), "Swing Low, Sweet Mandolin" and "Bye Bye Blues""( with legendary Jethro Burns), as well as partnered with East Coast guitarist/conductor extraordinaire John Carlini  in recent collaborations, "Angel Eyes" and "By George". Protege of Jethro Burns, Don has taken the master's training and work to a whole new and distinctive level the last two decades, creating a signature voice all his own since the passing of the great mentor.

Dare we say, "Home Cookin'" is going to nudge his fan base a bit. Not in a negative way;he's chosen to introduce some "homegrown" music and some pop favorites into the mix, and though they are done with much expected professionalism and the usual Stiernberg polish and panache,these are not out of what many would consider "The Great American Songbook". That said, one needn't look further than the great pianist Bill Evans for an example of another great artist making a withdrawal from the bank of some of the great literature of American pop music, including his brilliant renditions of many timeless Broadway show tunes, arguably before stamped "timeless" by subsequent generations.

Particularly, James Taylor's "Something in the Way She Moves", introduces a unique string band shuffle feel, as well as Don's saccharine vocals.It's a challenge for recording and studio mixing pop tunes in a jazz setting, especially an acoustic string band where the overly compressed tracks are what the untrained ear expects of today's recording standards. Producer Steve Rashid errs on the safe side and keeps it more acoustically "pure".

What remains to be seen is how this approach is accepted in larger markets; Don's fans will love it, as much as they love him.

If any bone were to be picked, it would be we don't get to hear the "edginess" in the vocal tracks we know Stiernberg is capable of delivering, particularly in a live concert.His growls and emotional twists come across subdued, less "Southside" and more "Suburban" Chicago.His crowd-pleasing "Brain Cloudy Blues" and "I Don't Want Love" are a bit more clinical than we've heard belt from him on stage.

  Nits aside, Stiernberg's jazz chops on the mandolin are as brilliant as ever. His "Standards" selections including
 the Young and Washington "Stella by Starlight", Brown and Khan "You Stepped Out of a Dream" and the CD's showstopper track Loesser and McHugh's "Let's Get Lost"are as good as it gets for jazz mandolinning. Any aspiring 8-stringer would do well to study these, and study them over and over for insight into jazz phrasing and interpretation. It's hard to find anyone who can do it better.
On the local faire, the folksy track "Home" was written by Don's friend Fred Simon, Chicago keyboardist/composer and Windham Hill and Columbia recording artist. A unique cosmopolitan addition to the recipe, the beautiful samba "High Clouds" is by Ettore Straata, an Italian classical conductor/film scorer. However, one would never know this isn't a ",Latin Realbook" tune,it's so convincingly constructed, and of course, here it's played with all the integrity and conviction of any catchy "genuine" standard.

  Back to the pop tunes. Stevie Wonder's brilliant album "Fullfillingness First Finale", released July of 1974, harbored some of the most amazing songs of the Motown artist's career, most of the material never really discovered in the mainstream market despite the singer/songwriter's notoriety.An ear for a great tune, Don has managed to unearth one of these, "Creepin";the haunting tonalities and lilting melody lends itself well to the mandolin and Don's lyrical style. A lead-in #9 chord never sounded so good. Best use this side of Jimi Hendrix.

 On the issue of daring to be different, one of the CD's most talked about songs will most definitely be the Choro-like rendition of "Jethro's Tune". Joined by Brasilian (and fellow Chicagoan) rhythm guitarist Paulinho Garcia, Stiernberg bends our mind with classic Jethro by innovating on the great innovator. Don does his "own thang", slowing things down and introducing subtle but striking harmonic shadings that flaunt a whole new and interesting level of sophistication to this classic song.

  The CD is aptly named. "Home Cookin'" is what you get, culinary choices made by the chef, nothing inauthentic or prefabricated and presented to the diner in an impersonal wrapper;instead, served to any compelled to be a special guest of the artist.

   And we do recommend the cook!

Once Maligned, the Mighty Mandolin Blazes Comeback
By David Royko

For a tiny instrument, the mandolin has a big history--and an even bigger future if the conclave of pickers descending on the area over the next few weeks has its way... (read more)

Don was profiled in an interview in
JAZZ IMPROV Magazine, Volume 5, Number 3.

