Michael
Robinson Bio and Quotes
Michael Robinson has received international praise for compositions that combine computer instruments, Indian ragas, and a musical language inspired by American, South Asian, European, and other musicians and composers.
A
musical visionary and technical wizard, Robinson engenders performances by programming
a meruvina to play his fully notated scores in real time, voicing each work
with sound samples of acoustic instruments from world music cultures using Indian
tunings.
The
mesmerizing originality of Robinson's music sets him apart from his contemporaries,
inspiring one reviewer to write, "Robinson is following an iconoclastic
path much like Schoenberg and Cage before him."
His music has also exerted an influence on some prominent Indian classical musicians.
There
are 56 CDs available from Azure Miles Records featuring compositions based on
ragas, in addition to 36 CDs featuring earlier music.
Azure
Miles CDs may be heard on NPR, Pacifica, college, and community radio stations,
and are included in the collections of music libraries from Princeton University
to the University of Hong Kong.
Robinson
has given numerous solo concerts in New York City, Los Angeles, and Hawaii,
and music-visual performances at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. He
has also given live radio concerts in New York City and Los Angeles.
He
has been interviewed numerous times on radio and television in New York City,
San Francisco, and Los Angeles by a host of distinguished interviewers.
Robinson's
music has been discussed in a wide range of American publications, including
Keyboard, India Abroad, India West, Los Angeles Times, NewMusicBox, The New
York Times, Village Voice, CDeMUSIC, Chinese Community News, Journal SEAMUS,
jazzreview.com, Beverly Hills Weekly, CreativeSynth.com, and All About Jazz.
Publications
from South Asia, the Far East, and Europe have also covered his work. A sampling
of quotes are included below.
The composer was awarded the Louis Armstrong Award for jazz improvisation, and has received six grants from Meet the Composer California.
The
City of Pasadena gave him a grant to introduce school children to Indian classical
music, world music, and computer music.
UCLA's Department of Ethnomusicology received a grant from the National Endowment
For The Humanities that enabled them to hire Robinson, an expert in digital
recording, to transfer fragile field recordings from all over the world onto
hundreds of CDs.
Robinson
received a BM in Composition from the Crane School of Music, SUNY at Potsdam,
where he studied composition with Don Funes, Elliot Del Borgo, Arthur Frackenpohl,
and James Ball. In conjunction, he studied electronic composition with Bulent
Arel at SUNY at Stony Brook.
The composer's studies include two summers at Tanglewood in the Listening and Analysis Seminar taught by the distinguished musicologist and arts administrator, Leonard Altman, and Peter Gram Swing, who was Chair of the Music Department at Swarthmore College. Altman, his compositional mentor, made special arrangements for Robinson to attend the Composition Seminars taught by Gunther Schuller, Jacob Druckman, Paul Zukofsky, John Chowning, and Ralph Shapey. He also attended conducting classes and rehearsals of the Boston Symphony Orchestra given by Leonard Bernstein and other great conductors.
Robinson's
private studies include Indian classical music with Harihar Rao, Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy,
Kala Ramnath, and Pandit Jasraj. Jazz improvisation studies were with Lee Konitz.
He
had consultations with composers Charles Dodge, David Lewin, Steve Reich, John
Cage, Salvatore Martirano, and Morton Feldman.
The
composer's unique involvement with Indian ragas is largely a result of his intense
study of recordings, live performances, and books.
Robinson
has a series of published interviews with Indian masters linked to AzureMilesRecords.com.
The Carnegie Hall Educational Program published a limited edition book about
Indian classical music that includes quotes from one of the interviews.
Michael
is self-taught in his use of the meruvina, a name he coined for the rare combination
of computer, software, and sound module he uses.
A
native New Yorker, who has lived in Hawaii, Robinson currently resides in Los
Angeles.
Composing
new music, and releasing new recordings is an ongoing process. He also enjoys
performing, and giving seminars.
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"Amazing music." "I love this piece." "Wow! You're great." - Halimah Collingwood, world music host, KHLU FM
“Michael Robinson makes great music.” “His knowledge is very deep.” - Pandit Jasraj, legendary North Indian classical vocalist, known as "The glorious sun of music"
"Michael Robinson is one of my favorite composers." - Martin Perlich, classical music host, KCSN-FM, KUSC-FM
“Robinson
mixes the organic virtues of raga with the synthetic ability of computer instruments.”
