jazztalk.net

PP. Thanks again. I think on this song my voice reminds me of Graham Parker, Elvis Costello and Southside Johnny. People have said I phrase like Elvis Costello.

I listened to your soundcloud recordings and really enjoyed your playing. The bass part on the one you linked to bothered me a little so I also listened to your recordings of My Funny Valentine and Teasing Crocodiles and really dug them.

The Kindle edition of Lift Your Right Arm is on sale for 3.99 through tomorrow (we may extend it another week), $2 off.

http://www.amazon.com/Lift-Your-Right-A ... 00BPCGRI6/

And the Kindle-only edition of Outtakes from Lift Your Right Arm is 99 cents.

http://www.amazon.com/Outtakes-Lift-You ... 00F8GO6OM/

A PSA I wrote for the Lewy Body Dementia Association features Whoopi Goldberg.

http://www.lbda.org/whoopi

walto wrote:I have a new book coming out:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/180652304/cov ... l-book-pdf

(It'd cost you a buck there just to read the whole intro--so if anybody really wants to see that PM me and I'll send it. The book itself costs half a fortune, unfortunately.)

Congrats!

Lots of great stuff on this thread. Congratulations to everybody. Steve, I look forward to hearing your music.

And I just got the best review of my life! From the small acoustic music paper called the San Diego troubadour, their review of my solo CD, solo/piano.

"
As I heard the first strains of “Tu y Yo No Más,” the first selection on Doug Robinson’s Solo/Piano, this pleasant music had me guessing that this disk would be some sort of new age sampler. I expected to hear something along the lines of George Winston’s impressionistic ramblings. I thought that after about eight or ten minutes I’d be hitting the eject button on the CD player and reaching for one of my Ruben Gonzalez recordings.

But boy, I was oh so wrong.

Solo/Piano is just that: local musician Doug Robinson performing his solo piano pieces. In these 17 compositions the veteran musician borrows from classical and popular song. I hear a bit of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway, with a strong influence of Debussy and Ravel. It’s apparent that a great deal of thought went into these compositions, each one standing out as a unique creation. The emphasis is on lyricism and remaining true to the short song form, such as was established by Felix Mendelssohn with his Songs Without Words. And although they are in a familiar form, the short song format, the compositions are never predictable or trite. In the space of a few minutes, Robinson makes a strong musical statement and is able to take his listeners on musical excursions that are sometimes somber, sometimes slightly whimsical, but always intriguing. I found myself being drawn in again and again as Robinson played each piece. In particular I enjoyed the composition “January 10, 1959 (for John and Aline)” with its beguiling theme.

In the liner notes, Robinson mentions that he performed these pieces on his Kawai baby grand piano. With so many musicians resorting to electronic keyboards, it’s nice to hear a good instrument used so well. Kudos to Ken Bassman, who assisted in the recording of this CD. Bassman joins Robinson on acoustic guitar for one of my favorite tunes on the disk, “Aldama Mamá.” It is strong and bluesy with some surprising twists and turns in the mix. And compliments to Ron Marinelli who mastered Solo/Piano at Blue Monsoon Studios.

The piano, the recording, ultimately the best thing about this CD is Robinson’s playing. Never venturing beyond a mezzo forté, and only straying occasionally into that range of dynamics, he plays with maturity. (Well, he could have given us a little more forté from time to time.) He conveys a great deal of thought and emotion without coming close to sentimentality. Can it be said that there is wisdom in a performance?

Robinson received his musical training at Crawford High during that school’s musical halcyon days when notable musicians Hollis Gentry and Nathan East were students. He started out as a drummer, and that training is on display with this disk. He plays with a deft sense of timing unusual in keyboard players, particularly on the pieces in ¾ time.

Each one of the compositions on Solo/Piano is a real gem, performed by a truly talented musician.

Available at cdbaby.com/cd/dougrobinson3"

Thanks, Rita! My brother--whose music also received an excellent review--suspects that the main readership for the paper are musicians searching to see if their latest CD has been reviewed. But their calendar section does highlight unusual acts in the San Diego area and I dig some of their articles from time to time, actually whenever I'm in town.

Wow, who could have asked for a more thoughtful, positive review, Doug. Congrats on the recording and the Paul Hormick/SDT review.

in know, right? The guy obviously listened very closely. What a relief that he liked it!

Great to receive that the day before a gig, too. Last night I felt like a rock star. New trio, two younger Mexican guys for whom jazz was a second language but they were eager to jump in and now it's really happening. Swing in Mexico is very different from swing in the states--I think it has to do with the lack of influence of African culture. The 6 over 4 feel that produces swing just isn't part of the native lexicon. So it comes out straighter--to some ears it might sound the same, but it really isn't.

But when we get into samba-type double time rhythms it's really exhilarating.

First grandchild, Arthur Francis Zimmermann, was born Saturday.

Thank you!

Thumbs up, jwaggs.

Yeah, good stuff, Steve.