DISCOVER

“DISCOVER THE GENIUS LANDSCAPE THAT DONALD RUBINSTEIN HAS SCULPTED OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES. IF I WERE A SMARTER HUMAN BEING, I WOULD NOW INVENT A WORD THAT WOULD EXPLAIN EXACTLY HOW FREAKIN COOL AND ORIGINAL IN THOUGHT AND EXECUTION DONALD RUBINSTEIN IS WITH HIS MUSIC. THIS NEW WORD WOULD HAVE TO EMBODY THE TALENT THAT YOU HEAR WITHIN THE FIRST 30 SECONDS OF YOUR FIRST DONALD RUBINSTEIN SONG, THAT PUTS YOUR BRAIN ON SOME NEW RAILS YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW EXISTED BETWEEN YOUR EARS…THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER USED THE WORD IMPORTANT TO DESCRIBE AN ALBUM. YOU NEED TO HEAR THESE SONGS.” —GROOVEY_ADOBE AIRSTREAM, THE MAGAZINE FOR CITIZENS OF CULTURE

“WHAT’S THE SOURCE OF DONALD RUBINSTEIN’S STRANGE, JAZZY, UNIQUE SONGS? JUDGING FROM HIS WELL CONCOCTED BUT OFTEN TWISTED WORK, HE MUST HAVE THE ODDEST MUSE IN THE WORLD, AND ALSO ONE OF THE BEST. HE’S GOT ENOUGH WEIRD, POETIC/MUSICAL GENIUS IN HIS BRAIN TO RIVAL JIM MORRISON” —SANTA FE REPORTER

“SITTING BEHIND THE PIANO, PLAYING HIS BEAUTIFUL TUNES, HE ACHIEVES A SORT OF SERENITY…DEVOID OF TRANSITORY TRENDINESS.” —LOS ANGELES TIMES

“WITH ONLY THE QUIET POWER OF BILL FRISELL’S GUITAR PROVIDING A BACKDROP, DONALD RUBINSTEIN HAS CREATED AN AWESOME DISPLAY OF THE HOLD THAT MUSIC CAN HAVE...ABLE TO BE MAJESTIC AND DEEPLY PERSONAL, DISPLAYING A SOLITARY REFLECTION THAT EMBRACES HUMANITY…FRISELL’S GUITAR IS THE PERFECT COMPANION THROUGHOUT. IN FACT YOU’RE NEVER QUITE SURE IF IT’S THE GUITAR OR THE VOCALIST WHO’S GUIDING YOU HERE; THE MATCH IS THAT SOLID….A TREASURE.”  BRYAN BAKER GAJOOB MAGAZINE

“A POET IN A DYLANESQUE VEIN, RUBINSTEIN'S VOICE REMINDS ME OF A TIRED, MORE WORLD-WEARY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. IN THE SINGER/SONGWRITER VEIN, I'D MUCH RATHER HEAR RUBINSTEIN THAN ANY OF THE OTHER, MORE POPULAR ARTISTS.  A MASTER OF TRADITIONAL PROSODY." —CADANCE MAGAZINE

”THE MUSIC WAS COMPOSED AND PLAYED BY PIANIST AND POET, DONALD RUBINSTEIN…MINIMAL, SAD, LOVELY, MELANCHOLY AND TOUCHING. PERFECT FOR A MOODY FLICK. _NEW YORK DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY

“DONALD RUBINSTEIN’S HAUNTING SCORE, WITH ITS SOMBER FEMALE OPERATIC CHORUS AND STARK PIANO STRINGS, HAS A TIMELESSNESS THAT MORRICONE, AT HIS BEST, IS ABLE TO CAPTURE.” DVD EMPIRE

