Biography
Born in Chicago, Carol Robbins grew up in Los Angeles, where piano lessons at an early age inspired her to experiment with jazz improvisation. By age ten she was studying harp and eventually became one of the handful of students ever accepted by the late pioneering harpist Dorothy Ashby. One of the world’s few jazz harpists, Ms. Robbins has recorded and performed with an eclectic variety of artists including Billy Childs, Manhattan Transfer, Brian Wilson, Bjork, Dianne Reeves, Linda Ronstadt, Nina Simone, Teddy Edwards and Frank Sinatra. Her memorable television credits include Cheers, Frazier and The Tonight Show.
Highlight appearances in 2004 included a live radio broadcast on KCRW with Australian singer Sia, a duo with Bea Arthur at the Hollywood Bowl in A Tribute to Peggy Lee, and an engagement as performer and instructor at the Lyon Healy International Harp Conference in Salt Lake City.

In 2005 Ms Robbins, was nominated for a Grammy for her work on Billy Childs’ recording “Lyric”. She and her colleagues in Mr. Childs’ Jazz Chamber Ensemble were nominated in the category of Best Instrumental Jazz Album. Ms Robbins has performed with this group in New York City, Los Angeles, Orange County and the Bay Area. Robbins also recorded with the Electronica band Bitter:Sweet on their debut CD “The Mating Game”. Two of the songs from this album can be heard in the movie and on the soundtrack CD of “The Devil Wears Prada”. The song “Bittersweet Faith” features a harp solo improvised by Robbins. The group did an in-studio performance and interview on radio station KCRW in April of 2006.

Ms Robbins released her third CD “Jazz Play” in February of 2006. This collection features many of her of original compositions and she is joined by a stellar group of jazz musicians. On July 4th of 2006 Ms Robbins played a concert and gave a seminar for the American Harp Society in San Francisco. She gave a live radio interview for station KCSM in San Mateo a few days after the AHS performance. Robbins will be appearing extensively in concerts and clubs and on the radio with her group, Billy Childs’ Jazz Chamber Ensemble and with Bitter:Sweet. Several of Robbins’ jazz arrangements for harp have been published by Vanderbilt Editions, and her three CDs, “Jazz Play”, “Three And Four” and “Chords in Blue” are available on jazzcatsproductions.com , cdbaby.com and amazon.comand through many harp-related retailers.