'Round Midnight

The next group was Round Midnight. This male quartet from New York City entered wearing retro NYC outfits with red as the common theme. The opening sound we heard was a single voice singing the beginning of Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind". When the rest of the group joined him, it felt like we were watching a barbershop group sing in close harmony on a New York street corner. What struck me was the clear and beautiful sound of the bass.
Round Midnight's next song was "Since I Don't Have You", which featured a soaring falsetto solo. They closed out their set with the Isley Bros.' "Shout", with a terrific slap bass throughout and the audience throwing up their hands every time the group hit the word "shout". Round Midnight proved they had mastered the ability not just to rock out or sing mellow, but to combine them all in one song with the "a little bit softer now"/"a little bit louder now" routine.
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'Round Midnight sing long before midnight. Even before Sundown, but well after sundown. These guys had to come all the way from the peripheral state of New York to sing in the heart of music in the heartland. But they sing good, so I can forgive their "New York State of Mind," even feel a bit of compassion. Not everybody can live in Chicago, poor things...Yes! Approved competitively correct groups react to the guerilla provocation, and they fire back in close formation and closer harmony. We are glowing. I even like those poor benighted guys from New York now. Especially when they take in Jay G--- who, casting off his evil supervillain character, comes back to the good side as a singer of songs, rather than a judger of songs. They sing "Sweet and Lovely," and it totally is. I really like novelty. I like bands who aren't the usual suspects, but are equally guilty, to say nothing of threatening. I like to hear fresh, new, novel music. Wouldn't it be fresh, new, and novel to hear some good ol' chestnuts, sung really good on stage in performance, from time to time? Just a thought.
- Harmony Sweepstakes

Favorite Barbershop Quartet
Winner: ‘Round Midnight
Runner Up: Maxx Factor - CASA - The Contemporary A Cappella Society

During the day, T.J. Carollo can be found in a classroom teaching vocal music at Lynbrook Middle School. But during his very little free time, he is touring the country singing with his barbershop quartet, "'Round Midnight."

The group -- Carollo (baritone), Larry Bomback (tenor), Wayne Grimmer (lead), and Jeff Glemboski (bass) -- had its start at Five Towns College, with Carollo, Grimmer and two other members. Eventually, Bomback and Glemboski joined the group and they went on to become an acappella sensation.

"It's the sound of it when you're actually singing and making a chord come to life," Carollo said when asked what about barbershop appealed to him. "It's also a great way to perform classic sounds because it's such a personal way."

The group has won national and international acclaim over the years, and is the Barbershop Harmony Society's 2010 mid-Atlantic district quartet champions.

"I'm most proud of the fact that so many people have said to us, 'you are unlike any other barbershop quartet I've ever seen,'" said Bomback, who used to teach general music at an elementary school in Brooklyn and at Hunter College.

"'Round Midnight" has also performed for Carollo's students as a live demonstration of barbershop harmony. "I teach my students about barbershop style and how all the parts work," he said, adding that he has sent several student quartets to the New York State Music Festival.

Carollo isn't the only active music educator in the bunch -- Grimmer is a music professor at Five Towns College, and Glemboski is teaching elementary music education at Norman J. Levy Lakeside School in Merrick.

"I love the school I teach in because everyone in the school community cares so much," said Carollo, "and it's small enough that I pretty much know every student in the school by name."

The next time "'Round Midnight" will be performing is at the Voices of Gotham Holiday Show in Manhattan on Dec. 4. For more information on Corollo and his singing crew, visit roundmidnightquartet.com. - Patch.com

['Round Midnight] opened with a lead feature on a brand new arrangement of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” – not the kind of song you’re used to hearing at a barbershop convention. Jamie and I are now both huge fans of them. Their lead sounds like he came straight from singing the solo in a modern acapella group, but he’s very experienced with barbershop and apparently arranged both of their songs himself. Their second song “Honesty” once again ended on a non-tonic chord (a 6th in this case) and brought my crew to our feet in appreciation. I don’t care how well they scored in this contest; I just want to buy their CD. - Northwest Vocal Project

‘Round Midnight's long-awaited eponymous release is a throwback in production and a small step forward in combining the disparate worlds of barbershop and pop. Admittedly, this is the pop of decades past, but nonetheless ‘Round Midnight is a group whose zeitgeist merges the phrasing and precision tuning of barbershop with the expressiveness of a pop lead. It's a combination that works.