“PREFERRING TO COLOR HIS OWN WORK WITH RELATIVELY SMALLER ENSEMBLES, EXPERIMENTAL JAZZ, EXOTIC INSTRUMENTS, HAUNTING VOICES AND INSTANTLY MEMORABLE THEMES, RUBINSTEIN’S NOVEL CINEMATIC APPROACH…IS DISTINGUISHED BY A SINGULAR ‘INDIE’ VOICE- A COOL, REBELLIOUS VIBE DEVELOPED LONG BEFORE THAT TERM WAS FASHIONABLE. MARTIN AND POLLOCK BOTH REPRESENT THE STRIKING MUSICAL VISION OF COMPOSER DONALD RUBINSTEIN.”  “DONALD RUBINSTEIN’S WORKS OF ART” BY DANIEL SCHWEIGER

“DONALD RUBINSTEIN IS AN UNEQUIVOCAL CARD-CARRYING VISIONARY, A SONIC GARDNER WHOSE TECHNICOLOR ORCHARD BEARS FRUIT OF STRANGE, AND UNEXPECTED, TONES.” —JOHN KRUTH, DAWN IMAGINED

"RUBINSTEIN’S UNIQUELY DRAWN FIGURES CALL TO MIND MONSTERS, OR THE CHARACTERS FOUND IN THE DRAWINGS OF NEW YORKER MAGAZINE LEGEND SAUL STEINBERG." ALBUQUERQUE TRIBUNE

”FOR SHEER VARIETY AND ENTERTAINMENT DONALD RUBINSTEIN’S NOVEL, UNPREDICTABLE, ONE-MAN SHOW IS HARD TO MATCH…STUNNING, HOUSE-SHAKING…HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL.” _LA WEEKLY

ABOUT

DONALD RUBINSTEIN works in multiple mediums, including music, film, art, theater, poetry, and combinations therein. He has been doing so for fifty years. His musical debut came at age 25, composing the score to George A. Romero's cult classic film, Martin. It was named one of “The Top 100 Coolest Soundtracks of All Time” by Mojo in 2002. Since then Mr. Rubinstein has scored several feature films; released over 30 albums of original music; scored the main title themes for two television series; wrote, directed, and performed in three theatrical works premiering in Boston, New York and Los Angeles respectively, to critical acclaim. The main title theme for the television series Tales From the Darkside, performed by Mr. Rubinstein and co-written with Erica Lindsay, was named The Second Scariest TV Show Intro Of All Time by Screen Rant (2017).

Donald Rubinstein has been exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art, and The Whitney Museum of American Art, in collaboration with Kiki Smith. He has been exhibited in numerous solo gallery exhibitions as well. Mr. Rubinstein was awarded a Residency/Fellowship, via nomination, from The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in 2014. He has written five books of poetry, drawings, and stories, and created over twenty-five, short, original, films. He is currently collaborating with his ten-year-old son, FB, on the third in a series of Tiny Legs Comics. The absorption and reinvention of various mediums is key to his invention yet to come.

Donald Rubinstein is the recipient of The Ascap Special Award in Theater Arts, among others. He has collaborated with noted artists Bill Frisell, Ed Harris. and The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. As well, with many re-calculators of hum, including Brother Blue, Anna Halprin, Gordon Gottlieb, Hank Roberts, Emil Richards, Robin Holcomb, Jay Gottlieb, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses, Lloyd Maines, Michael Gregory Jackson, Steve Gorn, and many more. The Center For Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, in collaboration with Linda Durham Contemporary Art, held a three-day celebration of Rubinstein’s work in 2007. Donald Rubinstein: Cool-Aberrations in Art, Music, and Film included, two art exhibitions, selected films, and a concert with guest artists John Densmore, Hani Naser, Larry Mitchell, and Terry Allen.

Fingers, from Donald Rubinstein’s duo CD with Bill Frisell, Time Again (produced by Wayne Horvitz & Bill Frisell), was included in Jazziz Magazine’s Special Edition CD, A Celebration of the Modern Era (2003). Ruby Star, written by Mr. Rubinstein, and recorded in duet with Robin Holcomb (with a cover by Kiki Smith), was sold exclusively at The Museum of Modern of Modern Art in 2003/2004. Donald Rubinstein wrote Ain’t Nothin’ Like a Friend (lyrics co-written with Ed Harris), for the Harris directed feature, Appaloosa, released as part of the soundtrack on Lakeshore Records.

