Robert Mitchell is an award- winning and critically acclaimed pianist and composer; this is his new musical project, released in 2017 as his 9th album entitled Vigil For Justice. A Vigil For Peace. Recorded mainly in a piano trio format, the music is part of a bigger concept; a result and a step forward in Robert Mitchell’s pursuits as an innovator. It features new original music and poetry from a forthcoming collection.

Like many artists who grew up in the post-60s environment, Robert was exposed to a full gamut of musical disciplines from hard core Western Classicism through World music traditions. Growing up in a musical family, Robert began serious piano studies at the age of 6 in the established UK conservatory system. Combined with a listening love of Soul, R&B and popular music of the 70s/80s, Robert began to develop his own sense of musical expression.

An ‘epiphany’ occurred upon hearing the legendary Jazz pianists Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson “at just the right time for my ears and heart,” provoking the young pianist to “understand the components that made their approaches so special….and to begin discovering how to make my own versions of that special beauty.” Continuing to pursue his formal education, a BSC degree followed at City University in London, which included a course of study at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

In the early 90s, Robert began to emerge as an important member of the London scene with two groups Quite Sane and Tomorrow’s Warriors. Poles apart in their music and purpose – New York influenced fusion/hip-hop vs. 40s-60s bebop/hard-bop. This quickly led to further involvement with internationally known figures from both sides of the Atlantic, including Steve Coleman, Greg Osby, Courtney Pine and Steve Williamson.

All of these experiences focused Robert more heavily upon his personal expression of what he needed to contribute as composer and bandleader. Over his nearly 20 years entrenched in the art of music, Robert has recorded nine albums of his own projects and participated in over 100 as a sideman.

These days his primary focal points include his long-running ensemble Panacea, his new trio Epiphany 3 and he continues to work with young Cuban vocalist Dayme Arocena, French saxophone great Julien Lourau, Soul and West-End star Shaun Escoffery, French sax innovator Stephane Payen, young saxophonist Tom Harrison, Cuban violinist Omar Puente, and new free jazz/radical poetry group StagerLee Wonders. He has recently recorded on albums by Julien Lourau and the legendary Courtney Pine CBE.

Long-time sideman Tom Mason has provided double bass work on several of Robert’s projects. Tom began his musical career as a classical violinist, switching to bass in 1998 at the age of 18. In the same year he was accepted to study jazz bass at the Royal Academy of Music. Since then, he has performed, recorded and toured in the UK and internationally with an eclectic array of artists including Robin Eubanks, Michael Cain, Marty Ehrlich, Gerard Presencer, Famadou Don Moye and James Newton to name but a few.

Saleem Rahman is a drummer that has come to jazz from a very different background with soul/jazz, broken beat artist Kaidi Tatham (Propheteers and the Herbaliser), work with pianist/singer Julia Biel, the Fontanelles a band based around the music of Fela Kuti and London based French jazz vocalist Gabrielle Ducomble.

Robert Mitchell’s latest album 'A Vigil For Justice. A Vigil For Peace.' 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 will be a different sort of evening that will make you think and feel, from your toes to your head and to your heart.

robertmitchellmusic.com