Upstairs at Charlies - Tom Corbett CD

The youngest of seven kids in a tight-knit family in Columbus, Ohio, Corbett was only 11 years old when he commandeered an old Vega banjo-mandolin his dad picked up at a garage sale, and hes never been the same since. He began picking on old-time standards and absorbing the sounds of newgrass mando gods. The Holy Trinity of bluegrass may be Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers, but in the Church of Mandolin According to Corbett, its more like Monroe, Sam Bush and David Grisman. Those seminal influences can still be heard in his thoughtful, inventive playing. After auditing a few college music theory classes and studying mandolin with Rob Griffin in Columbus, Corbett moved to Sebastopol in Northern California, playing in his brother Jims swing band and taking lessons from Mike Marshall (a former Grisman sideman), Tiny Moore (who apprenticed with Bob Wills and Merle Haggard) and Frank Wakefield. Moving to the Los Angeles area, he did the obligatory stint in Disneylands bluegrass band and also played at Sea World with Billy Ray Lathum (Kentucky Colonels, Laurel Canyon Ramblers). Corbett gained considerable attention in West Coast music circles during his three-year residency with the acclaimed Acousticats, whose smooth blend of folk, bluegrass and acoustic swing was a hit on the festival circuit. He contributed three songs to their 1994 album The Cats Meow. Renowned multi-instrumentalist and former Nitty Gritty Dirt Band mainstay, John McEuen subsequently invited Corbett to play in his backup band, the String Wizards. That high-profile work led to other stints accompanying artists like singer Jennifer Warnes. Corbett continues to be active on L.A.s acoustic music scene, playing mandolin and guitar with numerous acts onstage and in the studio; He also recorded several tracks on Social Distortion frontman Mike Nesss rootsy solo album Cheating at Solitaire. As Mike Marshall remarked upon hearing Upstairs at Charlies, Nice work, Tom. Always beautifully tasteful mandolin playing - but man, I didnt know you could sing that purdy too!Additional Info: For his debut album, mandolinist and songwriter Tom Corbett enlisted the help of a wide array of his musical colleagues, including banjoist Herb Pederson, bassist Bill Bryson, and many others. Corbett himself, who has backed former Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member John McCuen, as well as doing three years with the widely acclaimed Acousticats, is a regular on the West Coast festival circuit. The music is filled with a bouncing good humor. Instrumentally, many of the songs fuse country, bluegrass, and Western swing into a delightful blend, not unlike a less jazz version of David Grisman's so-called Dawg music. Of note are his covers of Bob Willis' "Brain Cloudy Blues" and Vern Stovall and Bobby George's "Lonesome Joe From Kokomo," in addition to fine originals such as "The Cowboy Song," "Sing to Me," and the title track. Corbett doesn't reinvent the mandolin, nor does he try, but he produces an enjoyable album nonetheless. ~ Jesse Jarnow

Specifics

• Album: Upstairs at Charlies
• Artist: Tom Corbett
• Label: corbett
• Genre: Folk, World, & Country
• MPN: RHR-51261

1. Warm Winds
2. Mighty Pine
3. The Cowboy Song
4. I Know What You Want
5. Brain Cloudy Blues
6. Sing To Me
7. Upstairs At Charlie's
8. Only One Way To Go
9. Lonesom Joe From Kokomo
10. Here In My Heart
11. Farther Along

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