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December 2011Happy Holidays everyone!James Robinson Christmas Eve performance at Cascal in Mountain View Ca 9pm-Midnight!New Years Eve performance at Cascal in Mountain View Ca 9pm-1:30am!www.cascalrestaurant.com**September 2011September 16th performed with Danny, Willie and Suzi at the Bankhead Theatre in Livermore CaArt Thompson, editor from Guitar Player Magazine was MC for the night.We opened for Lee Ritenour, it was the Guitar Player Live festival.Hung out briefly with Lee after the show. Not only a storied guitarist, but a great guy as well!Check out pictures from the show in the gallery and on the facebook fanpage.July 2011**7/25/11I am proud to announce my endorsment with Kenny Hill Guitars. Details to follow soon.....Hill Guitar Company**I am just knocked out by Kenny Hill's guitar! I am playing this guitar for my new recordings on the music page.Hill's guitar is a concert classical guitar that also works with a pick. Every other concert classical guitar I have tried has not worked with both techniques. I have always used two different guitars for each discipline. Through this week, I will be recording my music playing the Hill guitar while using a pick. Sunday July 10th is a Classical date in San Jose California.I will be performing Piazolla's Histoire Du Tango (Flute and Guitar), Villa Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras no5 (voice and guitar), Tarrega's Capricho Arabe (guitar solo)I will be posting some Classical pieces soon.**May 2011Hey everyone,just recorded one of my favorite songs. It is a traditional Turkish song called Dere Geliyor. Check out the cool time signature.
bio

bio

As founder of Favored Nations, the legendary Steve Vai has built a thriving creative home for guitar legends dedicated to fostering the art of their axe, most recently adding James Robinson to its ever diversifying roster. With the release of James Robinson's stylistically expansive label debut Colours, Favored Nations shows a deep commitment to the future of the instrument.One listen to the Bay Area native's virtuosity, emotionally compelling melodies and rhythmically eclectic grooves which range from Latin, Funk, Middle Eastern and straightforward jazz will no doubt inspire guitar fans the world over to echo Larry Carltons sentiments upon hearing Robinsons music for the first time: "James is an extraordinary talent that deserves to be heard"Robinson, who counts Carlton as one of his boyhood guitar idols, met Vai through Carlton, and Vai was immediately hooked: "He's phenomenal!"Robinson released two widely acclaimed independent CDs, his self-titled 1997 debut (which featured electric and steel string in addition to acoustic) and 2000's Tumbling Into The Sky.In 2003, the year he originally released Colours independently, Robinson won San Francisco radio station KKSF's Bay Area Artist Contest. As a result, the album's opening track, flamenco flavored "Tales of Change," was featured on the KKSF CD Sampler for AIDS Relief, Volume 14.As Robinson explains in his liner notes, Colours was written to celebrate the powerful influence that the culturally diverse San Francisco Bay Area has had on him and the development of his music. "All three of my albums have shown a certain eclectic approach, incorporating jazz and flamenco and a deep sense of improvisation.The twelfth of thirteen children, James Robinson grew up in the San Jose suburb of Campbell, inspired to learn classical piano at age eight. Moving to guitar at the age of 12, studying voraciously often 8-10 hours a day. Every imaginable kind of music and instrument were played in the household, from jazz, classical piano, fusion, blues, country, rock, the list goes on.With numerous musical siblings (six of his eight brothers play the guitar), he had a vast array of musical inspirations, from numerous instructors often studying with multiple instructors at the same time, to the brilliant work of Al Di Miola, John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia on their 1980 recording "Friday Night in San Francisco". Although he began a love affair with jazz fusion via the works of Allan Holdsworth, Pat Metheny and Larry Carlton (particularly L.C.'s unforgettable solo on "Mulberry Street"), and formed a Rush/Zeppelin cover band in high school, most of Robinson's earliest professional endeavors revolved around classical music.A consummate working guitarist, Robinson played in all types of musical settings over the years. I would never play in a situation if I disliked the music I think that it is very dangerous to ones artistic spirit to play music one does not love "Over the years, even though I was successful as a guitarist, I was strongly driven to become more of a consummate artist. The magnificent Colours points to a brilliant, sky's the limit future for a guitarist who will be conquering the instrumental world for years to come. "There's no one part of the journey that stands out, but it's the journey itself that has been the greatest blessing," Robinson says. "As my artistry has developed, I've gone deeper into my music and found new, fresh and creative ways to express how I see the world. Music has given so much back to me.

gallery

gallery

pics of JRG and events...