I've long been a fan of ‘Round Midnight's live performances, both at the New York Harmony Sweepstakes I've judged and the a cappella summits I've produced. Frankly, I'm not sure I can recall a single performance in which the audience didn't give them a standing ovation. That speaks volumes about ‘Round Midnight's charisma. And against all odds, this is a charm that's largely captured on these tracks.

'Round Midnight is a clean and honest-to-a-fault recording of a great group, but that isn't the same as a great recording. Listeners have become so accustomed to the perfection of studio enhancements — punch-ins, retakes, sweetening, pitch correction, rhythmic grids, deleting breaths — that the sounds and accompanying imperfections of pure, exposed voices can be a distraction.

You will hear chords that don't lock, breath support that waivers, vocal warbles and other signs that this album was constructed song-by-song and not note-by-note. By that measure, even with these guys' rich voices, things are just a little rough.

But you will also hear many chords that are better tuned than anything that studio gadgetry can muster, phrases that ebb and flow more musically than any producer's hand can draw, and always, always, lots of heart.

'Round Midnight effortlessly breathes life into even the most dated of their song selections. Contemporary fans may be surprised. All of sudden, tracks like 1958's Since I Don't Have You or 1957's Tonight are so much more than half century-old tunes; they're stories, rich with emotion. There's no Pro-Tools plug-in for that. It comes from the artist, or not at all. And 'Round Midnight are artists.

The best way to enjoy ‘Round Midnight is to willfully abandon the very desire to hear that familiar studio perfection and just ride the ‘Round Midnight energy. Close your eyes and imagine yourself at one of their live performances.

Despite the imperfections, you just may find yourself rising to your feet as well. - Recorded A Cappella Review Board

‘Round Midnight is an “a cappella” “Barbershop” group. While on this cd they sing alot of barbershop music, they sing everything from jazz to modern songs.They have won awards at the Mid-Atlantic District Extreme Quarteting competition, where they placed in first and they placed in fourteenth at an international competition. The quartet is made up of Larry Bomback (Tenor),T.J. Carollo (baritone), Wayne Grimmer (Lead), and Jeff Glemboski (Bass).
My dad sings in barbershop choruses and so I was introduced to this kind of music since I was a baby. Listening to this music growing up, I never liked it but as I got older it introduced me to harmony and real music. Music today is all digitally altered and barbershop music has no instruments except for the voice and to succeed you have to actually be able to sing. Along with that, normally a cappella groups today act while they sing and make the song funny or sad or have movements. I’ve seen ‘Round Midnight preform and they all have a great stage presence and make all the songs enjoyable. Wayne, the lead, makes every song amazing and I love him, he is just amazing. The whole quartet is amazing and I hope you like them too! : )


Moondance- 10/10- This is an arrangement of the song Moondance by Van Morrison. Wayne Grimmer the quartets lead singer has arranged this song for them. The song is basically the same song but with LOTS of harmony. I love this song anyway and they made this song amazing. The harmony is always right on and their voices blended together sounds amazing. I love the arrangemment of this song. Hearing a common song put into a barbershop version was interesting and I loved it! Best version I have ever heard of this song.


Anytime at All-9/10- This is a classic barbershop style song. Since they sing primarily barbershop this song sounds very good. But it’s a little slow and though its good its not spectacular. They sound good but its just mediocre. There’s nothing else to say about this. You really have to love harmony to love this song, which in my case I do!


Try a Little Tenderness-10/10- The beginning is a little slow and not interesting and very “barbershoppy” but after the song gets going, it absolutely blew me away. Wayne’s and Larry’s voice is the reason I love music, they have real talent. They all do, this is one of their best songs. Actually, they have been nominated for this song at the Contemporary A Cappella Society.


Don’t Be a Baby, Baby-9/10- My dad had sung this song in his barbershop chorus and so I was familiar with the song. I love this song. Their dynamics and voice all compliment eachother to make the song sound all together wonderful. This is a fairly contemporary babershop song, and I love listening to it. This is what music should sound like all the time.