In 2022 Donald Rubinstein released Songs From the World Storm on his own Hijo Records label. In 2023 Rubinstein’s soundtrack for George A. Romero’s Martin, will be released for a fifth time, by Second Sight Films. Also in 2023, Donald Rubinstein’s soundtrack for Romero’s feature film, Knightriders, will be released in a deluxe, second edition, 2 LP set, on Scare Flair Records. Mr. Rubinstein is currently composing and recording, SYMPHONY, CLOUDS OF THE VISIONARY, for orchestra, choir, pre-recorded music, improvisers, and sex tapes. It will be released as a triple album in early 2024.

“Thank heavens for liner notes. Given that composer Donald Rubinstein never wrote liner notes for the original Varese Sarabande release of the score to George A. Romero's Martin, I cannot imagine what listeners thought of the recordings. The strange pastiche of avant-garde jazz and standard horror makes for a dissonant listening experience, and the fact that it's all overlaid with a strange beauty can be confusing without context. Reading of Rubinstein's work with Madame Margaret Chaloff and learning of some of her other clients – Keith Jarrett, Leonard Bernstein, and Herbie Hancock – one understands whence Rubinstein is coming.” Nick Spacek, Starburst Magazine

“D DOESN’T DO SHIT FOR THE FUCK OF IT. HE DOES SHIT FROM THE HEART. HIS HEART, YOUR HEART. THE AMAZING THING IS THAT HE CAN SEE AND HEAR YOUR HEART. HE SAYS THINGS YOU’VE BEEN WANTING TO SAY. AND HE MAKES YOU FEEL LESS OF AN ASSHOLE FOR WANTING TO SAY THEM. BECAUSE WHEN HE SAYS THEM, THEY SUDDENLY MAKE SENSE. VALIDATION, MAN. I’M NOT THE ONLY SUCKER ON THIS PLANET. THERE’S THIS OTHER GUY, D, WHO’S BEEN SUCKERED IN TOO. AND HE’S HERE TO EXPLAIN HOW, WHY AND WHAT HAPPENED TO US ALL. D RULES!” —GEORGE A. ROMERO, DIRECTOR

JAZZIZ MAGAZINE 20TH ANNIVERSARY CD

“DONALD RUBINSTEIN PROVIDES A WILD RIDE…A CURE FOR NORMALCY.” _JAZZIZ

A CELEBRATION OF THE MODERN ERA, WITH MILES DAVIS, CHARLIE PARKER, CASSANDRA WILSON, BILL FRISELL, DONALD RUBINSTEIN, TONY BENNET, NATALIE COLE, CHARLIE HADEN, and more.                                 

TINY LEGS COMICS

CREATED BY DONALD RUBINSTEIN and NINE-YEAR-OLD FB RUBINSTEIN

ALL DRAWINGS BY FB RUBINSTEIN _AVAILABLE DECEMBER 2022.

“DONALD RUBINSTEIN WORKS IN THE HIGHER ARTS. HE COMPOSES SOUNDTRACKS WITH MUSIC RANGING FROM CONTEMPORARY EXPERIMENTAL CLASSICAL, TO JAZZ, ROCK AND AMERICANA. HE IS ALSO ACTIVE AS A VISUAL ARTIST…HOW DOES ONE COME TO TERMS WITH THIS WORK? THIS IS NOT AN EASY ALBUM, BUT ONE WHICH IMPRESSES DEEPLY." —ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY MAGAZINE

remedy

burnt

chipped

stuttered

into the breath

of spring,

still riding arcane LA streets

the corn cob nose

splintered,

before

the pipe

surrendered,

that waning remnant

of forgiveness

All content on this website: music, art, videos, text©2023 Donald Rubinstein