Rob has been composing and arranging music in an ad hoc way throughout his life, and it wasn’t until he embarked on the project Impressions of… that writing became a more formal part of his musical journey. Impressions of … was a project composing music for saxophone evoking memories from the places Rob has visited on his many travels. This project started in 2013 and lasted for 6 years, producing many pieces inspired by his visits to places such as the Arctic, New Zealand, Argentina and Malaysia. A number of the pieces can be listened to via the Music and Video page, and a full list of all the pieces written for the project is documented here.
Increasingly Rob also started writing pieces outside the project, based on other ideas and themes. These compositions include:
2017
October 2017
Written for alto and tenor saxophones, this piece is the first in which Rob has set these alongside a string quartet and processed electric piano.
2019
15
Based on a cycle of 3 bars of 4/4 and 1 of 3/4, this piece creates a sense of urgency.
2020
Kayaking
Part 1 – River
Part 2 – The Lower Dart
Part 3 – Open Sea
Part 4 – Catching the Wave
After the success of the Que Pasa? project one of the poets involved suggested that a further collaboration, and the idea kayaking as a theme for future work. Rob had taken up kayaking in 2019 and had taken part in may trips on rivers, estuary and at sea, and that became the inspiration for a suite of music.
Pandemic
Part 1 – Trepidation
Part 2 – Hope
Part 3 – Deja Vu
The Pandemic of 2020 enabled Rob to spend more of his time composing as well as inspiring a series of pieces reflecting his feelings of the evolving response here in the UK.
Blue Beyond the Grey
A classic tenor saxophone and rhythm section piece reflecting the optimism and longing for better times.
2021
Procession
…
Jan 3
…
Inspired by a kayak trip, a composition for a nine piece ensemble including cello, viola and violin.
Rob Yockney 