Background
Greg is a Jazz Vocalist from Atlanta, Georgia that is passionate about bringing hope and joy to the world and those around him. He does this by sharing and performing elegant and excellent music. He is excited to take a step from the stage to the studio to record his first-ever full length album as a way to share his music and his joy in music on a wider level.
- Greg is an independent artist, well connected in the Jazz circuits of Atlanta.
- He is teaming up with Delbert Felix (Bass), Kevin Bales (Piano), Justin Varnes (Drums), Melvin Jones (Trumpet), and John Sandfort (Tenor) to perform a blend of hiply arranged and lesser known Jazz Standards, original compositions, and Jazz arrangements of Alternative Rock tunes.
- He has co-written a tune with Delbert Felix (Arranged by composer/pianist Tyrone Jackson), which will be recorded with acclaimed Hip Hop Artist/Social Activist Sho Baraka.
- Greg will be recording his debut album in Atlanta, at The Studio with the renowned Engineer and Jazz Drummer, Marlon Patton.
- Justin Varnes, along with Greg, will produce the album.
- The album will be recorded in December 2017, and released in March 2018.
More About Greg
-For more info on Greg, videos, recordings, photos, and how to see him at a future performance, please visit http://gregrobbinsmusic.com.
-Videos of Greg can be found at gregrobbinsmusic.com/videos/ as well as facebook.com/gregrobbinsmusic.
What We Need
The total amount needed to produce this album is $12,250. The funds raised in this campaign will help fund:
- Engineering, Mixing, and Recording Costs
- Musician Compensation
- Arrangement Compensation
- Post-Production Mastering
- CD and Vinyl Production
- Album Art & Design
- Mechanical Licenses
Impact Beyond the Music
Greg's passion lies not only for the music, but also for investing in the community around him. He has a heart for those who are marginalized in society and works to support organizations who are equipped to serve people in Atlanta in meaningful ways.
- Greg will donate 10% of all album revenues to SafeHouse Outreach, an organization that Greg maintains a close relationship with.
- SafeHouse works to provide sustainable support to the homeless in Atlanta.
- To learn more about SafeHouse or how you can also get involved, visit SafeHouseOutreach.org
Other Ways You Can Help
Some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean they can't help:
- Share this Indiegogo campaign with your friends on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
- Be on the lookout for updates and announcements along the way!
The Musicians
Delbert Felix (Bass, Co-Songwriter)
Delbert Felix is one of the most legendary jazz bassists living today. Known for his distinct time, tone, and attack on the bass, he is celebrated by Jazz musicians and fans around the world as a true Great in the Jazz world. Delbert comes from St Helena Island, SC, near Hilton Head. After studying at Florida A&M University, he went to the Berklee School of Music in Boston. He then spent time in the military with the US Navy, where he was playing in a band and taught Bass. After this he worked with Wynton Marsalis and toured with Joe Henderson and Branford Marsalis, among many other Jazz legends. Delbert has been involved in numerous recordings between 1980 and now, including the Branford-Marsalis albums Random Abstract (1988) and Trio Jeepy (1989) as well as recordings with Billy Cobham, Freddy Cole, Courtney Pine and Chris Potter. Today Delbert resides in Atlanta and maintains an impressive schedule of performing both in Atlanta and around the country as well as teaching locally.
Kevin Bales (Piano, Co-Arranger)
Kevin’s initial career move was to the University of North Florida and a budding if little-known jazz program. There he met and performed with, and went on to record and tour with, a number of monumental artists who had settled into that burgeoning North Florida jazz scene. Giants like Wynton Marsalis, Louie Bellson, Eddie Daniels, James Moody, Ben Tucker, Ira Sullivan, Sam Rivers, and Nat Adderley. He toured with Bunky Green for five years, he spent 15 years of spot tours and four albums with guitarist Nathen Page, he has developed a lifelong association with trumpeter extraordinaire Marcus Printup that has included recordings on Blue Note/Capital records, and he spent 10 years touring and recording with vocal iconoclast Rene Marie, which culminated in a Grammy Nominated album.