“Making use of alternative tunings, and blending tradition and technology,
Robinson is able to transcend cultural and spiritual boundaries.” –
NewMusicBox
“Robinson has absorbed the principles and essence(s) of the raga form and uses them as a point of departure for his compositions.” “No mere copycat or cultural/colonial imperialist – he's studied and absorbed the essence and approach of musics of not only India but other Asian cultures as well." "Luminous Realms has shades of “light” and “dark” coursing through it – it’s a truly cerebral, challenging listen though never self-consciously or defiantly difficult." "Jor and Jhala has heart and intelligence." - jazzreview.com
“A fascinating musical odyssey based on Indian Ragas, Jazz, Asian and African influences, computers and mice, to produce vast epic compositions, ... with no musical instrument involved at all.” - The IDEA (India)
“Michael has created a really personal and compelling body of work that serves as an antidote to superficial cultural plunder. He’s done such a good job and created such a believable audio world that it’s not only satisfying, but makes you wonder about what might be next… music that makes you want to make music, so to speak.” - Gregory Taylor, RTQE FM, Cycling '74, CreativeSynth.com
"Robinson's
sense of timing, phrasing, form, and flow guide listeners toward his alternative
vision. His music has the clarity and ingenuousness of Chinese brush painting,
some of the hard geometric edginess of Kandinsky, and a detached, ethereal,
and abstract quality that nonetheless seems bound to the tight forms found in
some abstract Expressionist paintings." - Keyboard
“You
have been blessed with genius.” - Kitty Pilgrim, award-winning television
journalist, Council On Foreign Relations member
“A west-coast live-electronics composer of wild imagination.” “He's an original.” - Village Voice
"You are a creative genius." "You are royalty." - Jarvee E. Hutcherson, President, Multicultural Motion Picture Association
“He's a genius.” “He deserves to win a Grammy Award.” - Clive Fox, former President, MGM Records (Included Verve)
"A true musical genius" - Rollan Masciarelli, distinguished music educator, musician and arranger
"The full genius of your music has flowered" - Joanne Cheng, award-winning documentary film maker
"A modern update to the ancient tradition of North Indian classical music." "Robinson stands at the crossroads between new tools and traditional forms.” "His highly stylized approach renders irrelevant any simple comparisons to North Indian classical music." - All About Jazz
“It's more than the sounds, though. It's the textures that are so beautiful and pleasing. And Robinson's general sense of rhythm suggests that this music can continue forever in its lovely world.” “The recording quality of Azure Miles CDs is always beautiful.” - CDeMUSIC
"Cosmic
rituals." "Very dynamic but also very hypnotic." "He has
spread stylistic boundaries further than most would ever dream." - Margen
(Spain)
“I
believe that future composers will be influenced by his innovations.” –
Charlie Colin, renowned trumpet and brass teacher, author, publisher, and performer
"You
are reaching into the core of the spirit of Indian classical music, which is
a spiritual yearning." - Harihar Rao, senior disciple of Ravi Shankar,
President and Artistic Director, The Music Circle
"Your music has lowered my blood pressure by miles." "It's very, very beautiful." - Susan McClary, Chair, Musicology, UCLA, MacArthur Fellowship recipient
"He has amazing success in bringing to life music performed by a computer." - Dean Suzuki, KPFA-FM, contemporary music history professor, SFSU
"A
composer of the modern age." "Robinson has carved out a niche in the
music world." "His music is most distinctive." - Los Angeles
Times
"A
renowned composer whose music is a refreshing alternative to traditional Indian
classical music." “He probably knows as much about improvisation as
anyone.” - Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy, former President, Society for Ethnomusicology,
renowned Indian classical music, and culture author, and film maker
"His compositions are rich in musical ideas." "Robinson is a composer with a vision." - Journal SEAMUS
"Great
stuff!" "Swings good!" "Meditative in the slow parts, and
groovin' in the parts with percussion." - Lee Konitz, legendary alto saxophonist
"Considerable
energy." "Unusual variation." - The New York Times
"I
love listening to Robinson's music." - Ali Ahmad Hussain, renowned shehnai
artist
"Ingenious
composition." "Exciting and innovative." - The Occidental (Occidental
College)
"Your
music is so beautiful." "I'm curious to know how you do it!"
- Liona Boyd, renowned classical guitarist
"Excellent music." "Very cool." - Ray Manzarek, keyboardist, the Doors, later collaborated on several music projects with Robinson
"He has taken Indian classical music to a new dimension." - Amy Catlin, visiting ethnomusicology professor, UCLA
"That's [Fire Monkey CD] very good. Whatever it is you're doing, keep it up!" - Salvatore Martirano, computer music pioneer
“Robinson is following an iconoclastic path much like Schoenberg and Cage before him.” - Gardena Valley News
"You are the prince of ragas" - Ginger, dancer and yogi
"If you have a performance with dance, please let me know; I would enjoy hearing it in a situation involving movement." - John Cage, avant-garde music pioneer, original, and long-time music director, Merce Cunningham Dance Company