Read an excerpt here:
http://www.jazzimprov.com/util/articles.cfm?article-id=27

or find out how to get the whole issue here:
http://www.jazzimprov.com/subscribe/issues.cfm?issue-id=19

The Jazz Improv Magazine site is:
http://www.jazzimprov.com/index.cfm

Savannah Morning News
March 25, 2005

Spotlight was on mandolin players at Trustees Theater

Listening to Mando Madness last night at Trustees Theater was an exhilarating experience. Reviewing the show, however, feels a little like herding cats.

Mando Madness featured five of the world’s top mandolin players- David Grisman, Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, Don Stiernberg, and Tony Williamson. Sometimes all five were on stage together. At other times they appeared in different combinations, and had a constantly changing cast of supporting musicians.

With impossibly fast fingerings, the five legends began the concert, surely one of the longest of the Music Festival, with two traditional tunes: “Golden Slippers” and “Wayfaring Stranger.” Marshall’s mandocello gave the pieces depth while the four mandolinists took the tunes to dizzying heights.

And then the transitions began.

 To the jazz classic “Cherokee,” with violinist Darol Anger and local bassist Ben Tucker joining Williamson and Stiernberg.

To the bluegrass tune “Crazy Creek,” with Williamson joined by four of the band members from Psychograss- violinist Anger, bassist Todd Phillips, banjoist Tony Trischka, and guitarist David Grier.

The performers wasted no time getting on and off the stage. Of course, the real star of the night- the mandolin itself- never gave up the spotlight.

Soon Marshall returned for an incredibly dramatic performance of Bach’s “Allegro in C Major for Solo Violin,” which meshed surprisingly well with the bluegrass preceding it and the funky, bluesy mandocello/ violin duet “Gator Strut” that followed it.

Marshall also joined with the rest of Psychograss in a reprise of the brilliant “Hot Nickels”.

The Chicago-based Stiernberg led a jazz ensemble- Tucker again on a bass, Gary Motley on piano, and Clay Hulet on drums- through a cool and elegant set highlighted by Kern & Hammerstein’s “All the Things You Are.”

And that was all before intermission.

The second half of the show featured fewer comings and goings, and was devoted largely to compositions by Grisman and his rollicking “dawg” music. Bush did solo renditions of two classics- Eck Robertson’s “Brilliancy” and Lowell George’s “Sailing Shoes.”

The once-in-a-lifetime show ended with the five legends on stage together for three straight numbers, ending with Grisman’s “Dawg’s Bull.”

The mandolin may be a little instrument, and there may be more than a few jokes about it, but Mando Madness- with its infectious exuberance- left no doubt about the mandolin’s incredible history and versatility.

By Bill Dawers

Vintage Guitar Magazine
September 2005

Don Stiernberg & John Carlini Angel Eyes

This is one of those records that seems to float under the spotlight and escapes around a corner before you really notice it. Stiernberg is a wonderful mandolin player, and Carlini as fine an acoustic guitarist as you’re likely to hear. They’re joined here by bassist Jim Cox and  drummer Phil Gratteau on 11 standards. These are all songs you know and love well, and there are no odd twists or turns, just beautiful, heartfelt performances.

The light swing of cuts like “The Way You Look Tonight” seems at once effortless and full of feeling. Stiernberg opens with a fine solo while Carlini comps. His sense of harmony on the mandolin is truly a wonder to behold. Carlini then jumps in with fine single-line work before a masterful chord solo. That formula really repeats throughout the record. You hear tunes like “Body and Soul,” “Tenderly,” “‘Round Midnight,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” and lots more. They are all dominated by great solos by Carlini and Stiernberg, and great empathy between all four players. Some of the music is haunting, some just plain swings, but it’s all well done, and any person that plays or loves stringed instruments should love a record like this.

by John Heidt

The Lansing State Journal
May 2005

Duo lift Chamber Jazz to Fresh Heights with ‘Angel’ CD

Don Stiernberg and John Carlini are in a happy spot. They’re top-flight instrumentalists, thoroughly schooled in the vocabulary of jazz, but they’re not squeezed by the boundaries of tradition, because they play “bluegrass instruments”: flat-top steel-string guitar and mandolin.

