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Robert Earl Longley
 Biography
Robert Earl Longley, also known as “Robby,” is a world-class
level guitarist and symphonic composer from New Orleans whose
original compositions are available on nine CDs. In addition,
Robert composed two powerful soundtracks for films that screened
at the Sundance Film Festival. In his concert material, Robert’s
jaw-dropping finger style techniques on the flamenco guitar
always deliver fresh, sophisticated Third Stream-like jazzy
melodies within the musical structure of classically inspired
movements rather than producing traditional flamenco music as
the strumming techniques might suggest.
Besides using a wide variety of musical instruments, the guitar
is present in all of Robert’s compositions. Perhaps his love of
the acoustic guitar is a throwback from his Andalusian ancestry
on his mother’s side. To be sure, “It’s almost as if he is not
playing, but instead whatever he is feeling is coming out of the
guitar,” as one audience member put it. Robert easily affirms
this:
“As a child, I strummed the guitar unconsciously. As a young
man, I endeavored to strum it consciously. Now, I strum the
guitar as I did as a child---unconsciously. That is to say, the
guitar plays itself through me.”
From childhood, Robert’s talent for music was fostered by his
parents who exposed him to the inescapable influence of jazz and
blues from nearby New Orleans along with the classical composers
and such guitar artists as Carlos Montoya, Chet Atkins, Paco de
Lucia and Julian Bream. As an adolescent, Robert found himself
further inspired by the groundbreaking keyboard virtuosity of
Keith Emerson who, ironically, claimed to have been inspired by
the guitar work of Pete Townsend and Jimmy Hendrix. Having fused
all of these influences into his own original finger style
guitar sound, Robert then moved to Los Angeles where he entered
eight local guitar competitions within a two-year period and
took first place in all eight. This was all the impetus he
needed to express himself as he does today, unencumbered by
style or tradition.
In fact, Robert’s music defies the accepted genres of style
because to him, the dogma of tradition is quite stifling. This
music is not straight flamenco. Although it sounds Spanish, it
is not that. It could have been lifted out of a classical film
score, but it wasn’t. Its polyrhythmic improvisations are
jazz-like, but it is not Straight- ahead Jazz. It wrenches your
emotions like Blues, but it isn’t that either. When an audience
is completely taken in by a piece of music, categorization
suddenly becomes irrelevant. And Robert makes no excuses for it
either when he says,
“There’s nothing legitimate about what I do. I know I am the
bastard child of flamenco and classical guitar, and I prefer it
that way.”
Robert Earl Longley, recording artist and guitar hero for
aficionados, has great mainstream appeal at live performances.
He is the singular artist who appears only once in each
generation to bring a unique musical style to his era.
 MP3
Music Samples
Robby Longley
Photos
Robby Longley
Videos
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Horseman |
Baraka
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Dixie |
Voodoo
Dolls |
Videos require Windows Media Player
Book Robert Earl Longley Here
Robby has
produced 8 CD's to date. There are 6 available for sale at CD
Baby
 | ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: Sanctuary
Haunting and lyrical flamenco guitar melodies punctuated with the sensual rhythms of Africa and the Middle East carries the listener to distant, exotic landscapes.
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 | ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: Chasing the Dragon
From India to Tibet, a musical journey of contemporary rhythm and melodies using a blend of traditional instruments of the region and modern orchestration to meditate or just unwind by.
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 | ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: Yuletide
An unusual treatment of the most cherished Christmas songs played hauntingly and sweetly on a flamenco guitar with additional full orchestra including exotic polyrhythmic beat that makes it appropriate for mood listening in all seasons.
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 | ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: Guitar Noir
The only studio-recorded solo CD of monster guitarist Robby Longley’s original compositions that know no borders in a style that has no name. This inspired album incorporates fiery flamenco techniques that uniquely produce a fearless weave of melodic j
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 | ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: Theatre d'Orleans
Sweetly romantic and melodic recordings of a very distinctive style of original compositions indeed. Robby weaves a beautifully orchestrated neo-classical/flamenco hybrid, inspired by the synthesis of many acoustic guitar styles: blues, jazz, classical,fl
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 | ROBERT EARL LONGLEY: LIVE from Boulevard Music
Drama unleashes original melodies composed for acoustic solo guitar within classical symphonic structure and executed using brilliant flamenco techniques by the guitarist known for playing with blazing ferocity performed live at Boulevard Music in Culver
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