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. "Diaspora" (the ninth CD) is the newest release for 2007. In addition, Robert composed two powerful soundtracks for films that screened at the Sundance Film Festival. In his concert material, Roberts jaw-dropping fingerstyle techniques on the flamenco guitar always deliver fresh, sophisticated Third Stream-like jazzy melodies within classically inspired movements rather than producing traditional flamenco music as one would expect. Besides using a wide variety of musical instruments, the guitar is present in all of Roberts compositions. Perhaps his love of the acoustic guitar is a throwback from his Andalusian ancestry on his mothers side. To be sure, Its 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 confirms this in reply,

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.