But “Angel Eyes” is not bluegrass, nor any of its boutique-ified hybrids. It’s the first duo album for these long-time cronies, clocking in at a generous 55-plus minutes, and it’s straight-ahead jazz- a well-chosen if unsurprising program of 11 standards, in what will be, for many listeners, a fresh voice.

Chicago’s Stiernberg is the unofficial-and undisputed- chief protege of mandolin ace Jethro Burns. He’s a big guy on a smallish instrument, but the sweet, singing sound he caresses from the mandolin is a revelation. Note also that Carlini is as powerful a rhythm player as he is a soloist, an infinitely subtle, and under-appreciated, art.

The guys swing lightly on “How About You,” the Gershwins’ evergreen “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” the propulsive “Secret Love,” and leap nimbly through a quicktime triple-meter section on the title track. After those, and Thelonious Monk’s desolate “‘Round Midnight,”the rest are love songs, the best match for their lyrical, tender style.

Jazz-savvy listeners will quickly note another reason for all this voluptuous balladry: Songs with strong melodies and unique chord progressions are chosen here not just as platforms form which to disgorge notes, but to re-invent melodies on the fly- arguably jazz’s most exalted pursuit.

The best that can be said of longtime Stiernberg sidekick Jim Cox on bass and first-call Chicago drummer Phil Gratteau (as of any jazz rhythm section), is that they get it right. They have the unenviable task of driving the rhythm on every beat but remaining unobtrusive, with the feather-light feel this chamber jazz combo demands.

by Chris Rietz

Just Jazz Guitar
March 2005

Angel Eyes by Don Stiernberg and John Carlini

This CD was recorded in 2004 and it is a collection of 11 great standards. The real surprise here is the match of Don Stiernberg, a mandolinist, and John Carlini, a guitar player who is well versed in all areas of guitar. They are accompanied by Jim Cox on bass and Phil Gratteau on drums. This IS a jazz quartet. Don Stiernberg has been influenced by jazz groups such as Eddie Condon when his father played those at home in his childhood and actually was a student of Kenneth Jethro Burns, an early swing mandolin player. However, he is not a copy of Jethro, but is his own man and he sounds like no other mandolinist that I have heard. He plays great jazz.

John Carlini I have known since his role in playing, arranging and composing some of the music for the movie “King of the Gypsies,” a Frederico DeLaurentis production which was chock-full of stars and unfortunately not a hit at the box office. The music was great. Stephane Grapelli was featured and John played guitar in the movie. Since then I have always been interested in his progress through Stephane Grapelli, Tony Rice, the Turtle Island String Quartet, Butch Baldassarri, and the Kronos String Quartet. He has changed the boundaries of acoustic strings and really is at home in jazz, swing-jazz, gypsy-jazz and bluegrass folk music, and probably can play with anyone.

This CD is a perfect example of an unusual combination of instruments’ ability to capture the feelings and meaning of great standard jazz pieces.

The title is “Angel Eyes” and you will be intrigued by the unusual arrangement of these tunes. My favorites were “‘Round Midnight” and “The Way You Look Tonight.” “‘Round Midnight” starts with a great guitar solo introduction by John and then picks up with the same forlorn and sultry feeling that Thelonious Monk intended.

The statement was made by Don that Carlini plays the guitar and listens to jazz piano, and he plays mandolin and listens to jazz clarinet. That is quite true, and when you listen to the sultry renditions of “My One and Only Love: and “All the Things You Are,” you can hear examples of this. “How About You” and “The Way You Look Tonight” are certainly beautiful, swinging pieces where pianistic approach to the guitar and refreshing soloing of Stiernberg is evident.

This is a jazz CD; don’t let the mandolin-guitar combination fool you. The heads are luscious and the improvs are fresh and snappy. At any tempo this set is full of great arrangements and something new to hear. It sounds like fun, and I didn’t want it to end.

by Francis A. Forte, M.D.

