Bio
Saxophonist/Flutist/Composer Robert Kyle has become known for his unique warm sound, melodic style, and his ability to harmoniously cross musical borders. His lyricism and passion are evident in whatever situation he finds himself, and he is fluid in many styles including Jazz, Blues, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, R & B and Classical. His performance & recording credits include work with Linda Hopkins, Gino Vannelli, Cee Lo Green, Natalie Cole, Michael McDonald, Johnny Mathis, Chet Baker, Jason Mraz, Chaka Khan, Michael Bolton, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Kenny Loggins, Brenda Russell, Lou Rawls, Perla Batalla, Paulinho Garcia, Guinga, Chico Pinheiro, Teka, Kleber Jorge, Rique Pantoja, Seu Jorge, Googoosh, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell, Blake Shelton, Babyface, Della Reese, Francisco Aguabella, Pete Escovedo, Jessica Simpson, Al McKibbon, Billy Mitchell, Roy “Guitar” Gaines and many others. He's served as musical director for blues diva Linda Hopkins, Jazz Bliss
In addition to being a very busy and in demand live & session musician, Robert performs regularly in the LA area with a long list of groups, including the Tony Guerrero Quintet, Betty Bryant, Billy Mitchell, Heartbeat Brazil, Excursion, also leads several of his own groups and has released eleven CDs on his own “Dark Delishious Music” label available through his website www.robertkyle.com. His quartet plays a variety of instrumental music with a focus on Latin & Brazilian Jazz, and is regularly featured at clubs and festivals all over. His Brazilian trio plays a mix of classic as well as contemporary Samba, Bossa Nova & Brazilian Jazz, mixing vocal and instrumental music.
Besides producing his own projects, Robert has acted as producer on numerous recordings, including “Es Cosa Latina” for salsa artist Leslie Paula, the debut CD for salsa artist Miguel Gutierrez, “Oye mi Ritmo-Oye Mi Voz,” Carol Bach-y-Rita's debut CD “What Love Is,” vocalist Rose Mallet’s “Building Dreams.” He has produced and/or co-produced the last 6 projects from legendary Kansas City pianist/vocalist Betty Bryant. He was co-producer & arranger on the debut CD from “Brazliando” and on the Hi-Fi Quintet’s CD “This is the Hi-FI Quintet.” Robert’s songs have been recorded by Alessa, Betty Bryant, Bobby Zee, Zoe, Leslie Paula, Miguel Gutierrez, Larry Williams & Anna Estrada. His music has also been featured on television & in movies and commercials internationally. His songs can also be found on numerous American and European Jazz compilations.
Robert’s playing is featured on the Hal Leonard instructional books, CD’s and DVD’s “Brazilian styles for drum set” and “Afro-Cuban styles for drum set” by Maria Martinez, for which he also composed and arranged all the music.
He has studied privately with Phil Sobel, Bill Green, Plas Johnson, Lanny Morgan, Danilo Lozano and Greg Fishman. His love of drums and rhythms caused him to become increasingly interested in Brazilian and Afro-Cuban music. He has studied African drumming with Nigerian Master Drummer Francis Awe, and Brazilian drums and hand percussion with Maria Martinez, Cassio Duarte, Edson Gianesi, Carlinhos “Pandeiro” Deouro, Gello and Chalo Eduardo. In 2002, Robert’s love of Cuban music led him to Cuba to study traditional “Charanga” style flute at The Havana Conservatory with the great “Lele” (from Los Van Van) and the legendary Richard Egues (from Orchestra Aragon.) He has studied composition with Mauro Bruno and is a student of Lyle “Spud” Murphy’s Equal Interval System of composition & arranging. In 2010 he traveled to Brazil to study with the Brazilian masters Hermeto Pascoal, Jovino Santos Neto and Alessandro Penezzi. He's been attending “California Brazil Camp” anually since 2005 to study with Brazilian master musicians too numerous to mention.
n 2025 Robert will continue work on Betty Bryant's new album, the follow-up to her "Lotta Livin" CD, which received rave reviews and reached #4 on the Jazz charts in 2024. He is also recording with the Brazilian artist Téka, working on new material with his wife Alyse Korn for the follow-up to their debut album "Tuesday's Child," and has plans to go into the studio to work on his next solo album. In the springtime, he'll be headed to Vienna Austria as part of a group of European and American musicians that have been invited for 9 days of recording there. In addition to all of this, he keeps his calendar full with live performances in the LA, Orange and Ventura county areas, performing regularly with "Friends" (the group he co-leads with Hussain Jiffry which features vocalists Amy Keys and Paris Red,) Betty Bryant, Téka, Riner Scivally, Louie Cruz Beltran, Vi Jordan, Rique Pantoja, George Kahn, Joe Rozum and many others. He stays busy recording projects in his home studio and producing other artists, as well as teaching.
He lives with his wife Alyse and dog Rickie Lee in Ojai, California, a small artistic community about 90 minutes outside of Los Angeles.
He is an avid Yoga practitioner and reader of books.