ROBEONE, If You Don’t Know What It Is, It Must Be Jazz

What happens when a veteran progressive-rock keyboardist throws the doors wide open, abandons genre boundaries, and lets his synthesizers run gloriously wild? For Robert Schindler, better known as ROBEONE, the answer is If You Don’t Know What It Is, It Must Be Jazz—a seven-track sonic adventure where space-age electronics, jazz improvisation, heavy fusion, and prog-rock fireworks collide in wonderfully unpredictable ways. One moment, a passage suggests a smoky jazz club; the next, it erupts into swirling synthesizer squalls, fuzzy guitar, dancing violin, or some delightfully unclassifiable sound. Through it all, Schindler’s playful imagination keeps the music moving, proving that sometimes the best way to understand a musical adventure is simply to surrender to it.

The opening track, “A Lovely Bit of Squirrel,” announces the album’s anything-goes philosophy with a barrage of high-register synth flourishes, abrupt stops, pounding chords, and squealing electronic textures. Just when the chaos seems ready to spin completely out of control, a bustling swing groove emerges, propelled by booming drums and a throbbing bass line. The juxtaposition of old-school soul-jazz keyboard punch and surreal electronic mischief makes for a deliciously eccentric introduction.

“Fish in the Cupboard” begins in more reflective territory, with elegant harp-like tones and graceful piano figures creating a mysterious, almost nocturnal atmosphere. A walking bass line eventually anchors a shape-shifting jazz workout in which playful piano plucks, sharp violin energies, distorted guitar, and spacey synth bursts continually trade places. “Salty Water” takes a more atmospheric approach, opening with dramatic piano chords and exotic chimes before gradually developing into a buoyant funk-jazz groove. Bleating synth notes, breathy flute-like tones, and bubbling keyboard patterns emerge along the way, but a lively, melodic piano thread keeps the exploration grounded.

On “Crimble Crumble,” Schindler pares things back to a hypnotic interplay of electric piano, bass, and feisty percussion. Dancing keyboard runs and muscular chords supply the momentum, allowing his improvisational instincts to take center stage. The contrast makes “Hello Bambinos” all the more striking. Ominous, film-score-like synth washes give way to brisk, high-spirited jazz, with piano, violin, horn-like electronic accents, and a brief blast of fuzzy rock guitar joining the fray. Its accompanying video, featuring spirited dogs and cats at play, adds a charmingly down-to-earth counterpoint to the music’s cosmic mischief.

The nearly eight-minute “Fox in the Freezer” unleashes the album’s most full-throttle progressive-rock energy. Dark, throbbing synth patterns build into a churning instrumental storm, punctuated by distorted guitar, tinkling percussion, an electric-piano solo, and a sizzling violin passage. The Closer “Sit Wilson Sit” settles into a funky, midtempo groove while allowing shimmering synth melodies and a fuzzy guitar excursion to wander into increasingly adventurous territory. The rhythm stays firm even as the sounds seem to venture into outer space.

Schindler’s decades-long career includes work with Ronnie Spector and Johnny Nash, as well as experience at New York’s legendary Electric Lady Studios. Here, playing every instrument himself, he demonstrates a knack for layering sounds into an ensemble-like conversation rather than a mere keyboard showcase. True to his commitment to the instrument that helped shape his musical life, 100% of the album’s profits benefit the Bob Moog Foundation.

With If You Don’t Know What It Is, It Must Be Jazz, ROBEONE embraces curiosity, humor, and musical freedom. It’s a gloriously unpredictable trip through jazz, fusion, and progressive-rock imagination—proof that the strangest detours can be the most rewarding.