Guitarist Composer Jim Robitaille/Bio

Guitarist and composer, Jim Robitaille, has performed internationally as a sideman and a leader of his own groups. His television and live performances include: The BET Jazz Channel, The Time Warner Music Choice Jazz Channel, PBS Television, The Baird Auditorium at the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C, The Wang Center, The Knitting Factory and Smoke in New York, The Falmouth Jazz Festival, The Provincetown Jazz Festival, The UMass - Dartmouth Jazz Festival, Ryles Jazz Club, the Center for the Arts, Natick, MA, the Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford, MA, and several tours in the U.S., Canada and the West Indies. Robitaille has also been the recipient of numerous performance grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for the Arts since 1989.

The Jim Robitaille Group's debut recording entitled "To Music", on the Whaling City Sound label, received international critical acclaim, winning three international composition awards with three of his compositions from the recording. The CD was number five in the top ten list by the Daily Ipirotikos Agon and the Apopsy in Greece, and was the publishers pick for All About Jazz and the Boston Herald. The recording received international airplay including the Time Warner Music Choice Channel, as well as making #1 chart-bound on the Jazz Week Jazz Charts.

Robitaille has performed and or recorded with numerous artists including: Dave Liebman, Bob Moses, Karl Berger, John Lockwood, Santi Debriano, Oscar Stagnaro, Jim Odgren, Lori Colombo, Brad Hatfield, Chris Taylor, Greg Abate, Lello Molinari, Lou Colombo, Andy McWain, Phil Grenadier, Matt Richard, Bruce Abbott, Alon Yavnai, Dino Govoni, Chris Poudrier, Mike Pope, Henry Hey, Bronek Suchanek, Bob Nieske, Dave Zinno, Jeff Galindo, Rick Britto, Bruno Raberg, Sai Ghose, Jerry Wilfong, Nina Ott, Chris Lopes, John Allmark, Hilary Noble, Laird Boles, Christopher Bonnier Pitts, Marcelle Gauvin, Lonnie Gasperini, Marcus Monteiro, Fernando Huergo, Ron Bosse, John Harrison, Jim Porcella, Royal Hartigan and Bobby Greene and Coleus as well as many other artists and groups.

Awards:

9th Annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition sponsored by BMI.
2002 Great American Song Contest. First place instrumental category
2002 Great American Song Contest. Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting Award

Recordings:

Trine " Politics" w/ saxophonist Rick Britto and drummer Chris Poudrier Fuller Street Music
Trine w/ Rick Britto, Chris Poudrier and Chris Lopes
The Jim Robitaille Group, "To Music" Whaling City Sound
Rick Frank "The Labyrinth" Decker Creek Records
Rick Frank "Brookline Summer" Decker Creek Records
Rick Frank "Yellow Mountain" Decker Creek Records
Marcus Monteiro "MM4" Whaling City Sound
Bobby Santos "I Found My Way Home"
w/ Bruce Abbott "Duets"
The Matt Richard/Jim Robitaille Duo, "The Art Of The Duo" MJR,
The Matt Richard Quartet,"Hawthorne Street Connection" MJR,
" Just Jazz" Cape Cod Jazz Musicians Compilation CD
The Dancing Dogs, "Fishing in the Desert"
The Dancing Dogs,"Cynanthrophy"
The Dancing Dogs "Patience" on Whaling City Sound
"Jazz Chaos" Poetry Book/CD by Tracy Soloman featuring MM4 live
Graceful Soul Band. Whaling City Sound
Joe Beck /John Abercrombie "Coincidence" Whaling City Sound (Liner Notes)

Robitaille has studied Guitar and Improvisation with Jazz guitarist Jon Damian at the Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA, and Improvisation with Charlie Banacos. Robitaille has taught workshops/clinics, jazz improvisation, jazz ensembles, classes, and or given concerts for the music programs at Westfield State College, Berklee College of Music, Brandeis University, Holyoke Community College, The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Cape Cod Community College, Connecticut College, Western New England College, Bristol Community College, Falmouth Academy and Tabor Academy.

At the present time he is an Applied Jazz Guitar Instructor and Lecturer on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.