Spike Robinson
Spike Robinson (actually Henry Berthold Robinson, born January 16, 1930 in Kenosha , Wisconsin , † October 29, 2001 in Writtle , England ) was an American electrical engineer and jazz musician (tenor saxophonist).
Live and act
Spike Robinson began playing the alto saxophone at the age of twelve and joined the US Navy in 1948, where he was employed as a musician; In 1950 he was stationed in Great Britain. He began performing regularly with English musicians and became part of the local bebop movement, which performed at London's Club Eleven , as well as at the Downbeat Club and Studio 51 , where he played with the then leading English bop musicians, such as Tommy Pollard and John Dankworth and Victor Feldman . In July 1951 he recorded six titles under his own name for Carlo Krahmer's Esquire label, but then returned to the United States and left the Navy. He then began training as an electrical engineer in Colorado and then worked in this profession for the next 30 years; but he occasionally appeared as a tenor saxophonist in local clubs. During this time he worked with Dave Grusin .
In 1981 Robinson recorded for the first time since leaving London; a band around Victor Feldman accompanied him; 1984 followed a first Great Britain tour. The success of further tours led him to record more albums under his own name, especially for the Discovery, Hep and Concord labels . He was now working full-time with British musicians such as saxophonist Dick Morrissey , pianist Bill Le Sage , bassist Alec Dankworth and drummer Bill Eyden . In the late 1980s and early 1990s he played in clubs and festivals in Great Britain, worked with musicians from the mainstream scene such as Ken Peplowski , Jack van Poll and Jeff Clayton , toured Europe and parts of the USA. In 1990 he first appeared in New York.
Although he came from bebop, Robinson was best known as the ballad interpreter of the Great American Songbook ; Digby Fairweather compares him stylistically to Zoot Sims , Richard Cook to Lester Young .
Discographic notes
.jpg)
- Spike Robinson - Eddie Thompson Trio At Chesters Volumes 1 & 2 (1984; Hep Records , with Len Skeat , Jim Hall)
- Plays Gershwin (Hep, 1987)
- Spike Robinson & George Masso Play Arlen (Hep, 1991)
- Plays Harry Warren (Hep, 1981-94)
- Live at the Bull - Tribute Vols. 1-2 (1998) Dick Morrissey, Spike Robinson, Bill Le Sage, Bill Eyden and Alec Dankworth
swell
- Ian Carr , Digby Fairweather , Brian Priestley : Rough Guide Jazz. The ultimate guide to jazz. 1800 bands and artists from the beginning until today. 2nd, expanded and updated edition. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2004, ISBN 3-476-01892-X .
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Robinson, Spike |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Robinson, Henry Berthold |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American electrical engineer and jazz musician (tenor saxophonist) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 16, 1930 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kenosha , Wisconsin |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 29, 2001 |
| Place of death | Writtle , England |