It should be noted from the outset that there are no bad Spike Robinson recordings. The little-known tenor saxophonist had a bold swinging style, much like Al Cohn, but Robinson tended to climb into instrument's higher register and linger there longer, likely a result of his early years on alto saxophone and clarinet. In this regard, he shares more in common with Stan Getz, both in tone and the lyricism of his playing and solo work.
One of Robinson's finest albums (and there are many) is Spike Robinson Plays Harry Warren (Hep). Part of the album was recorded for Discovery Records in December 1981 and features Spike Robinson (ts), Victor Feldman (p) Ray Brown (b) and John Guerin (d). The balance was recorded in 1993 in Los Angeles with Pete Jolly (p), Jennifer Leitham (b) and Paul Kreibich (d). The album is flawless.
Henry "Spike" Robinson was born in Kenosha, Wis., in 1930. He began playing the saxophone at age 12 and then the classical clarinet, starting his professional career at 14. After high school in 1948, he joined the Navy as a musician and was stationed in the U.K. in 1950, where he recorded his first few 10-inch LPs for Esquire Records starting in 1951. In the mid-1950s, Robinson was discharged and returned to the States, winding up in Chicago. Disenchanted with the jazz scene there, Robinson studied electrical engineering with NASA in Columbus, Ohio, on the G.I. Bill.
For the next 30 years, he worked as an electrical engineer, playing in jazz bands at night, mostly in Boulder, Colo., where he lived, and Denver. Robinson had an unusual way of playing the saxophone, using the side of is mouth to blow into the slightly turned mouthpiece. In the mid-1980s, he retired from his engineering job and moved to England to play the saxophone and record. He also worked in Paris, where he became seriously ill and nearly died. His agent, Susan May, stayed in Paris and probably saved his life by being his advocate. They later married.
The tracks from 1981 are: This Is Always, This Heart of Mine, The More I See You, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Cheerful Little Earful, I Only Have Eyes for You, Lulu's Back in Town and I Wish I Knew. The tracks from 1993 are At Last, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, There Will Never Be Another You, I Had the Craziest Dream, Shadow Waltz and Serenade in Blue.
This rare album remains solely in the CD format, and I see there are quite a few that are reasonably priced at eBay. I will say that Robinson's albums are uniformly excellent and some can be found on Spotify.
Spike Robinson died on October 29, 2001 in Writtle, England. He was 71.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Spike Robinson Plays Harry Warren (Hep) here or on eBay.
JazzWax clip: Here's This Heart of Mine...
Here's a clip of Robinson that comes from a local TV profile of him...
A special thanks to David Langner.
