Spike Robinson was just about the last major tenor stylist who played in the
Four Brothers' cool-toned style popularized by
Stan Getz,
Zoot Sims, and
Al Cohn. The remarkable part is that
Robinson seemed to emerge fully formed in 1981 when he was already past 50. Originally he started on alto when he was 12 and, after being in the military, in 1950
Robinson played with some of England's top bop musicians, recording with them. However, after he returned to the U.S.,
Robinson got a degree in engineering and had a day job in Colorado for the next 30 years, just gigging on a part-time basis in local clubs on tenor. When he began playing music full-time in 1981,
Robinson initially created a bit of a sensation.
Spike Robinson continued swinging (often sounding close to
Stan Getz) and recorded many excellent sets for Discovery, Capri, Concord, and particularly Hep. He passed away in fall 2001 at his home in Writtle in southern England at the age of 71. ~ Scott Yanow