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Robin Eubanks Mass Line Big Band: More Than Meets The Ear
More Than Meets the Ear is Robin Eubanks' first foray leading a big band in his three decades as a performing musician. The date features compositions spanning Eubanks' entire career, artfully embellished and re-arranged for a formidable 19-piece ensemble. The key difference between this lineup and a conventional unit--other than Mike King's bluesy organ and Boris Kozlov's intermittent use of electric bass--is the leader's occasionally electrified trombone. Eubanks has long augmented his horn with effects pedals, but this is the ...
read moreRobin Eubanks + Mental Images: kLassik rocK vol. 1
While jazz purists like to think that the artists they love have always been into jazz and nothing else, the truth is often more than a little different: not only have most jazz artists who grew up in the '60s and beyond been unalterably impacted by more than just the jazz music of their time, but they remain fans of music beyond the genre's broadest purview. Yes, there are purists, but most musicians--irrespective of the style of music upon which ...
read moreRobin Eubanks: Master Trombonist... and Would-Be Rock Guitarist?
Name one contemporary jazz trombonist. Robin Eubanks, right?Eubanks is only one member of a notoriously musical Philadelphia family--you're probably familiar with some of his brothers--and was playing trombone at a tender age. He moved to New York City after graduating from the Philly-based University of the Arts, and has collaborated with an enormous range of musicians. He did serious road time with both Art Blakey and Elvin Jones, was a prominent participant in the 1980s ...
read moreRobin Eubanks + EB3: Live Vol. 1
Trombonist Robin Eubanks believes in staying up with the times. Not that electric trombone, trumpet or saxophone are anything new but relatively few jazz artists use them in concert since the looping and the pedal work can be quite complex. The opportunity to see it done live or on DVD is always something special. Eubanks' contemporary trio performance with EB3 features several electronic instruments, such as keyboard, bass, percussion pads and his unique electronic trombone, providing a thrilling concert based ...
read moreRobin Eubanks & EB3: Live Vol. 1
While ongoing developments in the area of technology have made it possible for artists to create a big band sound on a small band budget, you'd be hard pressed to find a group integrating it as seamlessly and interactively as trombonist Robin Eubanks' EB3 on Live Vol. 1. Thankfully Eubanks, rather than leaving listeners scratching their heads wondering who is doing what, has included a DVD that lets you watch five of the CD's nine performances. After seeing the footage, ...
read moreRobin Eubanks: Get 2 It
Robin Eubanks reconvenes his Mental Images ensemble on this wholly independent release. Playing both standard and electric trombones, Eubanks leads his players and special guests with enthusiasm and finesse. As on previous releases, he tips his hat to Wayne Shorter, this time with a beautiful “House of Jade" (with electrified intro/outro). The rest of the tracks are originals, ranging from involved full-band numbers ("Cross Currents," “Sabanna," “Indo") to an unconventional, off-the-cuff trio ("Reunion," for bone, guitar, and percussion) to varied ...
read moreRobin Eubanks: Get 2 It
On his sixth CD as a leader, Robin Eubanks progresses from the distinguished history of the jazz trombone, and he moves ahead to advance its voice in a way that few other trombonists have done. With the recent passing of J.J. Johnson and Al Grey, Eubanks is taking the lessons from their own innovations and is growing with his own. While listeners have no doubt been impressed with Eubanks' recent work with Dave Holland, lurking beneath his interpretations of Prime ...
read moreRobin Eubanks and Mental Images: Get 2 It
Robin Eubanks' electronic trombone is something else. Horn players have been trying for decades to create a vocal-like sound on their instruments. The plunger mute helped brass players when jazz was young. The electronic saxophone and EWI have allowed reed players to play harmony and create inspiring effects; yet, neither instrument has allowed sufficiently for vocal effects. Instead, flute players achieve their vocal effects through ' well ' vocalizing. Over the years, creative artists such as Lester Bowie have experimented ...
read moreRobin Eubanks and Mental Image: Get 2 It
Music of lasting value seems to transcend time and place. In other words, if it has eternal worth it will sound as fresh ten or twenty years down the road as it did the day it was recorded. You can't say that about a lot of the jazz that has been documented over the past twenty years or so. In an attempt to make this all relevant to the disc at hand, let us think about the M-Base movement which ...
read moreRobin Eubanks and Mental Images: Get 2 It
Like many creative endeavors, there seems to be cyclical nature to the trends and fashions that influence artist's musical undertakings. The impact of acid rock and funk could be heard in the jazz of artists such as Miles Davis and John McLaughlin when they “plugged in" during the late '60s and early '70s. We would then need to skip forward to the mid '80s to again see funk and electronic stimuli making their mark on the M-Base faction that found ...
read moreRobin Eubanks and Mental Images: Get 2 It
Robin Eubanks' electronic trombone is something else. Horn players have been trying for decades to create a vocal-like sound on their instruments. The plunger mute helped brass players when jazz was young. The electronic saxophone and EWI have allowed reed players to play harmony and create inspiring effects; yet, neither instrument has allowed sufficiently for vocal effects. Instead, flute players achieve their vocal effects through ' well ' vocalizing. Over the years, creative artists such as Lester Bowie have experimented ...
read moreRobin Eubanks: Get 2 It
On his sixth CD as a leader, Robin Eubanks progresses from the distinguished history of the jazz trombone, and he moves ahead to advance its voice in a way that few other trombonists have done. With the recent passing of J.J. Johnson and Al Grey, Eubanks is taking the lessons from their own innovations and is growing with his own. While listeners have no doubt been impressed with Eubanks' recent work with Dave Holland, lurking beneath his interpretations of Prime ...
read more
