Robin Eubanks
Encyclopedia
Robin Eubanks is an American
jazz
and jazz fusion
slide trombonist
, the brother of guitar
ist Kevin Eubanks
and trumpeter Duane Eubanks.
, Sun Ra
, and Stevie Wonder
. Robin also played with the jazz drummer Art Blakey
in his band, the Jazz Messengers, and performed and recorded extensively with drummer/composer Bobby Previte
. He was a contributor on fellow jazz trombonist Steve Turre
's 2003 release One4J: Paying Homage to J.J. Johnson
. Eubanks has also released several albums as a bandleader.
Currently, Robin plays with double bass
ist Dave Holland
's quintet, newly formed septet, and big band
. He teaches at New York University
with other prominent jazz musicians including guitarist John Scofield
and tenor saxophonist Chris Potter
. He also teaches full time at two prestigious schools of music, Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and the New England Conservatory in Boston
. Robin is the newest member to the all star group, the SFJAZZ Collective
, where his band mates include Eric Harland
, Joe Lovano
, Dave Douglas, Miguel Zenón
, Stefon Harris
, Renee Rosnes
, and Matt Penman.
He is one of the pioneers of M-Base
, a musical concept he pioneered with other musicians such as Steve Coleman
and Greg Osby
(among others).
Eubanks has appeared on television numerous times, often playing with brother Kevin. Within the space of one week, Eubanks once did a week of fill-ins for Matt Finders
in the Tonight Show
band, then flew to New York to fill in for Steve Turre on Saturday Night Live
.
Robin appeared as a guest artist on the Northeastern State University Jazz Ensemble's 2008 album "Global Citizen."
Most recently, Robin was voted #1 Trombonist by Downbeat magazine.
With Dave Holland
WIth Superblue
With others
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
slide trombonist
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, the brother of guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Kevin Eubanks
Kevin Eubanks
Kevin Tyrone Eubanks is an American jazz guitarist and composer who was the leader of the Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led The Primetime Band on the short-lived The Jay Leno Show.- Personal background :Eubanks was born into a musical family...
and trumpeter Duane Eubanks.
Biography
Robin first appeared on the jazz scene in 1980, playing with Slide HamptonSlide Hampton
Locksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton is an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.He was a 1998 Grammy Award winner for "Best Jazz Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist", as arranger for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater...
, Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
, and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
. Robin also played with the jazz drummer Art Blakey
Art Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
in his band, the Jazz Messengers, and performed and recorded extensively with drummer/composer Bobby Previte
Bobby Previte
Robert "Bobby" Previte is a drummer, composer and bandleader. Previte earned a B.A. in Economics at the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979, and became active in the city's thriving jazz and experimental music scenes...
. He was a contributor on fellow jazz trombonist Steve Turre
Steve Turre
Steve Turre is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist....
's 2003 release One4J: Paying Homage to J.J. Johnson
J.J. Johnson
J. J. Johnson was a United States jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. He was sometimes credited as Jay Jay Johnson....
. Eubanks has also released several albums as a bandleader.
Currently, Robin plays with double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
ist Dave Holland
Dave Holland
Dave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for 40 years....
's quintet, newly formed septet, and big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
. He teaches at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
with other prominent jazz musicians including guitarist John Scofield
John Scofield
John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
and tenor saxophonist Chris Potter
Chris Potter (jazz saxophonist)
Chris Potter is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Potter spent most of his childhood in Columbia, South Carolina where his mother taught psychology at the University of South Carolina...
. He also teaches full time at two prestigious schools of music, Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and the New England Conservatory in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Robin is the newest member to the all star group, the SFJAZZ Collective
SFJAZZ Collective
The SFJAZZ Collective is a jazz ensemble comprising eight performer/composers. Launched in 2004 by , a West Coast non-profit jazz institution and the presenter of the annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, with funding from the James Irvine Foundation, the Collective was critically acclaimed by The...
, where his band mates include Eric Harland
Eric Harland
Eric Harland is an American jazz drummer.Besides leading his own group Harland has performed with many renowned artists, including Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Joshua Redman, Ravi Coltrane, Kenny Garrett, Dave Holland, Charles Lloyd, Michael Brecker, Terence Blanchard, Walter Smith...
, Joe Lovano
Joe Lovano
Joseph Salvatore "Joe" Lovano is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls...
