Over his nearly 30 years entrenched in the art of music, Robert has released 10 albums of his own projects, participated in over 100 projects as a sideman, has performed in 40 countries and is achieving a growing reputation as an inspirational educator.
These days his primary focal points include his long-running ensemble Panacea; his trio Epiphany 3 with special guest dancer Masumi Endo, new electronic/song ensemble True Think (Truth Inc./Truth Ink), solo performance (including a fascination with one-handed works, which produced one solo album and festival - Leftitude - in 2013). He also continues to work with French saxophone great Julien Lourau, brilliant US singer Alicia Olatuja, UK giant Courtney Pine CBE, Cuban violinist legend Omar Puente, vibes master Orphy Robinson and in duos with Shirley Smart and Jason Rebello. He has recently recorded on albums/eps by Julien Lourau and the legendary Courtney Pine CBE, US sax firebrand James Brandon Lewis and in duo with Shirley Smart. Two new albums and a second book of poetry are on the way.
His latest album ‘The Rainbow Mountain/Can We Care’ is his 10th and first live solo album. This was recorded at the Jazz Cafe (London) in a performance sharing the bill with Vijay Iyer. A continuous improvisation - finished off with the song - hence the double title . A review from UKVibe stated :‘‘The Rainbow Mountain / Can We Care’ is an intimate, bold and thoroughly enjoyable listen and the perfect display of Robert Mitchell’s genius.” ‘A Vigil For Justice. A Vigil For Peace.’ from 2017 is for piano trio and features extensive original poetry inspired by the rapid political change in atmosphere in recent times, against the backdrop of so much unrealised human potential and vast inequalities. This was released on his own label - Depth Of Field. The poetry features amongst a debut collection published separately in 2017. In 2014 - his first large scale work - Invocation - was successfully performed by the grammy winning Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Goldsmith Big String and students from Avonbourne and Harewood at St Peters Church (Bournemouth) and the Queen Elizabeth Hall (London). Robert is now working on another large scale work - The Spirit Line - which is a tribute to the ever more prescient wisdom of the Zuni people of Arizona/New Mexico. Robert has two new albums in production - a live improvised solo piano album, and the debut from True Think (featuring guests from the UK, US and France). In 2019 Robert worked as MD on a BBC4 tribute to the great 60s TV show - Jazz 625 Live: For One Night Only (performing with Joshua Reman and Jacqui Dankworth and featuring Gregory Porter). It won Best Music Programme at the 2020 Broadcast Awards. He was among the group of nominees for the 2020 Hamlyn Award for Composition who all became recipients of the award due to the pandemic.
Robert is set to complete commissions for London Sinfonietta and JazzSouth in 2020. The latter focuses upon the life and achievements of U.S. civil rights icon, John Lewis.
Robert is now a Jazz Piano Professor at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He sits on the Ivors Academy Panels: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee, Jazz and Women In Music.
Working with longtime U.S. arts consulting and management organization, Outward Visions (George Russell, Steve Reich, John Zorn, Art Ensemble of Chicago, World Saxophone Quartet). As his reputation has consistently grown as one of the UK’s most serious and respected composer/pianists, Robert Mitchell is ideally suited to be a powerful force in the newest developments of both the music and its business environment.
“I wish to encapsulate the feeling of endless upward progress - to remove the apparent divisions between inspiration, notation, deployment, and performance. And to appeal to the idea that there is no limit to the amount of beauty we can reveal in the universe”
‘The astonishing Robert Mitchell, familiar as the pianist and MD for the recent ‘BBC Four celebrates Jazz 625 For One Night Only’, took the keyboard apart in every sense of the word. He uses both hands and sometimes cross-hands with equal force to build solos of unbelievable depth and complexity. Urged on by his fellow players and the awe-struck audience, his playing became ever more audacious as the evening progressed.’ thejazzmann.com
For more information about this outstanding artist, visit www.robertmitchellmusic.com Photo by S. Cropper.
These days his primary focal points include his long-running ensemble Panacea; his trio Epiphany 3 with special guest dancer Masumi Endo, new electronic/song ensemble True Think (Truth Inc./Truth Ink), solo performance (including a fascination with one-handed works, which produced one solo album and festival - Leftitude - in 2013). He also continues to work with French saxophone great Julien Lourau, brilliant US singer Alicia Olatuja, UK giant Courtney Pine CBE, Cuban violinist legend Omar Puente, vibes master Orphy Robinson and in duos with Shirley Smart and Jason Rebello. He has recently recorded on albums/eps by Julien Lourau and the legendary Courtney Pine CBE, US sax firebrand James Brandon Lewis and in duo with Shirley Smart. Two new albums and a second book of poetry are on the way.
His latest album ‘The Rainbow Mountain/Can We Care’ is his 10th and first live solo album. This was recorded at the Jazz Cafe (London) in a performance sharing the bill with Vijay Iyer. A continuous improvisation - finished off with the song - hence the double title . A review from UKVibe stated :‘‘The Rainbow Mountain / Can We Care’ is an intimate, bold and thoroughly enjoyable listen and the perfect display of Robert Mitchell’s genius.” ‘A Vigil For Justice. A Vigil For Peace.’ from 2017 is for piano trio and features extensive original poetry inspired by the rapid political change in atmosphere in recent times, against the backdrop of so much unrealised human potential and vast inequalities. This was released on his own label - Depth Of Field. The poetry features amongst a debut collection published separately in 2017. In 2014 - his first large scale work - Invocation - was successfully performed by the grammy winning Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Goldsmith Big String and students from Avonbourne and Harewood at St Peters Church (Bournemouth) and the Queen Elizabeth Hall (London). Robert is now working on another large scale work - The Spirit Line - which is a tribute to the ever more prescient wisdom of the Zuni people of Arizona/New Mexico. Robert has two new albums in production - a live improvised solo piano album, and the debut from True Think (featuring guests from the UK, US and France). In 2019 Robert worked as MD on a BBC4 tribute to the great 60s TV show - Jazz 625 Live: For One Night Only (performing with Joshua Reman and Jacqui Dankworth and featuring Gregory Porter). It won Best Music Programme at the 2020 Broadcast Awards. He was among the group of nominees for the 2020 Hamlyn Award for Composition who all became recipients of the award due to the pandemic.
Robert is set to complete commissions for London Sinfonietta and JazzSouth in 2020. The latter focuses upon the life and achievements of U.S. civil rights icon, John Lewis.
Robert is now a Jazz Piano Professor at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He sits on the Ivors Academy Panels: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee, Jazz and Women In Music.
Working with longtime U.S. arts consulting and management organization, Outward Visions (George Russell, Steve Reich, John Zorn, Art Ensemble of Chicago, World Saxophone Quartet). As his reputation has consistently grown as one of the UK’s most serious and respected composer/pianists, Robert Mitchell is ideally suited to be a powerful force in the newest developments of both the music and its business environment.
“I wish to encapsulate the feeling of endless upward progress - to remove the apparent divisions between inspiration, notation, deployment, and performance. And to appeal to the idea that there is no limit to the amount of beauty we can reveal in the universe”
‘The astonishing Robert Mitchell, familiar as the pianist and MD for the recent ‘BBC Four celebrates Jazz 625 For One Night Only’, took the keyboard apart in every sense of the word. He uses both hands and sometimes cross-hands with equal force to build solos of unbelievable depth and complexity. Urged on by his fellow players and the awe-struck audience, his playing became ever more audacious as the evening progressed.’ thejazzmann.com
For more information about this outstanding artist, visit www.robertmitchellmusic.com Photo by S. Cropper.
