Orphy Robinson
| Orphy Robinson | |
|---|---|
Orphy Robinson
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| Background information | |
| Born | October 13, 1960 |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, Educator |
| Instruments |
Vibraphone Marimba, Perc |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Blue Note, Babel |
| Associated acts | Jazz Warriors, Courtney Pine, Andy Sheppard, Nigel Kennedy |
| Website | [1] |
| Notable instruments | |
| Vibraphone, Marimba, Steel Pans, Percussion, Trumpet, Saxophone | |
Orphy Robinson (born 13 October 1960) is a British vibraphonist and multi-instrumentalist,of Jamaican descent who also plays the saxophone, trumpet, drums, piano, marimba and steel pans. He has written music for television, film, theatre, opera and contemporary classical music. Robinson is from London, UK, and works across a variety of eclectic musical forms (jazz, free jazz, free improvisation, jazz fusion, and funk music).
Orphy Robinson released two critically acclaimed solo albums on the Blue Note label in the 1990s, When Tomorrow Comes and The Vibes Describes, which was launched at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and has recorded numerous albums as a guest musician. He has also toured or appeared with many artists including Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt. Audiences discovered his playing while he played with saxophonist Courtney Pine in the 1980s big band Jazz Warriors (which was the forerunner to the Jazz Jamaica all stars orchestra). Robinson was also an original member of the Brit funk band Savanna, in which he first came to the notice of critics and audiences.
His work as a composer has led to commissions for contemporary dance companies including the Phoenix Dance, for whom he was commissioned to write the Suite "42 Shades in the Black". Robinson subsequently represented Great Britain at the Atlanta Olympic Games, has written for the English Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and for the Romanian violin virtuoso Alexander Bălănescu. In 2007 for the UK celebration of the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, Robinson was commissioned and invited to perform solo marimba extracts from his suite "Routes through Roots" in the Houses of Parliament. He is also well known for his work in education with schools and large-scale education projects, including at the Hackney Empire, where he has led the Music Education department successfully for 14 years.Producing many new artists currently making a name for themselves in the music industry this includes the 2014 winner of the UK "The Voice" vocalist television competition Jermain Jackman and innovative producers and musicians of the 'Universal Mind systems' collective. He has also been nominated for Jazz Educator of the year award at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards..
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