The Cinelli Brothers: Multi-Instrumental Blues Masters from Across the Pond
The Cinelli Brothers are a truly European band, made up of brothers Marco and Alessandro “Nonni” Cinelli, who hail from Italy, along with Stephan Giry from France and Tom Julian Jones from England. Based in the land of the Union Jack, they were named UK Blues Band of the Year earlier this year. They were brought to my attention by William Paris, bass player for The Billy Walton Band, who, on one of their many trips playing across the pond, came in contact with the Cinelli brothers. As William remarked to me, “There’s a long history of American bands playing in Europe, but not so much in the other direction,” a comment I totally agree with. When William reached out to ask if I would join him to see the band at the R Bar in his new hometown of Asbury Park, I was there.
You may notice that I usually mention the instrument associated with each musician in my reviews. Well, that would be a story in itself here, as they are all multi-Instrumentalists as well as vocalists. That night, I lost count of the various combinations during their hour and a half plus set. They went from heart felt ballads to down and dirty blues and soul to sing-alongs as well as rockers that had the room clapping, dancing and singing. One of the highlights for me was a twin harp attack with Tom and Marco wailing away on “Ain’t Blue But I Sigh.”
Now, let’s move on to the focus of this article, the CD. This ten-track collection of original tunes showcases a band that has truly perfected their songwriting, playing, and singing. “Last Throw of the Dice” is a bluesy rocker highlighted by Tom’s wailing harp, coupled with vocals from all four members. “Leave It With You” is a soulful mid-tempo number driven by Nonni’s drumbeat, Marco’s sweet Hammond organ fills, and Stephan’s distorted guitar, adding up to one great tune. The song “Dozen Roses” sounds like it could have been written in Asbury Park, and I mean that in the best way possible. Its light, airy sound carries some nice lyrics that will have you swaying and tapping your feet, wondering how it ended so quickly, even though it’s four minutes long. As mentioned earlier, “Ain’t Blue But I Sigh” leads off with those twin harps and features some terrific Latin-inspired guitar by Stephan. These guys really know how to put a song together.
“Nobody’s Fool” slows things down and adds some plaintive trumpet by Chris Anderson to great effect, coloring Stephan’s earnest vocals. “Prayer” starts with solemn hand claps and quickly takes on a gospel feel with a funky beat and a prayer-like chorus sung in unison. They use that age-old effect of speeding up the tempo at the end but give the song their personal stamp. “Lucky Star” also uses the band’s four-part harmony to create an upbeat sound with great lyrics, incorporating Chris’ trumpet, John Isley’s sax, and background vocals by Chiara Carraubba. Tom’s swampy-sounding harp and Nonni’s rhythmic drumming, coupled with Marco’s slide guitar on “Making It Through The Night,” create a song that sounds like it came right out of the Delta. This is blues at its best.
“Don’t Need No Favor” is a song that melds blues with soul to create a very satisfying result. Nonni’s vocals over Marco’s Hammond organ are ably supported by Tom and Stephan, emphasizing what a tight unit the band is. “Fool’s Paradise” ends the disc on an upbeat note with a song built around a great funky riff that punctuates the title’s refrain. This number also includes some stellar guitar work by Tom.
I must say that I was very impressed by both the CD and the live performance and I hope we can have them play for us when they return to the states in 2025. For more information, go to www.cinellibrothers.com.