Joel has been a force in the Phoenix jazz community since 1975—as a performing musician,
jazz marketer and presenter, arts organization administrator and jazz advocate.
In 1975, Joel Robin started playing piano in Phoenix at The Boojum Tree, a first-rate jazz venue that presented a rotation of local groups, with regular appearances by touring jazz luminaries. In addition to The Boojum Tree, Joel has enjoyed a career of long steady engagements at venues such as Page Four, The Phoenix Playboy Club, Timothy’s, Eddie Matney’s and Remington’s. Joel has an affinity and reputation for accompanying vocalists and he has worked extensively with Francine Reed, Margo Reed, Nancy Gee, Sherry Roberson, Dennis Rowland and Delphine Cortez.
A native New Yorker, Joel took private lessons at the age of 11 from John Mehegan, the head of the jazz department at the Juilliard School of Music. But he is a predominantly self-taught “by ear” player with a vast repertoire learned through osmosis, rather than memorization. Joel decided to leave New York and attend college at a small liberal arts college in Jamestown, North Dakota, where he established a jazz group that performed for four years and brought jazz to schools in a four state area with support from The National Endowment of the Arts.
Continuing his role of bringing live jazz to new audiences, Joel serves as Executive Director of Jazz in Arizona, a non-profit arts organization founded in 1977 that promotes jazz performance and education. Under his leadership, Jazz in AZ has undergone a dramatic transformation, and in April 2012 the organization opened The Nash, its own performance and education center near downtown Phoenix.
In addition to his music-related career, Joel has a strong background in nonprofit development and owns Goldenthal Creative Services, a creative advertising boutique with a list of successful local and regional retail clients, and national and regional infomercial clients.
In 1975, Joel Robin started playing piano in Phoenix at The Boojum Tree, a first-rate jazz venue that presented a rotation of local groups, with regular appearances by touring jazz luminaries. In addition to The Boojum Tree, Joel has enjoyed a career of long steady engagements at venues such as Page Four, The Phoenix Playboy Club, Timothy’s, Eddie Matney’s and Remington’s. Joel has an affinity and reputation for accompanying vocalists and he has worked extensively with Francine Reed, Margo Reed, Nancy Gee, Sherry Roberson, Dennis Rowland and Delphine Cortez.
A native New Yorker, Joel took private lessons at the age of 11 from John Mehegan, the head of the jazz department at the Juilliard School of Music. But he is a predominantly self-taught “by ear” player with a vast repertoire learned through osmosis, rather than memorization. Joel decided to leave New York and attend college at a small liberal arts college in Jamestown, North Dakota, where he established a jazz group that performed for four years and brought jazz to schools in a four state area with support from The National Endowment of the Arts.
Continuing his role of bringing live jazz to new audiences, Joel serves as Executive Director of Jazz in Arizona, a non-profit arts organization founded in 1977 that promotes jazz performance and education. Under his leadership, Jazz in AZ has undergone a dramatic transformation, and in April 2012 the organization opened The Nash, its own performance and education center near downtown Phoenix.
In addition to his music-related career, Joel has a strong background in nonprofit development and owns Goldenthal Creative Services, a creative advertising boutique with a list of successful local and regional retail clients, and national and regional infomercial clients.
