DONALD RUBINSTEIN

Selected Works

All music and lyrics by Donald Rubinstein (except where noted)

Donald Rubinstein _piano, guitar, vocals, synthesizers.

“SINGER/SONGWRITER, PIANIST, JAZZ EXPERIMENTALIST, SOUNDTRACK COMPOSER, BEAT-STYLE POET — DONALD RUBINSTEIN HAS SOMEHOW JUGGLED ALL THOSE HATS OVER THE LENGTHY SPAN OF HIS CREATIVE CAREER.” —ALL MUSIC GUIDE

“RUBINSTEIN SINGS LIKE AN ANIMAL, HIS GRIZZLED VOICE CRACKING WITH HALF-IRONICAL DESPERATION OR DESCENDING TO A CONVERSATIONAL MURMUR…HIS TUNES ARE INSTANTLY ICONIC.” SEATTLE WEEKLY

“A WILDLY DIVERSE AND EXCEPTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL ALBUM. RUBINSTEIN’S MUSICAL PALLET IS VIVID AND VARIED AS HE’S JOINED BY A VARIETY OF MUSICAL EXPLORERS SUCH AS GUITARIST BILL FRISELL. FROM MIDNIGHT BLUES TO EXQUISITE ORCHESTRAL PIECES THAT DANCE BETWEEN LIGHT AND SHADOW…THIS IS DREAM MUSIC WHERE TENDER SONGS DRIFT INTO DARK MUSICAL LANDSCAPES AND THEN BACK INTO MORNING LIGHT.” GAJOOB MAGAZINE (SCARS AND DREAMS)

“RUBINSTEIN’S JAZZ LEANING MAKES FOR A SPECTACULAR SCORE...THE SIREN WAIL, THE SOMBER PIANO, THE CELLO AND OBOE MOVEMENT, IT’S ALL JUST PERFECT. DIFFERENT PIECES OF “THE CALLING” POP UP THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE SCORE, AND ITS SOMBER TONE MATCHES THE MOOD OF THE FILM FLAWLESSLY. I REALLY CAN’T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT IT: IT’S CONSIDERED A CLASSIC FOR A REASON.” ALAN MILLER, MODERN VINYL (MARTIN)

"A TERRIFIC COLLECTION OF 13 WILDLY DIVERSE TUNES BY THE MULTI-TALENTED DONALD RUBINSTEIN AND FRIENDS, PERFORMED ON INSTRUMENTS RANGING FROM HARMONICA TO COMPUTER, FROM TENOR SAX TO BAROQUE VIOLIN. EACH SONG HEADS OFF IN A DIFFERENT, AND USUALLY UNEXPECTED, DIRECTION BUT THEY'RE ALL HELD TOGETHER SOMEHOW BY A SUBTLY DARK AND SOMETIMES EERIE VIBE...THE VARIETY OF WELL MADE, WELL PLAYED MUSIC ON THIS DISC IS IMPRESSIVE -- IT'S A RICH AND SATISFYING PIECE OF WORK". IRVING BELLEMEAD, SPLENDID EZINE (MAYA)

“DONALD IS CRAZY. LIKE CHARLIE PARKER WAS CRAZY. LIKE KEROUAC AND BOB DYLAN ARE CRAZY. PERFECT CRAZY. FULL OF SURPRISES. I CAN’T SAY ANYTHING BETTER ABOUT ANYBODY. ‘CRAZY’ ON THIS IDIOT PLANET IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS. DONALD IS EVEN BETTER. A MONSTER ARTIST. (NOT BAD FOR A YANKEE.)” TERRY ALLEN

“WHAT REALLY KNOCKED ME OUT IS THE MUSIC FOR “MARTIN," A SHOWCASE FOR DONALD RUBINSTEIN’S JAZZ CHOPS. I’M AMAZED HOW VARIED IT IS: THE INSTRUMENTATION OF COURSE, BUT THE APPROACHES AS WELL.” —GARY GIDDINS