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James Willie and Danny

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James

James and Kenny Hill Guitar

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James and Suzi

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James Robinson

Al Di Meola

Eric Sardinas

James and Steve Vai

Kenny Hill Guitar

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Kenny Hill Guitar

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Kenny Hill Guitar

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tour

tour
December:Christmas Eve 2011Cascal- Mountain View9pm-Midnightwww.cascalrestaurant.comNew Years Eve!!! 2011Cascal- Mountain View, Ca9pm-1:30amwww.cascalrestaurant.comOctober:Sunday Oct. 23, at 3pmModesto, CAConcert and Performance byJames Robinson Groupfor ticket info:http://www.cbsmodesto.org/September:Saturday Sept 3, at 3pm Bandstand BoogieLos Gatos CAMore Info....James Robinson GroupFriday Sep 16, at 8pm James Robinson Groupopening for:Lee RitenourLVPAC Guitar Festival LIVE!Livermore CABankhead TheaterSaturday Sep 17, at 8pm James Robinson Groupopening for:Lee RitenourNapa CANapa Valley Opera House

music

Music

music

In the Year of our Lord mp3.mp3

In the Year of our Lord

Summertime

Middle West

Dere Geliyor

Adelita

Largrima

James is playing his Hill Signature model guitar on all the tracks on this page

hillguitar.com

summertime 3 24 bit mp3.mp3

Middle west mp3.mp3

Dere Robinson mp3.mp3

adelita final mp3.mp3

Largrima mp3.mp3

Music

Discography

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Discography

01 Tales of Change.mp3

Tumbling Into The Sky- 2000Independently Released
Track Listing: 1. Tales of Change 2. Days Have Passed 3. Wave Upon Wave 4. Peace of Spirit 5. Argentina 6. Six Giant Steps to Seven 7. God's Grace 8. Look to the Skies 9. Younger Moon 10. Colours of Awakening 11. It's A Simple Game
Track Listing: 1. Penny Spirit 2. Finding a Way 3. Until Then 4. Into one 5. A new dance 6. The Revenge of the Sun 7. As night comes 8. Tumbling into the Sky 9. Southern Ruby10. Nicks Song (For Mary Ann)

buy on itunes
Colours- 2005Favored Nations Record Label

08 Tumbling Into The Sky.mp3

7. Cinema 8. Virginia 9. Soquel Creek into 10. Soquel Creek 11. Wedding Song 12. Jimmy's March 13. Listen a Minute
Track Listing: 1. Magellan 2. 789 3. The Moon is Mean to the Sun 4. San Martin 5. Offering 6. Ice Cloud
James Robinson- 1997IndependentlyReleased

