Brought up in a musical family, and taught violin/viola from an early age, Rob’s musical journey was transformed as an adult by a recurring childhood memory of a saxophone in the window of a junk shop in Bath. And so starts his exploration of improvisation, composition and jazz.
Currently, Rob plays tenor saxophone in the jazz septet Mixed Salad, a product of the Bristol Jazz Workshop that he has attended for many years, and composes and plays saxophone and bass clarinet for music and spoken word projects with the acclaimed poets Chris Waters and Chris Fogg, a collaboration that has produced two Que Pasa? shows.
As well as playing saxophone in a wide variety of settings, writing music has been a feature of Rob’s musical journey. The last ten years have been a particularly busy period for composing including: the project Impressions of …, that contributed many pieces for the Que Pasa? shows.
During 2020, Rob reworked the introduction to the first piece written for the Impressions of … project, Machu Picchu. The introduction to the piece is a haunting melody played on the bass clarinet, and this was augmented with a tenor saxophone harmony line to create Machu Picchu Part 1. This and the original were both inspired by a visit to Machu Picchu in 2003 and conjure up the atmosphere and magic of this amazing place. An adapted version of this has also been used in Que Pasa?
Click here to view video.
Upcoming Performances:
November 30th 2025, 2-4 pm
Mixed Salad will be performing at Nevil Road Community Club, Nevil Road, BRISTOL BS7 9EQ
December 9th 2025, 7.30pm
Jazz Workshop Group – aka Mixed Salad will be performing at Hen and Chicken, Southville, BRISTOL
Rob Yockney 