Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"Mr. Robbins played hard and fluidly, landing heavily on unexpected notes to give his solos funk and shape....it was a band of equal shares, and they built the abrupt, shuddering, wriggling music together." - New York Times
"[Centric is an] ambitious ensemble that combines spacious avant-gardism with the melodic punch of rock....[Robbins has] a cool tone and a thoughtfully off-kilter sensibility. 'Waits and Measures' (Playscape)...is an intimate...jazz-rock hybrid." - New York Times
"Several of Robbins' tunes are flag-wavers, teeming with broad, catchy melodies. That's at odds with the very intricate lines thread together to create such themes, and that dynamic is why Centric[, his ensemble,] is so intriguing....As a horn player, Robbins has liquid timbre that can remind just how pretty modern jazz can be." - Village Voice
"The colors are dark but vivid. Robbins’ compositions all tend to shift and mutate, falling in and out of grooves, settling down for quiet moments before they burst into rocking squeals. This is quirky 21st-century jazz, ably performed by a forward-thinking sextet that transforms a cerebral sound into something visceral." - JazzTimes
"Pete can become a force. A real force. He's confident enough not to do what others might tell him." - Paul Bley
"Pete Robbins' 'Waits and Measures' is not so much a fusion album as it is a remarkable commandeering of sometimes conflicting harmonies into a smooth record that is cleverly voltaic....The result is a maddeningly superb array of jazz and funk...'Waits and Measures' is a lovely reminder of what a jagged rhythmic whim can do when paired with an extraordinary ear for tonal congruency and a restless, but measured, inability to wait." - All About Jazz - New York (magazine)
"This intriguing new Playscape release, a sextet effort, will definitely appear on many Best-of-2006 lists. Ours, for one." - Hot House Magazine
"Robbins should win over a horde of admirers with this outing, which conveys asymmetrical parts chops, gusto, funk, fusion and a clear-sighted view of the jazz canon. ... Simply stated, Robbins is a style master who sets himself apart from many of his peers. " - AllAboutJazz.com
"This guy rules. ... He's already amassed a ballpark-sized fan base. ... There's no telling where he'll go. ... Pete's officially moved in, and the downtown scene couldn't be more pumped. ... This alto saxophonist kicks ass atmospherically." - Village Voice
"...a welcome presence on the creative music scene. ... Robbins displays a keen imagination and a rousing command of his horn." - All About Jazz - New York (magazine)
Discography
Pete Robbins - Waits and Measures - (2006)
Pete Robbins - Centric (2002)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Pete Robbins moved to New York in September, 2002, and immediately became “a welcome presence on the creative music scene.” He leads his group “Pete Robbins & Centric” at such venues as the 55 Bar, Cornelia Street Café, the Tea Lounge, Bar 4, the Bowery Poetry Club, Biscuit, and others. Robbins tours regularly in Europe as a bandleader (Company of Heaven booking agency), and plays regularly in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Burlington, Cambridge, and Boston. Robbins’ groups also appear yearly at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and Aarhus International Jazz Festival (Denmark).
Robbins’ second record, "Waits and Measures", was released on PLAYSCAPE RECORDINGS (www.playscape-recordings.com) in September, 2006. It received rave reviews in such publications as the New York Times and JazzTimes magazine. In addition to the group heard on "Waits & Measures", robbins has also had more avant-garde projects with such musicians as Mark Dresser, Randy Peterson, and Daniel Levin. After stints in Boston and Copenhagen, Robbins now resides in Brooklyn.
In addition to his performing and recording pursuits, Robbins also curated a jazz series at the Cornelia Street Café on behalf of “Music for America”, a partisan non-profit organzation promoting political and social awareness through live music. Groups led by such jazz luminaries as Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, Ravi Coltrane, Bill McHenry, Rodney Green, John O’gallagher, and others shared the bill with Robbins’ group Centric at each concert.
In September 2004, the Village Voice recognized Robbins’ musical, promotional, and political efforts by naming him their "Featured Jazz Pick" for the fall season.
Chamber Music America recently awarded robbins with their prestigious “New Works: Creation and Presentation” grant, on behalf of the Doris Duke Foundation. Robbins was commissioned to adapt choral works of 17th century Italian composer Carlo Gesualdo for his own band, Centric.
robbins’ band – as heard on his new recording waits & measures – features thomas morgan (steve coleman, david binney) on bass and dan weiss (miguel zenon, david binney, donny mccaslin) on drums.
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