In the world of free jazz, where fitting in actually means doing your own thing, Perry Robinson stands out as an individual among individuals, musically and personally.
An internationally acclaimed jazz musician who lives in Jersey City, Robinson was a shareholder of the ’60s counterculture and has never stopped living that lifestyle. His ax is the clarinet. With a career that has spanned over four decades, he has known, learned from, and had adventures with some of the unique characters of this century such as Woodie Guthrie, Allen Ginsberg, Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Alan Arkin and Sonny Rollins. A consummate artist, he has also engaged in film, drawing, magic, and mysticism.
A new book titled Perry Robinson: The Traveler (www.iuniverse.com, 2002) is the result of a five-year collaboration between Robinson and co-author Flo Wetzel. Perry Robinson: The Traveler is the first published non-fiction book for Wetzel, a 39-year-old Hoboken resident. She works part-time at a law firm, and has been writing throughout her life.
More than just a review of the musician’s accomplishments, the book is a holistic exploration of a lifestyle. His life is filled with entertaining tales, and talking to him is an experience of its own. Perry Robinson: The Traveler illustrates Wetzel’s ability to create a coherent story while capturing Robinson’s free flowing narrative style. On any given page, he freely and openly shares his views on spirituality, mysticism, creativity, sex, drugs, communism, and of course, music.
Met him in Hoboken
Wetzel was not familiar with Robinson or his music when they first met at a party at Hoboken’s O ROE Electric Arts Space in 1986. "All I knew was that I met this guy who played clarinet and he seemed really nice," Wetzel said last week. "I had a friend who was a big jazz fan, and about a week later, I was telling him about my weekend, and I told him that I met this guy Perry who played clarinet. He was like, ‘Perry Robinson?!,’ and that was when I got the first inkling that Perry had this whole big career outside of Hoboken."
Wetzel says that the idea to write this book was a mystical inspiration.
"It’s one of those moments where you don’t know whether you’re having an idea or being given an idea," she said. "I had just finished writing my fifth novel and I didn’t have any other projects going, but I wasn’t actively looking. Honestly, it’s an idea that came into my head. Almost like something saying you should do a book. We didn’t know what we were getting into, but that’s also what made it so much fun. We had no idea that it would take five years or that it would involve so many people."
Most of the research for the book comes from over 50 taped conversations between Robinson and Wetzel, as well as from the web and The Institute of Jazz Studies in Newark. What Wetzel remembers most fondly about the process of writing the book was being absorbed into the community of people who have shared in Robinson’s life.
"Another very wonderful resource for me was all of Perry’s friends," she said. "It’s like this whole community of people that Perry has known over the years."
The heart of this community lies in Hoboken. Residents who helped bring this project together include contributing writers: Jim Hans, Mike Kilmer, and Dan Shot; and photographers Ginny Parrot, and Doris China, who designed the book cover and photo layout.
Robinson has history here
Robinson himself has a long history in Hoboken.
"I first started coming to Hoboken in ’68," he said last week. "I was living in New York still. Hoboken was discovered at the same time that the hippies and the ’60s were going on. Certain people knew about it. A lot of people made fun of it. They didn’t realize there were lofts over here. There were big things going on. Artists could come over here and get cheap things. It was really happening."
His connection goes back even further than that. His father, Earl Robinson, wrote the 1942 hit "The House I Live In" for Frank Sinatra. Robinson moved to Hoboken in 1984. The date Sept. 17, 1988 was Robinson’s 50th Birthday, and was recognized by the city of Hoboken as Perry Robinson Day.
He has appeared on dozens of albums. Perry Robinson: The Traveler contains a full discography. His theme song, "The Call" can be found on the album "Two Generations of Brubeck" His own albums, including "Funk Dumpling" and "Kundalini" can be found at most music outlets or online, and he has recently appeared on "Bob’s Pink Clarinet Trio."
The book is available for order at any major bookstore, online at www.iuniverse.com, or at their book release celebration on June 9 at 8 p.m. at Makor, 35 West 67th St., in Manhattan, where Robinson will also be performing. Admission is $12 with a $10 minimum. For more information visit www.makor.org or call (201) 601-1000.
Robinson plays regularly in New York with various jazz and folk groups.
Also be on the lookout for Wetzel’s upcoming releases, Mrs. Papadakis and Axpasia, published by IUniverse.com. q