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BULLET BIO

Since 1978 to the present day I've been playing many clubs in many different incarnations, mostly jazz dates but joining blues & rock bands and others on a regular basis, as well as the usual vast array of great local singers.  

 

In February 2016 I began performing with Danny Grewen, an all-star trombonist and amazing singer. We've performed together regularly every Wednesday night from 7 to 10 pm at a great Cajun restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC called IMBIBE aka ROUGAROU, located at 108 Henderson Street. Join us , no cover, great food and long long list of beers and wine.

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Beginning in 2019, Crystal Bright became a steady musical partner. Her own band, called Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands, is still performing but she and I have a little different set. Often we perform as a duet but usually have have added other pieces to the magic. She is a very original talent, powerful vocalist that plays piano (yes, we sometimes do piano duets) accordion and saw. The saw playing is unlike anything you’ve ever heard. 

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Also a regular pianist with Katharine Whalen’s Jazz Squad, you can find us on a regular rotation at Yonder Bar in Hillsborough many a Thursday night. The Jazz Squad's most recent album,

To Hide a Heart That's Blue was released in January of 2021. 

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  • 1963 studied in New Bern, NC with Avids Snornieks

  • 1967 studied in Siena, Italy with Guido Agosti

  • 1969 graduated UNC with music degree studying with Clifton Matthews

  • 1970  studied one year at New England Conservatory with Jacob Maxin    a course with Rudolf Kolisch - Beethoven string quartets

  • 1972 Syracuse University  Masters Degree in music 

  • 1969 to 1972 taught at Syracuse University 

  • 1974 -1975 taught Campbell University 

  • 1979 1st studio recording with great country singer Buddy Davis Asheville, NC

  • 1979 formed first jazz band in Asheville, NC 'Round Midnight

  • 1980 taught at UNC-Asheville

  • 1981 musical director of Chez Condoret Cabaret

  • 1982-1984 Robert Griffin Trio at Radisson Plaza, Raleigh, 6 nights a week

  • 1984-1988  formed Proof Positive, “society band”

  • 1987  local series of many shows with the very talented Callie Warner, doing exclusively music of Tom Waits (a 60 song repertoire)

  • 1989 tour of France with Taz Halloween

  • 1993-2008 (15 years at 5 night per week) house pianist at Carolina Club in Alumni Center, UNC campus    

  • during which time I also toured with the SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS,Katharine Whalen Jazz Squad, and 5 tours in France working with french chanteuse, Tania Carl    

  • 1998 - also recorded my first full length cd NORTH CAROLINA: A STATE OF MUSIC, a solo piano recording; 

  • 1999 played piano and arranged the KATHARINE WHALEN JAZZ SQUAD cd; 

  • 2006 recorded THE TANIA CARL cd

  • 2009 once again touring with the Squirrel Nut Zippers all over USA and Columbia, South America

  • 2010, released a new cd called AIN’T MY KINDA STRANGE with an all star ensemble including Ray Codrington, trumpet: Frank Worrell, drums: Don Gladstone bass: Rodney Marsh, sax: Taz Halloween, Carter Minor and Jackie Thomas, backing vocalsAll songs are my compositions -, played piano and lead vocals 

  • Since 2011 I have been doing 2 shows a year with the Murphey School Radio show modeled after Prairie Home Companion

  • 2013 brought a new cd with Tania Carl entitled Pour Toi. The set includes 4 songs of Tania’s with myself and great percussionist, Beverly Botsford and 4 songs of mine with Tania and drummer Bobby Cohen. All music available on the reverbnation site.​

  • Griffanzo's most recent album"I Mighta Lied To You Yesterday" (But I'll Tell You The Truth Tonight) was released in December 2015 with 8 original tracks and an all-star cast of musicians is available on amazon. Having played the famed Cat's Cradle for the release party it is doing quite well.

  • From March of 2016 I travelled to San Francisco for an annual gig and retreat for 5 straight years.  â€‹

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