Spike Robinson

Spike Robinson was just about the last major tenor stylist who played in the Four Brothers' cool-toned style popularized by Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Al Cohn. The remarkable part is that Robinson seemed to emerge fully formed in 1981 when he was already past 50. Originally he started on alto when he was 12 and, after being in the military, in 1950 Robinson played with some of England's top bop musicians, recording with them. However, after he returned to the U.S., Robinson got a degree in engineering and had a day job in Colorado for the next 30 years, just gigging on a part-t...