Jazzmando.com
July 2005

Dynamic Duo of Stiernberg and Carlini strikes again with By George!

Ah, a dream come true, a follow-up, greatly anticipated collaboration by two of today’s most engaging acoustic string jazz artists, mandolinist Don Stiernberg and guitarist John Carlini! The dynamic duo dazzled us last year with their joint venture “Angel Eyes,”a journey into popular familiar jazz “Standards” bliss. Focused to the best of 20th Century titan, composer George Gershwin, they favor us with freshly finessed interpretations of some of his finest songs, in their latest release from Blue Night Records, “By George.”

It’s comfortably familiar acoustic quartet terrain, accompanied by two of Chicago’s most in-demand side musicians, Jim Cox on bass and Phil Gratteau on drums. The two veteran rhythmic stalwarts support, yet yield just enough sonic space to allow these two deliver yet more of the alluring harmonies and melodic interplay 14 strings could hope to deliver. As in their previous “Angel Eyes,” we witness an uncanny chemistry, Carlini with his brazen yet honed Berklee complex harmonic vocabulary, and Stiernberg with his street-savvy “Windy City” charm. John brings the vertical, the tasty chord changes and Don propels it with the horizontal, his ever-driving sense of line and phrase. Back and forth, over and under, the two “weave” the music into a colorful acoustic tapestry.

“Nice Work If You Can Get It” starts the compilation with a sweetness that chooses tribute to tradition over grandiose deviation, seducing rather than sidetracking the listener. “Liza” takes the strategy forward by removing the oft-obligatory “camp” associated with the tune, patiently restoring its dignity in a clever, fast waltz.

Stiernberg stoops to a new low in “How Long Has This Been Going On.” Precisely, a fifth lower, by introducing the mandola, the rarely recorded alto register instrument that borrows the lowest three courses of its smaller sister, the mandolin, and adds a 4th course of strings five steps lower. Featured through most of the song, its guttural slow tremolo enchants, adding a textural melancholy that once again refuses to betray the inherent drama and original character of this tune.

 “Somebody Loves Me” lends more of the conventional string band “Pompe,” a playful, anecdotal yarn followed by a percussive rendition of “Fascinatin’ Rhythm” that lets percussionist Gratteau strut his highly capable stuff in Latin verve.

We get a full taste of just how well the duo complete and complement, trading roles of melody and improvisation in the classics “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” As close to mimicking his mentor Jethro Burns as ever, Stiernberg grinningly jousts the melody of “The Man I Love” with his pick, and the witty accompanying of the others support him well. Ghost of Jethro, maybe, but with Stiernberg’s own added signature sustained sweetness...

The two moisten their metaphorical reeds with a brief, but crafty clarinet solo sampling of the illustrious overture to “Rhapsody in Blue” to introduce us to a percussive but sultry rendition of “Summertime.” Tastefully sparse texturally, but richly laden with melodic diversion, the augmented 11th bluesy signature strokes of Carlini spice this classic with dulcet intrigue and contemporary delight.

Equally dynamic, the timeless “Embraceable You” is treated with a fast but controlled samba feel, followed by the bold, confident hard-swing of “Soon.” Never without a spry bag of new tricks, the band literally strikes up with a playful, witty Rhythm & Blues rendition of “Strike Up the Band.”

Second only to 12-bar Blues patterns, every well-groomed jazz musician routinely jams to stock “Rhythm Changes,” whether a chorus of the Parker classic “Scrapple from the Apple” or the wildly popular mainstream “Theme from the Flintstones.” No Gershwin package would be complete without this refrain, and the quartet finish off the CD royally and regally. “I Got Rhythm” suitably drives, rounds, and completes this Gershwin epiphany to fruition.