Kevin has amassed a long list of awards and a reputation as one of the finest jazz pianists in the world. In 1994, less than a decade into jazz, he won the American Pianist Association’s Jazz Piano Competition. In addition to nearly every important jazz venue in the South, he has performed in some of the most acclaimed clubs and festivals in America and around the world: the JVC Jazz Festival in New York, The Bakery in Los Angeles, The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center jazz series, the Toronto and Edinburgh jazz festivals, and the Moscow Center for the Performing Arts. Today, on top of his rigorous performance and recording life, Kevin manages his own jazz program, overseeing an ambitious schedule of ambitious jazz students.
Justin Varnes (Drums, Co-Producer)
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Justin Varnes studied music at the University of North Florida. After a brief stint with the Noel Freidline Quintet, he relocated to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in jazz studies at the New School. In New York, Justin toured for six years with vocalist Phoebe Snow, with whom he performed on the Roseanne Barr Show, on National Public Radio’s “World Cafe” (he would later perform on “World Cafe” with pop group “Five for Fighting”), and at Madison Square Garden, where he played alongside singers Jewel and Paula Cole.
Justin has performed with several jazz greats in New York, including: Ben Wolfe (Harry Connick, Jr), Aaron Goldberg (Joshua Redman), Wessell Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, Marcus Printup, Steve Kirby (Cyrus Chestnut), Peter Bernstein, and Eric Lewis (Wynton Marsalis). He has also performed with Mose Allison, Kenny Barron, Ann Hampton Callaway, Victor Goines, Wycliffe Gordon, Audrey Shakir, Vincent Herring, The Earl Klugh Trio, Oscar Perez, Bob Reynolds, Lew Soloff, David Sanchez, Annie Sellick, Phoebe Snow, Ira Sullivan, Christian Tamburr, and Doug Wamble. Currently residing in Atlanta, Justin performs with Kevin Bales, Mace Hibbard, Joe Gransden and Gary Motley. Justin is also a top call sideman for touring artists through Atlanta.
Melvin Jones (Trumpet)
From Memphis, Tennessee, Melvin Jones has worked with a diverse range of musical icons in various settings such as Quincy Jones, Jon Faddis, Antonio Hart, Jennifer Lopez, Kirk Whalum, Ray Charles, Erykah Badu, Isaac Hayes, Marc Anthony, Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, Michael McDonald, Bill Cosby, Illinois Jacquet, George Bohannan, Clark Terry, Mike Burton, Sho Baraka, Lecrae, and Omar, to name a few. He has an Bachelor's Degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, and a Master's Degree in Music from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
For six years he was the Interim Director of Bands and Instrumental Studies at Morehouse College, until he resigned in 2010 to focus on his performance and recording career. Melvin is Artist in Residence for the "Mentoring Through the Arts" Program presented by the United Jazz Foundation and the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education, he toured with Tyler Perry's production of "Madea's Big Happy Family," and holds numerous other highly impressive accomplishments and sponsorship endorsements, which can be found on his website.
John Sandfort (Tenor)
John Sandfort is a jazz tenor saxophonist living in Atlanta, Georgia after spending portions of his career in Chicago, IL, Long Island, NY, and Buffalo, NY. He has a degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, and is a former member of the critically acclaimed Sony recording group Mighty Blue Kings, having shared bills with B.B. King, Ray Charles, Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, Buddy Guy, and many others. John plays regularly with many of the Southeast’s finest musicians and groups including Joe Gransden, Justin Varnes, and Bumpin' The Mango, and he just recently recorded his debut CD, Southbound, for Hot Shoe Records.
Sho Baraka (Guest Artist)
Educated at Tuskegee University and the University of North Texas, Sho studied Television/Film, Anthropology, and Public Administration. He has become an artist, philosopher, and social-thought leader in contemporary culture. He has spent nine years traveling the world as a recording artist and public speaker. He has done numerous overseas activist work, ranging from race relations in South Africa to establishing musical cohorts in Indonesia. He is a founding member of nationally known Christian hip hop group 116 Clique. Sho Baraka is also the founder of Forth District.
He now desires to blend his artistic platform with his academic leanings to contribute a unique perspective in both arenas in hopes of raising the standard, thereby raising the culture. Sho currently lives in Atlanta, GA and co-leads a consulting network that is active in cultural renewal.