Robert Muller

pianist • keyboardist • composer • improviser

about

Robert Muller is an in-demand pianist and keyboardist based in Santa Fe, NM, known for a distinctly modern and soulful musical approach informed as much by classic bebop as by Brian Eno and 80s pop.

He studied closely with Blue Note jazz great Dr. Andrew Hill at Portland State University for several years and performed extensively on the West Coast doing everything from local Portland jazz gigs to touring with a Shriner’s Circus in British Columbia and working as a sideman with Iranian pop stars.

He moved to New York City in the mid 90s and became active in the downtown music scene with his own trio Timefly and as a sideman for several original acts. Robert appeared several times on MTV2 with underground hip-hop artist Pete Miser and performed at venues like SOB’s, The Knitting Factory, The Blue Note, Mercury Lounge, and Studio 54.

April 6, 7pm
Grand Opening, PRaX Performing Arts Center
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon
7pm

April 11, 7pm
Blue Desert Tour
Delbert Anderson Quartet/Julia Keefe Trio/Indigie Femme
El Morro Theater
Gallup, NM

April 12, 6pm
Blue Desert Tour
Delbert Anderson Quartet/Julia Keefe Trio/Indigie Femme
Canyon of the Ancients Museum and Visitors Center
Dolores, CO

April 13, 3pm-8pm
Blue Desert Tour
Delbert Anderson Quartet/Julia Keefe Trio/Indigie Femme
Farmington Jazz Festival
Farmington, NM

April 12, 6pm
Blue Desert Tour
Delbert Anderson Quartet/Julia Keefe Trio/Indigie Femme
Institute of American Indian Arts
Santa Fe, NM

April 17, 6-8:30pm
Kaktus Jazz Jam
Kaktus Brewing Company
Bernalillo, NM

April 18, 6-8:30
Got Soul featuring Wendy Beach
Kaktus Brewing Company
Bernalillo, NM

April 19, 8-11pm
Rodney Bowe Experience
Sandia Casino/Bien Shur Restaurant
Albuquerque, NM

April 20, 8-11pm
Rodney Bowe Experience
Sandia Casino/Bien Shur Restaurant
Albuquerque, NM

April 21, 5:30-8:30pm
Rodney Bowe Experience
Canvas Artistry
Albuquerque, NM

April 27, 3-6pm
Busy y Los Big Deals
The Mineshaft
Madrid, NM

May 24-26 (sold out)
Delbert Anderson Quartet
Amangiri
Canyon Point, UT

June 7, 6pm
Delbert Anderson Quartet
Jazz in the Gardens
National Art Gallery
Washington, DC

some of the people and groups I have worked with:

performances

Larry Mitchell
Nathan East
Emerson Corley/Entourage Jazz
Robert Mirabal
Joy Harjo
Steve Morse
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter
Shelly Morningsong
Hillary Smith
Steve Lacy
Jane Ira Bloom
Grady Champion
James East
Hiram Bullock
Dave Liebman
Roberto “Fats” Fernandez
Greg Phillinganes
Delbert Anderson
Maria Christensen
Leroy Vinegar
Eric Udell

recordings

Ryan Montaño
Joy Harjo
Jenny Georing
Kanoa Kaluhiwa
Larry Mitchell
Shelly Morningsong
Kodama Trio
Ron Crowder
Timefly
Hillary Smith and Chillhouse
Christian Pincock
Brendan & the Extenuating Circumstances
Delbert Anderson/Delbert Anderson Quartet
Pete Miser
Dimi DiSanti

reviews

Despite the obviously cooperative nature of the trio, Muller’s piano dominates throughout. A percussive, muscular player in the mold of McCoy Tyner, he’s a remarkable soloist with a wealth of rhythmic and melodic ideas and a yen for dark and gnarly harmonies.

Kodama Trio CD Review (Allaboutjazz.com) 

Muller brings spritely, spiky energy that contrasts nicely with the mellower qualities of tuba and ‘bone. His adventurous, muscular solos incorporate elements from bebop to funk, with touches of hip-hop attitude.

Christian Pincock CD Review (Melminter.com) 

Muller is like a vampire in that if you invite him in he’ll always just kind of be around. Also, he’s a pretty amazing pianist, so…

Pranzo (Santa Fe Reporter) 

There are proggy elements at play that present a more rock ‘n roll sensibility than many might think when they hear the qualifier “jazz” and if nothing else, these guys are all f*cking bonkers when it comes to musicianship.

Mushi Trio Review (Santa Fe Reporter) 

Pete Miser: The piano player, Robert Muller, is just so hyper-musical, like kind of jazz-based. He’s a student of Andrew Hill. He’s so out that he goes into the anti-music zone, you know what I mean? 

Cosmik: Playing off someone who’s in that frame of mind must be kind of inspirational for you.

Pete Miser: Yeah, it’s dope.

Cosmik Debris Magazine (Pete Miser Interview)

Sounds

I used to have a CDBaby player here but they’ve gone dark, I’ll update with a new player or something from Soundcloud when I get around to it, meanwhile, Kodama Trio still has our album available on Amazon, and I usually have a project or two posted on Bandcamp.

Pictures

With Howard Cloud, Larry Mitchell, and Joy Harjo at the Library of Congress. Photo by Shawn Miller
at the Outpost Performance Space
with Greg Phillinganes
With Howard Cloud, Larry Mitchell, and Joy Harjo at the Library of Congress. Photo by Shawn Miller
with Delbert Anderson
in the studio at Santa Fe University of Art and Design
with Larry Mitchell and Nathan East
with Delbert Anderson, Julia Keefe, Milton Villarrubia III, Evan Suiter
with John Kurzweg, Larry Mitchell, Maud Beenhauer, Robert Mirabal and Mike Boyko


With Larry Mitchell, opening up for Kevin Eubanks at the Albuquerque Museum
With Howard Cloud, Larry Mitchell, and Joy Harjo at the Library of Congress. Photo by Shawn Miller
With Brian Hardgroove, Mike Boyko, Steve Morse, and Sean Healen at NAMM
Me, Dave Wayne, and Ben Wright. We did a lot of stuff but eventually specialized in the music of Horace Tapscott.

Videos

Contact

* It has recently come to my attention that my “contact” form broke at some point. Even though it would show a “thank you for your message,” screen when people sent me something, I was not actually getting anything sent to me.

I’m not really sure when it broke, but if you have sent me a message and I have not responded, I sincerely apologize, I always respond. I’m doing away with the whole “contact form” thing for now and you can just send me an email if you want to get in touch. robertmuller@gmail.com