Since 1980, guitarist Jim Robitaille has garnered a strong reputation as a unique player, recording artist, and award winning composer throughout the North Eastern United States and abroad. Jim’s debut recording entitled “To Music”, featuring saxophone great Dave Liebman, has received international critical acclaim. The CD was number five in the top ten list of 2004 by the Daily Ipirotikos Agon and the Apopsy in Greece and was the publishers pick for All About Jazz in the Boston Herald, and has received airplay on 200 radio stations internationally.

In 2002, Jim was the winner of the 9th Annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition sponsored by BMI, where he received his award from jazz piano great Herbie Hancock. Among many other composition awards, Jim has performed and or recorded with many great regional and international artists including Henry Hey (Rod Stewart), Dave Liebman, (Miles Davis, Elvin Jones), Bob Moses, (Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorious), John Lockwood, (Joe Henderson, Kenny Werner), as well as many other artists groups and off broadway musical productions.

Robitaille has appeared at the Baird Auditorium in the Smithsonian Institute’s Museum of Natural History (Washington, DC). The Knitting Factory (New York, NY), Smoke (New York, NY), The 18th Annual University of Massachusetts Jazz Festival (Dartmouth, MA), Ryles Jazz Club (Cambridge, MA), The Center For The Arts (Natick, MA), Bob The Chefs (Boston, MA), the Zeiterion Theatre (New Bedford, MA), The Limetree Inn (St. John, U.S.V.I.), West Bank Bistro (New London, CT), The Verve Jazz Bistro (Milford, NH), Jazz Masters (Providence R.I.) and the Hi Hat (Providence R.I.). He has also received numerous performance grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for the Arts since 1989.

Besides maintaining a busy performance schedule, Jim has taught workshops/clinics, jazz improvisation, jazz ensembles, classes, and or given concerts for the music programs at the UMASS Dartmouth, Westfield State College, Brandeis University, and several other community colleges and academies. At the present time he teaches guitar and improvisation at his own studio, as well as the Symphony Music Shop in Dartmouth, MA, and Tabor Academy in Marion, MA. Jim has studied guitar and improvisation with jazz guitarist Jon Damian in Boston, and improvisation with pianist and master teacher Charlie Banacos.