Robert John Mathies

Robert Mathies was born and raised in Indianapolis , Indiana . He graduated from Thomas Carr Howe high school in 1976 . Principle musical activities in high school included Band and Orchestra at Howe as principle percussionist . During that time , Robert was active with All City and All State orchestras as Principle percussionist and with the Butler Youth Symphony where he also held principle position . During that time he began to broaden his percussion skills with other instruments including Vibes and Piano and Tympani . As an active volunteer for Public Radio in Indianapolis , he was able to hear jazz music and met many local jazz musicians . Many of these musicians were very friendly with Robert and helped to educate him in performing jazz During the Mid 80's , Robert led a Jazz trio as a vibist performing in local venues , and later as a Jazz drummer . Although much of his focus was leaning towards Jazz , Robert honed his skills while performing in Blues open stages as a drummer and pianist . As his skills and knowledge increased with experience Robert sought his own sound and style .Robert found that sound in the Synthesiser . This allowed Robert to find his own sound and increase the number of instruments which he could play . Robert felt he needed new exposure and left Indianapolis and moved to Dallas , Texas . The multicultural environment and diverse music scene allowed Robert to perform in Latin Salsa Big Bands as a Vibist and Latin Percussionist . Robert then formed a jazz Quintet under his own name as a piano player and performed often in Downtown Dallas venues including the West End and the Oak Cliff entertainment district and the Downtown Dallas Arts center and Lower Greenville . During this time , he fused his love of electronic instruments with the styles of mainstream and Bebop . The mid 90's found Robert on the road playing his unique interpretation of modern jazz in other cities on the Eastern coast . Performances in Jacksonville Florida on the Riverwalk gathered much attention and needed exposure and brought him to Virginia Beach and Williamsburg Virginia . The year 2000 brought Robert to Denver , Colorado to play in Vartran's Jazz club in downtown Denver and eventually to play at the Buffalo Run Ski resort in Boulder as house pianist .

Now returning to his home , once again Robert Mathies is bringing his unique style of Jazz to his birthplace and neighborhood where he grew up .
Show less