, Dave Douglas, Miguel Zenón
Miguel Zenon
Miguel Zenón is an alto saxophonist, composer and bandleader.-Biography:Miguel Zenón was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While studying at the Escuela Libre de Musica in San Juan, he won a scholarship to the “Berklee in Puerto Rico” program of the Berklee College of Music and a scholarship to...
, Stefon Harris
Stefon Harris
Stefon Harris is an American jazz vibraphonist. In 1999, the Los Angeles Times called him "one of the most important young artists in jazz" who is "at the forefront of new New York music" and "much in demand as a star sideman"...
, Renee Rosnes
Renee Rosnes
Irene Louise Rosnes , professionally known as Renee Rosnes , is a pianist, composer and arranger in the hard bop and post-bop mediums.-Biography:...
, and Matt Penman.
He is one of the pioneers of M-Base
M-Base
The term "M-Base" is used in several ways. In the 1980s, a loose collective of young African-American musicians including Steve Coleman, Graham Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Geri Allen, Robin Eubanks, and Greg Osby emerged in Brooklyn with a new sound and specific ideas about creative expression...
, a musical concept he pioneered with other musicians such as Steve Coleman
Steve Coleman
Steve Coleman, born , is an African American saxophone player, spontaneous composer, composer and band leader. His music and concepts have been a heavy influence on contemporary jazz.-Chicago:...
and Greg Osby
Greg Osby
Greg Osby is an American jazz saxophonist who plays mainly in the free jazz, free funk and M-Base idioms.-Biography:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, where he majored in Jazz Studies, and then at the Berklee College of Music, with Andy McGhee...
(among others).
Eubanks has appeared on television numerous times, often playing with brother Kevin. Within the space of one week, Eubanks once did a week of fill-ins for Matt Finders
Matt Finders
Matt Finders is an American trombonist based in Southern California. A former member of The Tonight Show Band, he has played with various big bands and in major musical productions on Broadway. Though Finders has worked in many genres, his primary focus is on jazz...
in the Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
band, then flew to New York to fill in for Steve Turre on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.
Robin appeared as a guest artist on the Northeastern State University Jazz Ensemble's 2008 album "Global Citizen."
Most recently, Robin was voted #1 Trombonist by Downbeat magazine.
Solo
- Wake Up Call (Sirocco Jazz, 1997)
- Karma (JMTJMTJMT may refer to:* JMT Records, a record label that specialized in contemporary jazz* Jedi Mind Tricks, a hip hop group with two members from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and one from Camden, New Jersey...
, 1990) - Dedication (with Steve TurreSteve TurreSteve Turre is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist....
) (JMT, 1989) - Different Perspectives (JMT, 1988)
- EB3 Live Vol. 1 CD/DVD (RKM, 2007)
Ensembles
- Mental Images: Get 2 It (REM, 2001)
- Mental Images: Mental Images (JMT Records, 1994)
- Robin Eubanks Sextet: 4:JJ/Slide/Curtis and Al (TCB, 1998)
As sideman
With Joe HendersonJoe Henderson
Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
- Big BandBig Band (album)Big Band is a 1997 album by jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson, the fourth of the five albums he recorded with Verve Records during the end of his career.-Track listing:#"Without a Song" – 5:24#"Isotope" – 5:20#"Inner Urge" – 9:01#"Black Narcissus" – 6:53...
(1996)
With Dave Holland
Dave Holland
Dave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for 40 years....
- The Razor's EdgeThe Razor's Edge (album)-Track listing:# "Brother Ty" - 4:34# "Vedana" - 4:53# "The Razor's Edge" - 7:52# "Blues For C.M." - 9:15# "Vortex" - 8:11# "5 Four Six" - 4:26# "Wights Waits for Weights" - 5:25...
(ECM, 1987) - Points of ViewPoints of View (album)-Track listing:# "The Balance" - 9:24# "Mister B." - 11:01# "Bedouin Trail" - 8:55# "Metamorphose" - 8:29# "Ario" - 10:24# "Herbaceous" - 9:47# "The Benevolet One" - 7:05# "Serenade" - 6:49...
(ECM, 1998) - What Goes AroundWhat Goes Around (album)What Goes Around is Dave Holland's first big band album, released in 2002. It features his working quintet of the period augmented to big band size with a total of 13 members...