Recordings this good don’t come around very often; it’s destined to be a classic. We can only hope the duo continue to work their magic together a little while longer so we can treasure even more of their brilliant creative labor.

by Ted Eschliman

Vintage Guitar Magazine, April
2003 "Hit List", page 146

Don Stiernberg, Unseasonably Cool

During the last 60 years, jazz has increasingly become marginalized. Music that was mainstream at the end of WWII slowly, but inexorably, became more and more elitist and less and less popular. For most people, listening to jazz is work, not recreation. Don Stiernberg's latest release, Unseasonably Cool, makes you realize that jazz is not by its nature inaccessible. Here you'll find an entire CD full of jazz standards performed with lyricism and grace. Don plays the mandolin, which is not commonly thought of as a jazz instrument, but in Don's hands it sounds right at home comping or leading. Don's style owes much to Jethro Burns, who pioneered jazz mandolin, but his style is somewhat less frenetic and more introspective. Don leads a fine group made up of Curt Morrison on guitar, Jim Cox on bass, and Kevin Connelley on drums. Joining in are Art Davis on flugelhorn and trumpet, Ron Dewar and Richie Fudoli on tenor saxophone, Russ Phillips on trombone, Alejo Poveda and Geraldo deOliveira on percussion, and Greg Studebaker on cornet. The songlist reads like a who's who of American song writers, including standards by Hart and Rodgers, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Green and Heymann, Warfield and Williams, Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, and Lalo Schifrin. With total playing time of over 62 minutes, Stiernberg and company have plenty of time to luxuriate in their rich ensemble sound and explore the inner spaces of American classics such as "I Cover the Waterfront" and "Easy Living."

Executive producer Steven Briggs and engineer Steve Rashid deliver a lush sonic landscape full of warmth and intimacy. Along with mastering e ngineer Randy Leroy from Final Stage in Nashville, Tennessee, they deliver sound that reminds me of the best production work of the late Norman Granz. If more jazz CD's were like Unseasonably Cool, jazz would be far more popular today. While "broad appeal" might sound like a denigrating term to elitists, Unseasonably Cool is exactly that, the sort of album that makes folks who don't like jazz want to listen. Popular jazz? What a concept.

by Steven Stone

Interview with Don from Co-mando.com

Unseasonably Cool reviewed at All About Jazz

Reviewed by Jim Santella
Three acoustic string players with percussion make a fine jazz quartet: mandolin, guitar, bass and drums. A rarity in jazz circles, the mandolin has a voice higher than guitar. It's played in the same manner, except for the tremolos that are required to sustain notes. Don Stiernberg caresses a melody with light, fluid movements. The instrument requires that you keep moving. Stiernberg does so with agility, embellishing each melodic fragment to completion. His quartet swings as Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli did; interpreting classic songs and making them come alive. Guest artists join the quartet individually to provide added solo space and dynamic changes in timbre. The horn players contrast with the quartet's gentler approach. Except for several pieces that feature muscular trumpeter Art Davis, Stiernberg carries the lead. His instrument provides a sound not frequently used in jazz; however, this album proves that it should. Half of the tunes are available as audio samples from the label's web site.

John Parrott and Don Stiernberg - The Swing Sessions (Cronyn) Reviewed!

"Stiernberg coaxes the sweetest melodies imaginable from his mandolin, fluttering effortlessly over the strings with a right hand tremolo unheard since the late Dave Appollon. Recorded live in the studio, this CD perfectly captures that all-too-elusive sense of elegance and grace that defines the greatest swing music.."
Acoustic Guitar Magazine - October, 2001

"Swing jazz played on acoustic instruments is not exactly the most popular musical genre these days.Too bad. Perhaps if more people heard this CD, that would change. What makes this release so appealing is its intimacy. Instead of big band bravado, The Swing Sessions is understated and evocative..."
Vintage Guitar Magazine - October, 2001

"...Any fan of swing music will instantly appreciate this work. Don Stiernberg was Jethro's best student and no one keeps the jazz mandolin tradition alive like Big Stern. His playing defines taste, eloquence and sophistication on mandolin..."
Flatpicking Guitar Magazine - September, October, 2001

"Stiernberg is a very accomplished melodic player whose sound and approach fit nicely with the big, rich, and crisp guitar of John Parrott..."
Just Jazz Guitar October - 2001

Don Stiernberg - Unseasonably Cool (Blue Night)
John Parrott and Don Stiernberg - The Swing Sessions (Cronyn)
Reviewed by David Royko in the Chicago Tribune, Sunday April 22, 2001

