Introducing Robert Mitchell: One of the Jazz musicians Shaping the Soundtrack of Jazz Cow
Part 1
I’ve got to tell you about one of the other incredible musicians joining us for Jazz Cow (which, by the way, is live now—please check out our Kickstarter!)
I’m sitting in London’s Vortex Jazz Club, waiting to listen to the jazz legend
. Outside, the sun is setting, and the street below bustles with a few tipsy wanderers, but inside The Vortex, it’s serene and everyone’s just waiting for the magic to happen.Now, Robert Mitchell, he’s a guy who looks like he’s barely 20, but trust me, his career is long. I actually, remember saving up as a teenager to get my hands on his 1998 album J-Life! Since then, he’s done it all—composed, performed, taught, and even directed the award-winning Jazz 625 Live on BBC4. Oh, and he’s also a professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Yeah, he’s that good.
even mentioned his keyboard skills in The History of Jazz1—so, we’re talking about a seasoned pro here, which is why it's so exciting to have him on our soundtrack.Tonight, Robert’s performance was something else. A solo piano gig where he mixed jazz with 20th-century classical pieces, weaving in his own compositions and poetry with works from other artists. The highlight for me? When he didn’t just play the piano—he turned it into a whole new instrument, like a drum, even plucking the strings inside it! I’ve seen this before, but not like this. Robert takes it to a whole new level.
Later on, I sat down with Robert for a chat, and let me tell you, it's life emerging yourself into a Jazz importation of idea interconnected ideas. He covered everything from music, books, and technology, to anime, justice, Shinto, myths, storytelling, education —you name it. It was like talking to a Wikipedia article that keeps opening new tabs. Condensing our conversation? Forget it. It was too expansive, too interconnected!
One of the things we dug into was his focus on left-handed piano playing, as it seemed fitting after his performance. He is not new to it, and he has already produced his first left-handed album2. You might think it’s just a creative quirk, but no, it’s rooted in a much deeper tradition. It’s of particular interest as he is left-handed. We talked about the evolution of piano design, like the Mangeot Piano from 1878, a left-handed piano from Belgium3, and how jazz legend Joe Zawinul would reverse his keyboard setup to create new avenues for ideas.
“Keyboards can be reversed in order to generate different ideas. He didn’t necessarily want to learn to reverse and play left-handed; it was more about the act of playing and the results that emerged.”
Robert also mentioned Heidi Schneider4, a musician from Germany who took up left-handed piano in her 50s after a long break. She found that playing left-handed
“You find that you can memorise better, hear things more clearly, and read music more effectively,”
We got into some fascinating stuff about left-handed composers and the cultural significance of left-handedness—how in some cultures, like Gaelic, it’s viewed negatively, but in Japan, it’s just neutral. Even animals came up—Robert pointed out how in the animal kingdom:
“there seems to be a much more equitable distribution of left and right-handedness compared to humans,”
We also talked about evidence suggesting that treating left-handed individuals as if they were right-handed can create mental blockages. Robert mentioned Peter Westmoreland and Ian Mcgilchrist, highlighting that our brain hemispheres are not the same. It reminded me of a great drawing hack that when you draw with your weaker hand, you have to concentrate more, and when you switch back to your dominant hand, you draw better. It’s a simple hack. Why the whole idea of the hemisphere is super interesting.
I seriously can’t wait to have him on board for Jazz Cow. His creativity, his insight—it’s exactly what this project needs. So, if you’re as excited as I am, please check out our Kickstarter, support the project, and grab some awesome rewards. Let’s make this happen, and share it with some friends!
This is a brilliant introduction to Robert Mitchell! You’ve captured his talent and curiosity so well. His approach to left-handed piano playing is fascinating and showcases his dedication to exploring every facet of music. The conversation snippets really bring his personality to life. This is a fantastic addition to the Jazz Cow journey!