Press Release by: Reginald Robinson
The traditional turn of the 20th century sounds of Scott Joplin may seem as antique as the Baroque music of the great Antonio Vivaldi to many modern musicians. Reginald Robinson however is a lover of the birth mother of bebop and jazz and aims to preserve the preciousness of a seem-to-be-forgotten genre- Ragtime.
Robinson is an African-American self-taught composer and performer of the classic art of Ragtime. The gifted musician first learned of Ragtime as a seventh grader when a group of musicians visited his grammar school. He began the study of piano as an adolescent alone in his bedroom when most of his peers were joyously playing along the sidewalks until the streetlights came on.
As he continued his study, the young artist grew, but unfortunately never returned to high school after fleeing a violent-ridden schoolhouse nestled in the South Side of Chicago.
“I really didn’t like the idea of him dropping out of school,” says Robinson’s mother in a Chicago Tribune documentary. “But in a way I was glad…because of the violence,” she continued. “My children weren’t used to that.”
Unlike the majority of Robinson’s fellow musicians, the gifted composer was never embraced by the tutelage of a classically trained mentor. Instead, he journeyed the intricate map of music solo and used his untrained ear to detangle complex chords and mellifluous melodies until he mastered each phrase note by note complete with proper dynamics and tempo.
Similar to the 1940’s revival of Ragtime, Robinson’s sound is like a fresh new life full of harmonies waiting to be shared with the world. Ironically for this composer, the 33-year-old maestro is one of the few living African-American musicians known to professionally compose and perform this vintage art form – and with such virtuosity.
Defeating all odds, the accomplished musician has many achievements including the release of his four albums. His most honored success to date is being the 2004 recipient of a $500,000 MacArthur “Genius Grant” awarded for his above average insight and potential in his art form.
Robinson’s latest release entitled Man Out of Time is a collection of over a decade of the artist’s musical works. The CD is available for purchase at www.reginaldrobinson.com.
For more information: http://www.reginaldrobinson.com
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