Sing Me That Song Again-7/10-I don’t particularly like this song. It’s a very old fashioned barbershop song and it doesn’t really catch my attention.Of course, they sound good, but the song is just ok. I usually skip this song. In terms of harmony and them, they’ve got the harmony perfect and they do all the key changes with a perfectness its amazing. I will say Wayne, who holds the long note at the end does it wonderfully. It has perfect tone and it’s amazing how long he holds it for.


Tonight-9/10- This is the song from Stephen Sondheim’s ”West Side Story”. This is a wonderful arrangement of this song. It shows off all of their voices. You get to hear everyone sing, especially the bass, Jeff, who has a marvelous voice. I will say the ending long note, is a little strained and which always gets my attention so that’s why this is a nine instead of a ten.


In The Still of The Night- 10/10- This is a song by the Five Satins (1956) but one that was done also by Boyz II Men in 1992. This song is a doo-wop style song and they sing it very well. When I listen to this song I feel like I am in the movie Grease or in a diner in the fifties. This is what most songs then sounded like. This is a great version, and it’s one that again compliments all of their voices. I love trying to pick out each part. This is a great song.


My Girl-10/10- This is the classic by the Temptations. I loved this song beforehand and now I love it even more. The arrangement is good and it features Wayne who sounds amazing on this song when he just lets it all loose. I put this song on repeat and got it stuck in my head for a week. Jeff, the bass, does a great job with the backup and he makes the song. This song just makes the original song even better, it’s just awesome.


Since I Don’t Have You-10/10- This is a song by the Skyliners- an old doo-wop group- but was redone and made more famous by Guns N’ Roses. This is a very well done arrangement. What I loved about this song was that it featured the tenor Larry,he has one of the best voices I have heard. He was what makes the song in my opinion. Usually you can pick out the high note and that’s him but not in this song, he comes front and center. It’s nice to hear everybody for a change, this is definately a good song.


Shout-10/10- This is the popoular song by the Isley Brothers. This is a fun, upbeat song. The different rythyms make the song exciting and the varying types of music in the song show how many styles they can actually sing well.This is a great way to end the cd. It shows how well they can sing and when you watch them preform it you can see that they love singing it too.


I think I said mostly the same thing in every review but seriously look it up. I love modern music like Lady Gaga and that stuff but listening to this lets me get away and appreciate music to it’s fullest value. Hopefully, you guys will look it up and learn to love this music too!
Real Teen Rating~ A+ – Look it up right NOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!! - Reel Teen Reviews

At the Avalon Theatre in Easton, MD, the barbershop quartet, ‘Round Midnight from New York City was the special guest performers for the Bay Country Chorus during their ‘Moments to Remember’ Annual Show.


While most were at the show to see the Bay Country Chorus perform, the audience was pleasantly surprised and delighted when ‘Round Midnight took to the stage. An audience member visiting from Lexington, Virginia said, “We saw ‘Round Midnight in New York before, you are really going to enjoy this group’s music.”


Just to use the word “enjoy” doesn’t do ‘Round Midnight’s music justice. Perhaps, the correct word is “imbibe” this group’s music. As soon as ‘Round Midnight began singing, their energy instantly permeated the theatre. Each song was arranged with such talent and attention to detail that the many different layers of sounds, harmonies and rhythms drove the music like a finely tuned engine of a red Italian sports car. Their music was barbershopish, sure…but it was also jazzy, funky and fun. The music was personified by the group’s animation and obvious love for their trade.


It’s easy see why ‘Round Midnight has been so critically acclaimed. Their accomplishments include the following: 2008 New York Harmony Sweepstakes, Audience Favorite, 2010 Mid Atlantic District Favorite, 2010 BHS International Semi Finalist, and 2010 Mid Atlantic District Champions.


‘Round Midnight has been called “The Barbershop gateway drug”. In an age when perhaps the barbershop’s popularity seems to have waned, ‘Round Midnight successfully revives and translates ‘barbershop’ for a new generation while still delighting the age old fans of “classic barbershop” genre. Their music is truly for everyone. - Examiner.com