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Spike Robinson

Henry "Spike" Robinson was born in Kenosha,Wisconsin on 16th January 1930. He begain playing alto in the early 40's and in 1948 entered service in the U.S Navy as a musician. He somehow got a posting to London in 1950 and very quickly found his way to the leading jazz clubs where the new music was being disseminated. t this time he was Parker influenced and made some sides for the local Esquire Label in company with the leading London boppers including Victor Feldman. When he returned to America he wisely acquired a professional degree and established himself as an electronics engineer in Colorado. He retained his jazz interest and switched to tenor sax, and with a style now a compound of Getz, Moore, Zoot, and Robinson he played with many local groups. Then in 1981 with the encouragement of his old friend Vic Feldman, now established in the U.S., he recorded an album of Harry Warren tunes which was well received by critics and fans alike. This album was re-released in 1994 with added tracks featuring Pete Jolly. In 1984 some London fans who remembered him fondly from the early fifties persuaded him to come over and play some dates around the city. This he did and in company with the Eddie Thompson Trio quickly won a following and this first visit was captured on two HEP live recordings "At Chesters" Vols. I&II. With many warm reviews in his pocket he went home but returned the following year and extended his tour base plus a further Hep recording with guest Elaine Delmar on five tracks "In Town." In the late ‘80’s he also did a lot of sessions and performances with Denver based pianist Ellyn Rucker. It seemed somehow logical that with such popularity in the UK that he should move over permanently which he did. A series of recordings in varied settings followed in the late eighties and early nineties with Louis Stewart and Janusz Carmello, Roy Williams, Martin Taylor, and a Gershwin set with strings arranged by Jimmy Deuchar. He also recorded in France with Saxomania and continued an American presence on Capri Records in company with Harry Edison and Al Cohn. Spike seemed to have an endless knowledge of the classic American Songbook plus the ability to unearth long forgotten nuggets and give them his own individual polish. In his ever increasing appearances in Europe,USA as well in the Uk.

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247
Album Review

Spike Robinson: I Wish I Knew: Live in Dublin 1979

Read "I Wish I Knew: Live in Dublin 1979" reviewed by Samuel Chell


This release, dedicated to jazz promoter, producer and late founder of the German label bearing his name, Nagel Heyer, should come as a pleasant surprise to the fans of tenor saxophonist Spike Robinson. It had seemed almost certain that The CTS Session (Hep, 2005) was the final chapter in the story of this musician from Kenosha, Wisconsin who decided to become a full-time jazz musician at the age of 56 (a decision practically requiring that he remain an ex-patriot).

212
Album Review

Spike Robinson: The CTS Session

Read "The CTS Session" reviewed by Samuel Chell


As a neglected and final recording session by a neglected, largely unknown tenor saxophonist with a remarkable story, The CTS Session, recorded by Spike Robinson in 1998 but released only recently, could easily become the recipient of overly charitable evaluations on the one hand, or abrupt dismissals on the other. It's neither a grand, triumphant goodbye nor a minor, salvaged leftover but a supremely satisfying encounter between a master musician and a compatible, equally experienced rhythm section (Crow and Williams ...

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Spike Robinson and Harry Warren

Spike Robinson and Harry Warren

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

It should be noted from the outset that there are no bad Spike Robinson recordings. The tenor saxophonist had a bold swinging style, much like Al Cohn, but Robinson tended to pop up into instrument's higher register and linger there longer, likely a result of his early years on alto saxophone and clarinet. In this regard, he shares much in common with Stan Getz, both in tone and the lyricism of his playing and solo work. One of Robinson's finest ...

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