Tobin Mueller

Tobin Mueller

Musicians | Instrument: Piano | Location: United States

Tobin Mueller proves his originality, his inquisitiveness as a musician and a thinker, and his fluid, full throttle energy as a pianist. One continually has the sense that the piano is Mueller’s alter ego, and when he sits down to play, to arrange or improvise, he is engaging in an exciting dialogue of discovery with his inner self.

—Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold, Fanfare Magazine

Updated: April 12, 2023

Born: December 3, 1955

Tobin Mueller is a composer, playwright and interpretive pianist living in Connecticut. His musical compositions range from Jazz Fusion to Progressive Rock, Broadway musicals to Old-School Funk, Jamband classics to Classical ballet. In the late 1970s he was one of several composer-pianists who developed what became known as New Age music, although Tobin's style identifies more closely with complex modal/post-bop jazz. Mueller is a NYC Dramatist Guild playwright/lyricist, a member of ASCAP, and has appeared on over 35 albums.

2023 will see the release of several volumes from Mueller's highly anticipated Best Of Tobin Mueller series. Volume 1 includes his best original jazz ensemble & small combo recordings, all remastered, plus a few recordings never heard before. Volume 2  includes his best arrangements of Jazz/Fusion Classics, redefining standards. Volume 3 focuses on progressive rock & jazz fusion forays.

His 2022 release, a high energy jazz fusion collection, Prestidigitation, barely missed a Grammy nod. It's breakout single, "What Is Hip?", debuted at #5 on NACC radio chart. "Birdland/Long Distance Runaround", called "the best cover of 'Birdland' ever recorded" by All About Jazz, debuted at #8. The album reached #13 on the Jambands chart, #14 on the College Radio chart, and several tracks have made Spotify's Best Of 2022 playlist. An homage to the founders of jazz fusion, it is a follow-up to his 2018 2-Volume opus, Standard Deviations, which reached #16 on the FM Jazz Radio charts and #18 on Independent Radio. Both recordings feature Grammy-wining guitarist, Paul Nelson, who displays his progressive blues-funk-fusion chops with magical dexterity.

In between these two successes, Mueller released three well-reviewed albums: two in 2021 - Instead of Heaven, a solo piano album inspired by Greek myths, and Puzzle People, spoken word recordings that combine his music and award-winning poetry. In 2020 he released a double album, What Survives, featuring a 9-piece contemporary big band jazz ensemble. "One of the freshest and most sheerly entertaining, intriguing and exciting recordings I've come across," wrote Brad Walseth, Chicago Jazz. What Survives are jazz arrangements of original tunes from Mueller's Broadway musical "Creature" (1995-1998).

In addition to Paul Nelson, Tobin has recorded with Grammy winners Dave Brubeck, Ron Carter, Michael Hedges, Donny McCaslin (last collaborator with David Bowie), Jon Anderson (from Yes), Brian Welch ("Head" from Korn), as well as Grammy nominees Dane Richeson (Blue Note Records), Ken Schaphorst, Entcho Todorov, Janet Planet and more. His albums have included contributions from drummers Scott Rockenfield (Queensrÿche), Lamar Moore (Lettuce), Mike Nappi (J Geils Band) and countless other musicians from around the globe. Early in his career, he had the honor of playing with Maynard Ferguson.

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"Snatches energy out of the universe and toss it around like a meteor shower! Fusion jazz at its best. It reminds me of the days when Herbie Hancock’s Headhunter album was blowing our minds. It wreaks of that kind of inspiration." - Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs "Jazz that takes you on a journey. Skillfully paced and plotted, this is a top notch experience for the instrumental music enthusiast...” - Chris Spector, Midwest Record "STANDARD DEVIATIONS" - An amazing jazz amalgam that showcases the great players Mueller chose to record with. But even more so, it captures at its zenith Mueller’s genius ability to dance in and out of motifs and themes while paying such great respect to the jazz composers he "quotes”

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Yes
band / orchestra
John Medeski
organ, Hammond B3

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All About Jazz user Tobin Mueller All About Jazz user Lucia Fodde

Eleanor Rigby (remastered)

From: Best of Tobin Mueller, Vol. 2:...
By Tobin Mueller

God Bless the Child

From: Best of Tobin Mueller, Vol. 2:...
By Tobin Mueller

Fusion of Minds

From: Best of Tobin Mueller, Volume...
By Tobin Mueller

I Wanna Fly

From: Best of Tobin Mueller, Volume...
By Tobin Mueller

Frankenfanny

From: Best of Tobin Mueller, Volume...
By Tobin Mueller

Birdland Runaround

From: Prestidigitation
By Tobin Mueller

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

From: Prestidigitation
By Tobin Mueller

Giant Steps

From: Prestidigitation
By Tobin Mueller

Watermelon Man

From: Prestidigitation
By Tobin Mueller

Cliff's Edge

From: What Survives (Radio Edits)
By Tobin Mueller

Windowshade

From: What Survives (Radio Edits)
By Tobin Mueller

Wonder

From: Wonder
By Tobin Mueller

Wonder

From: Wonder
By Tobin Mueller

Come In Funky

From: Come in Funky
By Tobin Mueller

Wonder

From: Wonder
By Tobin Mueller

Wonder

From: Wonder
By Tobin Mueller

Come In Funky

From: Come in Funky
By Tobin Mueller

Wonder

From: Wonder
By Tobin Mueller

Come In Funky

From: Come in Funky
By Tobin Mueller

Let The Rumpus Begin

From: Wonder
By Tobin Mueller

The Long Sleep

From: Wonder
By Tobin Mueller

The Muller's Wheel

From: The Muller's Wheel
By Tobin Mueller

Come In Funky

From: Come in Funky
By Tobin Mueller

Frankenfanny

From: Come In Funky
By Tobin Mueller

The Muller's Wheel

From: The Muller's Wheel
By Tobin Mueller

The Long Sleep

From: Wonder
By Tobin Mueller

Come In Funky

From: Come in Funky
By Tobin Mueller

The Muller's Wheel

From: The Muller's Wheel
By Tobin Mueller

Frankenfanny

From: Come In Funky
By Tobin Mueller

Come In Funky

From: Come in Funky
By Tobin Mueller

Moanin' / Blue Monk

From: Standard Deviation (Tobin...
By Tobin Mueller