"Jazz mandolinists--not bluegrass mandolinists who moonlight in jazz--are a rare breed. The greatest ever was Jethro Burns, and his protege is Don Stiernberg, who has been a behind-the-scenes fixture in studios and as a sideman in the Chicago area for two decades. His recordings as a leader have focused more often on bluegrass, but with these two discs, we get to hear Stiernberg doing what he does best--swing like crazy with eight strings and a pick. Each disc displays Stiernberg's creativity with improvisations that build their stories with intelligence and logic, while managing to bubble with spontaneity. The differences between the sessions are subtle; both lean heavily on standards and mix in off-beat surprises such as the themes to "The Odd Couple" and "Mannix". "Unseasonably Cool" burns at a slightly milder flame, emphasizing the relaxed side of Stiernberg, with tenor saxist Richie Fudoli--one of a revolving door of guests--hitting a high point with a Ben Webster-inflected solo on "More Than You Know". "The Swing Sessions" features a drummerless trio with rhythm guitarist John Parrott and bassist Jim Cox, and the trio's sound brings to mind Stiernberg's teacher, even as his own brilliance stands in nobody's shadow."

David Royko's review of Don's performance at Elgin Community College was featured in the Chicago Tribune on Sunday February 5th, 2001.

Stiernberg swings to his own higher plane
By David Royko
photo by John Bartley

Talking to mandolinist Don Stiernberg about the "swing" craze would be like informing a fish about something called water. Stiernberg has lived and breathed swinging jazz his entire life, and though many of those newly bitten by the bug equate "swing" with well-marketed, pile-driving jump blues, Stiernberg's aesthetic is one of invitation rather than exaggeration. His performance Friday night at the cozy and acoustically inviting Club Jazz in Elgin Community College's Visual and Performing Arts Center allowed listeners a relatively rare opportunity to savor string jazz at its finest.

Stiernberg has been a fixture on the Chicago music scene for two decades, mostly as a sideman and studio musician and in bluegrass settings with bands such as Special Consensus. But when Stiernberg explored the melodic potential of "It Might As Well Be Spring" in his first solo of the evening, it was clear that jazz is the musical world he most naturally inhabits. Though his teacher and mentor was the great jazz picker and comedian Jethro Burns, Stiernberg is no Burns clone. Certainly Stiernberg internalized Burns' techniques and vocabulary, and even if the majority of his repertoire is drawn from the same classic Tin Pan Alley standards that Burns employed, Stiernberg's improvising is a never-ending stream of riveting ideas that are distinctively his own.

Unlike many players who make swing and mainstream jazz their home base, Stiernberg eschews the tendency to lay just behind the beat, preferring instead to ride the front edge of the rhythmic wave set in motion by his exquisite group. Every phrase was imbued with melody, never relying on novelty or flash. And when Stiernberg was playing a ballad, the occasional moments of melancholy could not obscure the sense of joy at the core of his playing.

And it is joy Stiernberg communicated directly to his listeners, whether singing "Stars Fell on Alabama" or waltzing through a bluesy version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." While others might make their instruments burn, Stiernberg makes his mandolin laugh.

It was also a pleasant surprise to hear Stiernberg dipping into bebop in the Miles Davis-hued rendition of "Beautiful Love," suggesting that Stiernberg's stylistic choice of swing is just that—a choice based on preference, not limitation.

Stiernberg surrounded himself with a group of musicians that listened and reacted to one another with an intensity that belied the relaxed results. Trumpeter and fluegehornist Art Davis and guitarist Curt Morrison contributed thoughtful solos that contrasted effectively with the leader's, while bassist Jim Cox and drummer Kevin Connelley were flawless in keeping the ensemble fluid at all tempos.

But it was clear that this was Stiernberg's band, and he lead by example, backing up his colleagues with an occasional unexpected chord and inspiring each player by setting the bar high with each of his own gripping improvisations.

The December 2000 issue of Mandolin Quarterly featured an in-depth interview with Don and a transcription of Don's solo on "Indian Summer" from the album About Time.

Don, who writes the jazz column for each issue of Mandolin Magazine, was featured in the Spring 2000 issue's "Columnists Corner".