
Upcoming Shows
10.11
Interpretations of Art
Hardware Gallery
New York, NY
Tickets
10.26
Three Rooms Press
Maintenant 19 Book Release
Jefferson Market Library
New York, NY
Free Event
2.1
Composers with Drinks
Cossin Theater
New York, NY
Private Event
Ciao Roma
In August Robert lit up the stage at Joe’s Pub in NYC, performing with Sound Liberation alongside legendary trombonist Dick Griffin (Sun Ra). He also brought his words to life in Rome, narrating one of his poems over Tony Esposito’s iconic 1980s hit Kalimba de Luna during a private concert at Villa Kostabi.
Robert’s sophomore album, Footprints of Steel (Composers Concordance Records/Naxos distribution), is available on all major streaming platforms. It features 14 eclectic tracks, including collaborations with Adam Holzman (Miles Davis, Steven Wilson) and Carli Muñoz (Beach Boys, Wilson Pickett).
The album has garnered critical acclaim:
”What exactly is “new music” these days and how much further can it strive beyond the high Downtown years? One answer may lie within the album’s fourth selection, “Not All Apples Are Blue Color”, which embraces the wonderfully bizarre. No, this cut is not of the Dada school, it isn’t No Wave, nor post-punk, but of a late-1960s fashion recalling Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable and an acoustic Velvet Underground, wherein the poet’s recitation and droning vocal are interspersed with Milica Paranosic’s mellifluous singing and piercing spoken word, anchored by Brian DuFord’s classical guitar. Here, women’s liberation tangos with the truly absurd, in a manner demanding repeated listenings.”
- John Pietaro (columnist NYC Jazz Record, co-host of WFMU’s Beneath the Underground)
Full Review
Recent Singles
Ascending Volumes features four haikus by Robert reflecting on the seasons of life, set to meditative Japanese flute music (shakuhachi) by Jay Rodriguez-Sierra (Groove Collective, Wu-Tang Clan)
Puzzle Complete is a hard-hitting rock song about the physics of love with words by Robert set to music by Gene Pritsker (Matrix Resurrections, Joe Zawinul)
“Love is not a crime…”
The Cauldron is based on Robert’s dark humor lyrics about a woman’s revenge on a cheating boyfriend set to music by Gene Pritsker (Matrix Resurrections, Joe Zawinul). It combines elements of jazz, opera and spoken word into a contemporary classical music composition performed by Sound Liberation, featuring the powerhouse soprano vocals of Adriana Valdés and a searing trumpet solo by Frank Hackl (Lew Soloff), accompanied by Gene Pritsker (guitar), Amanda Ruzza (bass--Jill Sobule) and David Cossin (drums--Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), with Robert narrating starting at the 2:00 mark.

‘The Cauldron’ was submitted to NPR Music’s 2024 Tiny Desk Contest!
“Spill your own drink...”
Robert wrote the words for Not All Apples Are Blue Color, an anti-Barbie anthem and video by Take a Pick (Brian DuFord, Milica Paranosic) encouraging people to overcome negative body image.

‘Not All Apples Are Blue Color’ has 10k views on YouTube!