05 Offering.mp3

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Discography

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Video

James Robinson

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Discography

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press

Press:
"He's Phenomenal"-Steve Vai"James is an extraordinary talent who deserves to be heard." -Larry Carlton"a great album, start to finish"Review: Winner of San Francisco radio station KKSF's Bay Area Artist Contest in 2003, James Robinson came to the attention of his own idol, infamous Larry Carlton, who says, "James is an extraordinary talent who deserves to be heard." That's quite an endorsement from a man who put the lick in guitar! Celebrating the influence of the culturally diverse San Francisco Bay area, Robinson includes tunes as broad as the bay, itself. Complex chords, challenging rhythms and streaming melodies keeps Colours interesting from beginning to end. Legendary Steve Vai, founder of Favored Nations, was drawn to Robinsons amazing talent. Teaming Robinson with ultra-talented band members makes this a great album, start to finish. -Nina Goodrich Jazz ReviewGuitar One Magazine March 2005Colour Coordinated"I don't usually think about music in terms of genre," says Bay area guitarist James Robinson. "I don't want to limit myself to any one style." Such sentiments, though certainly noble, send up red flags all over the place, When a musician talks about 'transcending genres' or ' defying categorization,' it often means that instead of honing his underwhelming, if not downright annoying, in not just one but many styles.Not so for James Robinson. For ease of reference, Robinson's new album, Colours, will likely be pegged as a "jazz" release by most-but it's more than that. "there's such a diversity of cultures in San Francisco," the guitarist explains. "My shows put me in contact with people from all over the world". "It's hard to not be influenced and inspired by that connection."It's also unlikely to have grown up with five guitar-playing brothers and not picked a little bit of everything. "I come from a family of 13, and six of us play guitar," says Robinson. "Really, my brothers were my first teachers-there were all kinds of music going on in the house, at all times, I'd go to one brother, and He'd show me something, then he'd go off to another, and he'd teach me something entirely different."Years of intense classical guitar study and a healthy dose of jazz instruction also inform Robinson's extensive musical lexicon. Consequently, his palette goes well beyond traditional jazz, on the acoustic guitar-driven Colours, Robinson seamlessly incorporates elements of classical, flamenco, Brazilian, world, funk, rock, and Middle Eastern music into the eclectic mix. - Christian Wissmuller Guitar One MagazineRock Times (German Magazine) translated by Linda Yarritu"When Steve Vai, [of ] the guitarist devil character, founds a label to give especially gifted guitarists a creative home, then one can be assured that those chosen are exactly that: devilishly good! James Robinson, an absolute virtuoso on the classical acoustic guitar."- Ella Wirtz, 23.02.2005 Rock Times"There's no denying Robinson's wizardry with his acoustic guitar...""....it is Robinson's musicianship that impresses, generating a torrent of notes on compositions such as 'Penny Spirit' and 'Finding a Way.'"- Michael MolluraMusic Connection Magazine"Robinson knew early on that he wanted a career as a musician, a career his late parents didn't immediately approve of. His father, Stanley, was an eye surgeon and his mother, Virginia, was a nurse.'You were supposed to play music, but it was not something you did for a living,' he says. 'My older brothers wore my father down' to let him pursue music as a career.'"- Read more: Rosegarden Resident Cover Story March 24, 2005"The 12th of 13 children, Robinson says he grew up in a Campbell home filled with music.'Every child would start with piano lessons and then branch off into cello, violin or guitar," he says. "By the time it got to me, playing music was second nature. I started piano at 8 and guitar at 12.'Robinson hasn't stopped playing guitar since."- Read more: Campbell Reporter Feature Story March 30, 2005James Robinson: ColoursColours is definitely geared toward guitar aficionados. The legendarySteve Vai discovered Robinson and signed him to his Favored Nations label,home to some of the best guitar players in the world. The San Francisco native deftly blends flavors of Latin, Brazilian and other world music tocreate an album of fiery guitar magic - Mike Farley mfarley_bullz-eye.comRock reviews ColoursYear: 2005Format: CD Label: Favored Nations AcousticGenre: [Acoustic Guitar-oriented Instrumental/Flamenco/Jazz/Fusion]Overall Rating: 9.0 Music: 9.0Production: 9.0After hearing Robinson's music, Steve Vai didn't have to ponder whether to sign him or not. It's quite easy to endorse Vai's opinion of Robinson: "He's phenomenal!". Since this album is so extraordinary.I haven't come across too many guitarists that have sense of melody, harmony, rhythm and tone... Robinson has it all, and that is really creditable. Colours is a must-have for every listener of instrumental acoustic guitar music.-MAGE (07.02.2005)- MAGE (07.02.2005)______________________________________________________________Culturehebdo.com (France)Hes got the strength of ten on each finger.The record label Favored Nations, founded by Steve Vai, is dedicated to showcasing the best guitarists on the planet. You can bet on the success of James Robinson's CD COLOURS. Robinson made a name for himself by winning a prestigious artist competition sponsored by San Francisco radio station KKSF. Recording this first CD has been worthwhile for him. He lets his fingers do the talking.Robinson makes his guitar more valuable by taking on influences from all over. Proof of that is the first song Tales of Change which comes from pure flamenco. Theres no other way to get on board. There is hardly any filler music on this record. Its all put together to bring pleasure to the senses. He is so agile, you can believe that this boy has got the strength of ten on each finger. Culturehebdo.com (France)

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links

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Favored Nationswww.favorednations.comSteve Vaiwww.vai.comLarry Carltonwww.larrycarlton.com.......Kenny Hill Guitar Co.www.hillguitar.comDaniel Yarrituwww.danielyarritu.comWillie Garzawww.williegarza.com

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Hafizwww.hafizonlove.comRumiwww.rumi.net
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Management:

Prime Time Entertainment, Inc.

2430 Research Dr.

Livermore, CA 94550

925.449.1724 Fax 925.605.0379

email

Record Label:

Favored Nations

www.favorednations.com

In the Year of our Lord mp3.mp3

Dere Robinson mp3.mp3

adelita final mp3.mp3

Middle west mp3.mp3

summertime 3 24 bit mp3.mp3

01 Tales of Change.mp3

06 Six Giant Steps To Seven.mp3

Dere Robinson mp3.mp3

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