(ECM, 2002) - Not for Nothin'Not For Nothin'-Track listing:All compositions by Dave Holland, except as noted.# "Global Citizen" - 11:12# "For All You Are" - 8:19# "Lost And Found" - 9:27# "Shifting Sands" - 5:20# "Billows Of Rhythm" - 6:45...
(ECM, 2001) - Extended Play: Live at BirdlandExtended Play: Live at BirdlandExtended Play: Live at Birdland is a live jazz album recorded at the famous New York city jazz club Birdland in 2001, by the Dave Holland Quintet. It was later released in 2003.- Personnel :*Chris Potter - soprano, alto and tenor saxophones...
(ECM, 2003) - Pathways (Dare2, 2010)
WIth Superblue
Superblue (band)
Superblue was an American jazz ensemble that released two albums for Blue Note Records in 1988 and 1989.-Supeblue:Superblue featured an octet including Bobby Watson, Roy Hargrove, Mulgrew Miller, Frank Lacy, Bill Pierce, Kenny Washington, Don Sickler, Bob Hurst.#"Open Sesame"#"I Remember...
- Superblue 2 (1989, Blue Note RecordsBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
)
With others
- Geri AllenGeri AllenGeri Allen is an American composer/pianist educator jazz pianist, raised in Detroit, Michigan, and educated in the Detroit Public Schools. Allen has worked with many of the greats of modern music, including Ornette Coleman, Ron Carter, Ravi Coltrane, Tony Williams, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette,...
: Open on All Sides in the Middle (Minor Music, 1987) - Geri Allen: The Gathering (Verve, 1998)
- Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers: Live at Montreux and North Sea (Timeless, 1980)
- Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers: I Get a Kick out of Bu (Soul Note, 1988)
- Kenny DrewKenny DrewKenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Born in New York City, New York, he first recorded with Howard McGhee in 1949, and over the next two years recorded with Buddy DeFranco, Coleman Hawkins, Milt Jackson, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, and Dinah Washington...
: Follow the Spirit (Sirocco Jazz, 2000) - Andrew HillAndrew HillAndrew Hill was an American jazz pianist and composer.Hill is recognized as one of the most important innovators of jazz piano in the 1960s...
: But Not FarewellBut Not FarewellBut Not Farewell is an album by American jazz pianist Andrew Hill recorded in 1990 and released on the Blue Note label in 1991. The album features seven of Hill's original compositions with four performed by his quintet, one duet with Greg Osby, and two solo piano pieces...
(Blue NoteBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
, 1990) - Abdullah IbrahimAbdullah IbrahimAbdullah Ibrahim , born Adolph Johannes Brand, 9 October 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, and formerly known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer...
: Good News from Africa: Portrait (Enja, 1979) - Joe JacksonJoe Jackson (musician)Joe Jackson is an English musician and singer-songwriter now living in Berlin, whose five Grammy Award nominations span from 1979 to 2001...
: Symphony No. 1Symphony No. 1 (album)Symphony No. 1 is a 1999 album by Joe Jackson. Jackson received a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album in 2001, after several unsuccessful nominations for previous work. Symphony No...
(Sony Classical, 1999) - J. J. Johnson: Brass Orchestra (PolyGramPolyGramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, 1996) - B.B. King: Live at the Apollo (MCAMusic Corporation of AmericaMCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
, 1990) - Mingus Big Band: Essential Mingus Big Band (Dreyfus, 1996)
- Sun Ra: Other Side of the Sun (Universe, 1978)
- Barbra Streisand: The Concert (Sony, 1994)
- Talking Heads: Naked (SireSire RecordsSire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
, 1988) - McCoy Tyner Big Band: Uptown/DowntownUptown/DowntownUptown/Downtown is a 1988 live album by McCoy Tyner released on the Milestone label, his first for the label since 13th House . It was recorded in November 1988 and features performances by Tyner's Big Band, which included Junior Cook, Ricky Ford, Kamau Adilifu and Steve Turre, recorded at the Blue...
(Milestone, 1988) - McCoy TynerMcCoy TynerMcCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
: Incontournables (WEAWarner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, 2000) - Grover Washington Jr.: All My Tomorrows (Sony, 1994)
- Sadao WatanabeSadao Watanabe (musician)is an influential Japanese jazz musician who plays the alto saxophone, sopranino saxophone and flute. He is known for his Bossa Nova recordings, although his work encompasses a large range of styles with collaborations from musicians all over the world. Sadao first began learning music at the age...
: Remembrance (Verve, 1999)