JOHN MAILANDER’S FORECAST: Let the World In

This album is both exuberant and contemplative, marked by assured, off-kilter improvisations

Many Troubadour readers will remember local boy John Mailander as the kid from the Talmadge area of San Diego with the hot bluegrass fiddle who, in his teens, performed with many top local bluegrass bands. A Berklee College of Music graduate, John moved to Nashville some years ago and to an impressive career performing with Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers and numerous other music luminaries. John now leads his own band, John Mainlander’s Forecast. He self-produced Let the World In with assistance from a broad-based Kickstarter campaign. His primary instrument is violin, but he is a well-established multi-instrumentalist, sideman, teacher, composer, and now producer.

Listening to Let the World In, we hear John’s progression beyond bluegrass. Forecast members include John on fiddle, keys, and electronics; Ethan Jodziewicz on upright and fretless electric bass; Charles Lippincott on steel guitars, keys, and electronics; Mark Raudabaugh on drums and percussion; Jake Stargel on acoustic guitar; and David Williford on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet. If you are looking for bluegrass, think again. Let the World In is hard to categorize, but is probably closest to jazz, gracefully mixing with jam band music. However you want to label it, this record is beautifully crafted, excellently performed, and is a great listen.

To intrigue, and perhaps disarm, the listener, the opening track is a brief interlude of music “noise,” seeming to say “listen up—what’s coming isn’t what you expected.” What follows are nine tracks, varying in length from one minute to nine and a half minutes, all beautifully crafted, all moderate to slow tempo, all inter-weaving instruments and sounds in a pleasing and seamless way. The music is bold and complex, yet gentle. All tracks are instrumental but John sings on one.

There are at least two ways to listen to this work. One, you can enjoy it in the background as you work on something else. I assure you it will be a very pleasant experience that you’ll want to share many times. Every time I hear it, I relax and let the music wash over me like a warm bath. Or, you can sit and listen to the music free of other distractions, focusing 100% on the music. This will bring you a much deeper appreciation for this beautiful project.

If you think music is a serious undertaking, if you are a player who admires other talented players, if you are a serious listener, if you are comfortable crossing genres, then an undistracted listen is for you. At that level you will hear the subtle, yet extraordinary beauty of this recording. You will hear the deep talent of each of the players, how they work together to craft rhythm, lead lines, harmonies, and contrapuntal riffs and melodies, and you will hear wonderful solos. If you pay close attention, you will even hear John singing on one cut.

What’s going on in this recording is like a beautifully woven tapestry, where the musical “colors” are bright and vibrant but it is the whole that stands out, not the individual threads. There are no “look at me” moments; rather each instrument and musician contributes to the whole with subtlety and depth. The talent is endless, but all in service to the whole of the listening experience. That’s an ambitious goal well achieved in this great new work.

I can’t say anything bad about this record other than I wish John would sing a bit more. I highly recommend this great new release. You can read more about John, his group, and the record at https://saexaminer.org/2024/12/18/john-mailanders-let-the-world-in-the-soul-stirring-new-album/. It is available on CD and Vinyl.