“IMAGINE KORNGOLD DOING A SONG CYCLE, BUT INSTEAD OF HIRING AN OLD WHITE GUY, DUKE ELLINGTON SHOWS UP OUT OF THE GRAVE TO PLAY IT, CRACKING HIS FINGERS, WANTING TO RAISE A LITTLE HELL FRESH OUT OF HEAVEN. THAT’S THIS. IT'S COOL. IT'S NIGHT. IT'S LOOKING FOR AN AUDIENCE IN A THEATRE OF ALLEYS. IMAGINE JOHN LENNON MAKING AN ALBUM IN THE LATE 60S WITH YOKO THAT YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO LISTEN TO MORE THAN ONCE. THAT'S STILL THIS. I FIND IT FREEING AND RELAXING. BEAUTIFUL PIECES WHICH DEFY LABELING. A GHOST IN A SOMETIMES DEAD WORLD OF MUSIC BAYING AT THE MOON AND ASS CHEEKS. WORTH RELISHING." —BEN OHMART, MUSIC DISH

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

“DONALD RUBINSTEIN: A MAN ON A JOURNEY TO ORBIT THE OUTER EDGES OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND DIVE RIGHT TO THE HEART OF THE HUMAN CONDITION. HIS MUSIC AND ART DEFY CATEGORIZATION-COMPLEX SCORES OF MOVING SOUND POETRY, FOLK TUNES THAT BOP AND ROCK, STORYTELLING WITH A DEEP FUNKY SOUL. HE IS A MAN WHO CREATES IN A HERMITAGE OF THOUGHT AND FEELINGS FILLED WITH CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE AND FORM, BURIED TREASURES, ANCIENT MEMORIES-ULTIMATELY AN INCREDIBLE ARCHEOLOGY AND ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSICAL FORMS THAT INVITE US INTO HIS OWN EMERALD CITY.” —RIC LUM, TREND MAGAZINE

“I’M SO LUCKY TO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH DONALD RUBINSTEIN IN ALL KINDS OF SITUATIONS OVER THE YEARS. I’VE LEARNED A LOT FROM HIM. HE IS A TOTAL ARTIST WHO USES EVERYTHING – A GUITAR, A WHISTLE, A SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, SPOKEN WORD, SONG, DRAWING, PAINTING, DANCE, ACTING, ETC., ETC...WHATEVER. THERE ARE NOT LIMITS. AFTER TWENTY YEARS HE STILL ON THAT ROAD, AND STILL AN INSPIRATION” BILL FRISELL

"PAPER PIECES FOR KEYBOARD" IS A CONTEMPLATIVE COLLECTION OF PIANO SOLOS...THIS IS ONE OF THE CDS– ALONG WITH THE BACH VIOLIN SOLOS BY CHRISTIANE EDINGER, AND THE BACH CELLO SOLOS BY AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT PEOPLE– THAT I CAN HAPPILY LOSE MYSELF IN, WANDERING THROUGH THE BLACK-AND-WHITE “LANDSCAPE” OF THE KEYBOARDS. TOM GEDDIE, BUDDY MAGAZINE

“DONALD RUBINSTEIN WORKS IN THE HIGHER ARTS. HE COMPOSES SOUNDTRACKS WITH MUSIC RANGING FROM CONTEMPORARY EXPERIMENTAL CLASSICAL, TO JAZZ, ROCK AND AMERICANA. HE IS ACTIVE AS A VISUAL ARTIST AS WELL…HOW DOES ONE COME TO TERMS WITH THIS WORK? AFTER AN INTRODUCTION OF SPOKEN WORD THE FIRST SONG TAKES ADVANTAGE OF LLOYD MAINE’S SPLITTING STEEL GUITAR. HE SOUNDS AS IF HE HAS RETURNED WITH JOE ELY AND THE CLASH TO THE VENUE IN LONDON. EXPERIMENTAL AMERICANA IS ALL…THIS IS NOT AN EASY ALBUM, BUT ONE WHICH IMPRESSES DEEPLY.” —ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY MAGAZINE, NETHERLANDS