Herb Robertson and Linsdsey Horner played together in many of the most important jazz ensembles of the ’80s and ’90s, but haven’t shared a stage for more than 20 years; Harvey Sorgen has played and recorded with Herb Robertson many times in various ensembles over the past two or three decades, but has never shared the stage with Lindsey Horner. So what we have here, in one spectacular trio, are two reunions and one first meeting. This will surely be among the most thrilling nights of creative improvised music Quinn’s has ever been privileged to host. These guys are very excited to play together and you should be excited to be a witness thereof.
Please help us out by sharing this event with all your friends and acquaintances – They’ll thank you for it!
Admission is free but contributions are encouraged. Oh, yeah!
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Herb Robertson – considered by Che Pizaro the greatest free jazz trumpeter alive – is an avant-garde jazz master of the trumpet, flugelhorn, and also a music producer. He combines a thorough command of traditional and extended techniques with a prodigious imagination.
In Junior High, Robertson began collecting jazz records, listening to all styles from Louis Armstrong to the avant-garde and especially the era’s hard bop. In high school he led a quintet that played dances. During 1969-73 he attended the Berklee School Of Music as an instrumental performance major, a period in which his improvisational skills became highly developed.
In 1976 he started a rehearsal big band, also playing with some of the local avant-garde musicians in New Jersey. He met altoist Tim Berne in the late 1970s and first gained attention for his playing with Berne’s groups during 1981-87. His tonal distortions and use of mutes looked back to jazz’s past while his freer improvising was quite futuristic, fitting in very well with Berne’s passionate alto playing. He also became a member of bassist Mark Helias’ group.
Robertson, who led his initial album (featuring Lindsey Horner) in 1982, has since appeared on over 100 recording projects. As a leader he put together his own adventurous band in 1987 and has recorded for the JMT, Splasc (h), Leo, CIMP and Cadence labels. His groups since 1987 include The Double Infinitives, the Herb Robertson Brass Ensemble, and various all-star groups with Dominic Duval, Jay Rosen, Paul Smoker and Phil Haynes.
He has worked with many of the major names of avant-garde and modern mainstream jazz including Anthony Davis, Bobby Previte, George Gruntz, Bill Frisell, Paul Motian, Lou Graissi’s Po’ Band, The Fonda-Stevens Group, Nexus, Barry Guy’s New Orchestra, Michael Moore, Terry Jenoure, Andy Laster, Judi Silvano, John Lindberg, Gerry Hemingway, Zlatko Kaucic, the Satoko Fujii big band, Marc Ducret, Simon Nabatov, Mark Feldman, Pierre Dorge’s New Jungle Orchestra, John Zorn, Roswell Rudd, Elliot Sharpe, the Klaus Konig Orchestra, Rashied Ali, Ray Anderson, Paul Motian, Dewey Redman, Evan Parker, Agusti Fernandez, Jean-Luc Cappozzo, Frank Gratkowski, Michiel Braam, Matthias Schubert, Mark Dresser, the Charlie Haden Music Liberation Orchestra, Wilbert De Joode, Wolter Wierbos…
He has composed music for dance, theater and documentary films, also plays valve trombone, tuba, the Eb alto horn and “little instruments.” He has performed at almost all European festivals and New York clubs. Whether it is complex large group arrangements or free form duets, Herb Robertson brings his wide knowledge of jazz history along with his original voice and adventurous spirit to each session.
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At the age of 19, bassist extraordinaire Lindsey Horner began playing in the quartet of Irish guitarist Louis Stewart, who had only recently left the employ of pianist George Shearing. He also formed many alliances and played much music with other musicians of his own age who have gone on to great things; among them drummer Stephen Keogh, flautist Brian Dunning, bassist and composer Ronan Guilfoyle, and German tenor saxophonist, Matthias Schubert.
Returning to his native New York, he studied at the Juilliard School from which he earned a Master of Music degree in Bass performance. He began to play with musicians who were on the cutting edge and who came to be thought of collectively under the rubric, “The Downtown Scene” which coalesced around The Knitting Factory, Roulette, and other venues located south of 14th street in New York.
In the spring of 1990, The Knitting Factory organized a tour of Europe which included the trio of pianist Myra Melford, drummer Reggie Nicholson, and Lindsey on bass. This led to several successful years of touring for the trio and four highly acclaimed recordings. During this period, Lindsey also released the first of his own recordings, NEVER NO MORE, which features Herb Robertson.
Over the past 40 years, Lindsey has played and recorded with many ensembles of great renown including Bobby Previte’s Weather Clear, Track Fast, Emmanuelle Somer-Marc Mangen Quartet, Herb Robertson Quintet, various Tim Berne ensembles, Jeffrey Schanzer Ensemble, Jewels & Binoculars, Jonathan Moritz Trio, Marty Ehrlich’s Dark Woods Ensemble, Matthias Schubert Quartet, Myra Melford Extended Ensemble, Myra Melford Trio, Neal Kirkwood’s Chromatic Persuaders, Sleeping Bee, Susan McKeown And The Chanting House, The Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra, The New York Composers Orchestra, Bill Frisell, Don Byron, John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Greg Osby and many others.
Lindsey’s most recent recording is a strikingly beautiful solo bass outing released in 2017 on Upshot Records.
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Harvey Sorgen is an accomplished and in-demand drummer and percussionist of great imagination who is always thrilling to hear and fun to watch. A list of the artists he has had the good fortune to record and/or perform with include: Hot Tuna, Ahmad Jamal, Ted Dunbar, Michelle Shocked, Paul Simon, Dewey Redman, Frank Kimbrough, Dave Douglas, David Sancious, Mark Feldman, Karl Berger, Joe Mcphee, Julius Hemphill , Connie Bauer, Pete Levin, John Lindberg, Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hildago, Wadada Leo Smith, Peter Herbert, Cameron Brown, Steve Swell, Neil Rolnick, Anthony Braxton, Carter Jefferson, John Stubblefield, Bruce Hornsby, Brenda Buffalino, Jay Anderson, Istvan Grenesco, Honi Coles, Daunik Lazro, Todd Reynolds, Derrick Trucks, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Roswell Rudd, Phil Lesh, David Torn, Levon Helm, The Memphis Pilgrims, Bill Frisell, Fonda/Stevens group, Herb Robertson, Carlos Santana, Omar Tamez, Remi Alvarez, Dry Jack, Art Lande, John d’Earth, Bob Weir, Greg Allman, Marcel Monroe, The Mallards, Sorgen-Rust-Windbiel trio, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Samuels, Drew Gress, Tony Levin, Garth Hudson, Jimmy Vivino, amongst many, many others.
He has also written and performed pieces for film and the stage, including a solo percussion piece for the New Day Repertoire Theater’s version of “Antigone”.
One “aspect of my joy,” as he puts it, has been in the workshops he gives around the world in jazz ensembles, improvisation, percussion master classes and audio production.
