Award-winning bassist and composer Trevor Robertson has synthesized an eclectic background of life experiences, sonic inspirations, and employment in various Jazz and Western Classical musical contexts, into a truly unique artistic identity. As a showcase of his original compositions, Bright Colors places Robertson’s fresh, creative voice front and center. Bright Colors offers a diverse array of sounds, including polyphonic counterpoint (tracks 11, 9, and 2), experimental noise/free improvisation (track 4), rich Afro-Cuban Bembe-derived grooves (track 3), drumand-bass beats à la Roni Size (track 6), and driving swing approaching 400bpm alternating with headbanging halftime rock grooves (track 1). Trevor’s vocabulary as an improviser can be heard on tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8, alternating between arco and pizzicato solos.
You may be able to hear the influence of some of his bassist heroes: Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Christian McBride, and Edgar Meyer, to name a few. The quintet featured on Bright Colors boasts international competition winners and world-renowned musicians, including Hina Oikawa on saxophone, Seoyeon Im on violin, Charles Colizza on guitar, and Ben Freidkin on drums. The tracks heard here emerged from consecutive periods of great loss and growth in the composer’s life. Bright Colors pays tribute to the spirits of Trevor’s departed loved ones, all while exploring universally relatable themes of mortality, grief, and the celebration of life. Bright Colors was recorded live in 2025 at Ornithology Jazz Club, Scholes Street Studio, and the Brooklyn Public Library.
Trevor Robertson is a two-time winner of the Local Arts Support Grant from Brooklyn Arts Council. He’s also co-host of Sour Mouse’s “Jazz in the Basement” jam session in Manhattan’s Lower East Side since 2022.
