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Jim Robitaille
His television and live performances include: The BET Jazz Channel, The Time Warner Music Choice Jazz Channel, PBS Television, The Baird Auditorium at the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C, The Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock, N.Y, The Wang Center, Boston, MA, The Knitting Factory and Smoke in New York, and performances in the U.S, Canada, and the West Indies. Jim has appeared on over twenty recordings and film documentaries with his own groups and with other artists.
The Jim Robitaille Group's debut recording entitled "To Music" featuring saxophonist Dave Liebman, received international critical acclaim winning three international composition awards for three original compositions from the recording. The CD was number five in the top ten list of 2004 by the Daily Ipirotikos Agon and the Apopsy in Greece and was the publishers pick for All About Jazz and the Boston Herald. The recording received international airplay and was #1 chart-bound on the Jazz Week Jazz chart.
Awards include The 9th Annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition sponsored by BMI, The 2002 Great American Song Contest First Place Instrumental Category, and The 2002 Great American Song Contest Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting Award. Other accolades include The 2011 Assets For Artists Grant, The Julius Hemphill Jazz Composers Alliance Competition, The International Songwriting Contest, and numerous performance grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council For the Arts.
Jim has studied guitar and improvisation with jazz guitarist Jon Damian at the Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA, and improvisation with Charlie Banacos. Robitaille has performed concerts and taught classes, and master-classes in Quebec Canada, The West Indies, and in the U.S. at Westfield State College, Berklee College of Music, Brandeis University, Holyoke Community College, The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Cape Cod Community College, Connecticut College, Western New England College, Bristol Community College, Falmouth Academy, and Tabor Academy. He is an applied jazz guitar lecturer, ensemble director, and founder and director of the Performance Jam Session Series on the Jazz Faculty at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Awards
The 9th Annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition sponsored by BMI The 2002 Great American Song Contest The Julius Hemphill Jazz Composers Alliance Competition The U.S.A Songwriting Competition Assets For Artists Grant, and performance grants for the Massachusetts Cultural Council for the Arts.
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Jim Robitaille Group: A View From Within
by Dan Bilawsky
Jim Robitaille Group's A View From Within is a statement of extension and growth, building on the magic of the unit's debutTo Music (Whaling City Sound, 2004). For that earlier release, the guitarist fronted a flexible quintet elevated by his own harmonic savvy and the presence of saxophonist Dave Liebman. Here, speaking both to continuity and contrast, he reunites with the storied saxophonist, removes piano from the profile of his eponymous group, and fills things out with a different rhythm ...
read moreJim Robitaille Group: To Music
by John Kelman
Without taking away from the fact that guitarist Jim Robitaille is obviously his own man, it is a refreshing change to see someone who has obviously spent a lot of time studying John Abercrombie, who, while certainly a well-known name in modern jazz, regrettably doesn’t seem to have the same kind of popular clout as, say, Pat Metheny or John Scofield. And that’s too bad, because in many ways he is a broader player than both, yet still with a ...
read moreJim Robitaille: To Music
by Dan McClenaghan
Just about every new jazz guitarist who comes down the road cites Wes Montgomery as an influence. For once, on Jim Robitaille's To Music, you can hear it in the fluid grace, the slight bite in the tone. But the set isn't retro in any way; To Music has an unmistakable modern sound based on the guitarist's strikingly well-crafted songs and forward-looking arrangements.Of the nine songs offered here, no less than three are award-winners (from the Thelonious Monk ...
read moreCD Release Performance by Trine/Jim Robitaille on Audible Think, Wednesday, November 21, 2007 in New Bedford, MA
Source:
All About Jazz
CD RELEASE PERFORMANCE BY TRINE ON AUDIBLE THINK The Audible Think Improvised Music Series (Andy McWain, dir), held twice monthly at Gallery X, 169 William Street, New Bedford, MA, presents the CD release performance on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 7:30pm of the group TRINE: featuring Jim Robitaille, guitar, Rick Britto, saxophone, and Chris Poudrier, drums. Their new CD, TRINE: Politics will be released this month on the Fuller Street Music label. $5 admission, 2 sets. TRINE featuring Jim Robitaille, ...
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Guitarist Jim Robitaille's 'TO MUSIC' featuring Dave Liebman on Whaling City Records
Source:
All About Jazz
Improvisational jazz guitarist Jim Robitaille debuts on Whaling City Sound with To Music, (sound samples) featuring eight of Jim's original award-winning compositions performed impecably with supporting musicians Dave Liebman on tenor & soprano sax, Matt Richard on piano, Dave Zinno on bass, and Chris Poudrier on drums. Jim was the winner of the 2002 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition, as well as winning the 2001 Great American Song Contest first place prize in the Instrumental Category for his composition ...
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The Jim Robitaille Group's debut To Music has its own identity." - Jazz Improv Magazine
"What Robitaille has done with To Music is release a remarkable album of modern postbop. Robitaille is obviously his own man." -jazzviews.UK
"Jim Robitaille makes an impressive recording debut" -The Daily Ipirotikos Agon and the Apopsy, Greece
Primary Instrument
Guitar
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Credentials/Background
Jim Robitaille has taught workshops, master-classes, private lessons, classes and directed ensembles in Quebec Canada, St John U.S.V.I, Westfield State College, Berklee College of Music, Brandeis University, Holyoke Community College, The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Cape Cod Community College, Connecticut College, Western New England College, Bristol Community College, Falmouth Academy and Tabor Academy. He is an applied jazz guitar lecturer, ensemble director and founder and director of the Performance Jam Session Series on the jazz faculty at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and recently published the book "Sound Origins" Developing Your Musical Identity for musicians, composers and teachers.