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 Don Stiernberg |
For decades Don Stiernberg has been known around Chicago as a busy and versatile musician, turning up on recording sessions and at performances of all kinds to play mandolin, guitar, other string instruments, and sing. For the last six years or so he has established a focus on playing jazz on the mandolin. His 1999
release "About Time" on Blue Night Records garnered exposure on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Since then he has appeared at festivals and clubs around the country and recorded three more titles for Blue Night Records: "Unseasonably Cool" (2001), and, with guitarist John Carlini, "Angel Eyes"(2004) and their newly released all-Gershwin collection "By George". In addition, Don's mandolin can also be heard on about 30 recordings by other artists in genres ranging from bluegrass to pop and children's music. While still a teenager, Don found his direction in life when he met Jethro Burns for mandolin lessons. Later, as a member of The Jethro Burns Quartet, he was able to share the stage with such luminaries as Chet Atkins, Steve Goodman, and The Newgrass Revival. Don co-produced and played rhythm guitar on Jethro's final recordings, "Swing Low, Sweet Mandolin"(1995) and "Bye Bye Blues"(1997) for the Acoustic Disc label. These days Don fronts his own jazz quartet or co-leads with master guitarist-arranger John Carlini. When not appearing in concert, Don will most likely be found around Chicago, either in a recording studio or in a tuxedo on a bandstand. Don also enjoys teaching and writing about the mandolin. In addition to being a faculty member at The Mandolin Symposium and a member of the mandolin team at Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Kamp, he's given workshops at festivals such as Ashokan Western and Swing Week, The Winnipeg Folkfest, Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, and The IBMA World of Bluegrass in Louisville KY. Don has written the the jazz column for Mandolin Magazine since it began publication and liner notes for several CD releases. He is currently working on documenting his approach to mandolin playing and improvising in instructional book and video form. |
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CoMando Guest of the Week: Don Stiernberg Artist Web site: www.donstiernberg.com/ Stiernberg's improvising is a never-ending stream of riveting ideas that are distinctively his own. -- David Royko [Chicago Tribune] |
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