The Jim Robitaille Trio

The Jim Robitaille Trio at the Marion Art Center
Space Cycles Album Release Concert

Friday, December 10, 7:30-9:30pm

Jim Robitaille – Guitars
Bill Miele – Bass
Chris Poudrier – Drums

The Jim Robitaille Trio performs original music and arrangements that express a wide scope of emotional elements and rhythmic dialects, generating atmospheres realized with a complete dynamic range from moving ballads to compositions displaying explosive energy. The trio features Jim on electric and acoustic nylon string guitar along with bassist Bill Miele and drummer Chris Poudrier. The trio’s new recording on Whaling City Sound entitled Space Cycles, documents their ability to deeply listen to one another and create an empathetic and authentic interplay, culminating in an impassioned journey for the listener within the interpretation of each song.

“Space Cycles is a unique and extraordinary jazz album, that ventures beyond conventional boundaries.” – Midwest Review

Jim Robitaille
Guitarist and award winning composer, Jim Robitaille, has performed and or recorded and shared the bill with Dave Liebman, Karl Berger, Bob Moses, Joe Beck, Gerry Gibbs, Santi Debriano, Julian Lage, Esperanza Spalding, Oscar Stagnaro, Kate McGarry, Pop singer Billy Gilman and the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars, and has appeared on 30 recordings as a leader and sideman including “To Music”, and “A View From Within” on WCS with the Jim Robitaille Group featuring NEA Jazz master Dave Liebman. His latest release on WCS with the Jim Robitaille Trio is called Space Cycles. 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 Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock, N.Y, The Deerhead Inn, Delaware Gap, PA, The Wang Center, Boston, MA, The Knitting Factory and Smoke in New York, and tours in the UD, Canada, Europe, and the West Indies. Awards include The 9th Annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition, The 2002 Great American Song Contest First Place Instrumental Category, and The 2002 Great American Song Contest Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting Award, The 2011 Assets For Artists Grant, The Julius Hemphill Jazz Composers Alliance Competition, and The International Songwriting Contest. Jim is an international clinician, an applied jazz guitar instructor, small jazz ensemble, and guitar ensemble director, and founder and director of the Performance Jam Session Series on the Jazz Faculty at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Chris Poudrier
Drummer/ Percussionist, Chris Poudrier’s career has spanned forty years. Not limited or bound by a specific genre his talent, passion, dedication, and musicality afford him the luxury to play all styles at a very inspiring level. Poudrier graduated from UMASS Amherst with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education Cum Laude. Endorsements include Canopus Drums, Istanbul Agop Cymbals and Regal Tip Drum Products. In addition to “drum set professor” and “musical director” for the UMASS Dartmouth Latin-Jazz “ Vision” Ensemble, Poudrier has been called upon several times as Guest Faculty for The Berklee College of Music’s Annual Percussion Festival. Chris’s prowess extends beyond the drumming world where he is an active composer and is a skilled Irish Bodhran player. Chris has worked with Dave Liebman, Tony Monaco, Karl Berger, Clyde Criner, Santi Debriano, Billy Preston, John Lockwood, Michael Gregory, Shawnn Monteiro, Bruno Raberg, Tim Ray, Bruce Gertz, Dino Govoni, Assif Tsahar, Jim Robitaille, Bruce Bartlett, Brad Hatfield, Phil Grenadier, Dave Limina, Bobby Keyes, Chiara Chivello, Alon Yavnia, Fernando Huergo, Greg Abate, Bob Nieske, Matt Richard, Sophia Koutsovitis, Jane Miller, John Harrison III, Armsted Christian, Akili Jamal Haynes, and the late Rick Britto among many others. Poudrier’s work is documented on many recordings and he can be seen performing live in the greater Boston area weekly. Highly regarded as an outstanding musical and organic performer on drum set Poudrier imparts years of experience and wisdom on the bandstand. Through a deep understanding of the music one plays, and mastery of technique combined with deep musicality, Poudrier plays with drive and groove, passion and originality, thus giving a moving memorable performance to all.

Bill Miele
Bassist, Bill Miele, has performed and recorded with many well known artists throughout the U.S. and Europe, including The John Almark Orchestra, The East Side Horns, Greg Abate, Bill Harley, and Mark White. He has also been an orchestra member for numerous theater performances and Broadway shows. Bill has a wide range of teaching experience as a private lesson instructor on bass guitar in all styles of music, and an ensemble director. He is on the faculty at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School, Providence College, and the Franklin School of Performing Arts.

Featured image by Studio 310.