FCS Alan Robinson, guitar 10.19.23

Belmont University School of Music

Faculty Concert Series presents

Alan Robinson, guitar featuring The Alan Robinson Trio

Belmont University School of Music

I Can’t Believe He Ate the Whole...Tone??

No Time to Wait

Dance of the Ballerina

MyMy

GO! Set...Ready…

Oldman

Lydia Who?

Warranty Issues

Tabula Rasa

All songs written by Dr. Alan Robinson, b. 1970, School of Music Faculty THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023 7:30 P.M.

MASSEY CONCERT HALL

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Trio Personnel Alan Robinson*, guitar Saulo Mora+, bass Chad Floyd+, drums School of Music Faculty Performers Mike Valeras, guitar Anthony Belfiglio, keyboard/piano +Guest Performer

 Program Notes I Can’t Believe He Ate the Whole…Tone?? utilizes the perfect fifth interval to craft a melody characterized by wide intervals and disjointed rhythmic elements. The solo section follows a twenty -four-bar extended blues structure but incorporates a unique twist by employing the whole-tone scale and incorporating chords derived from various melodic minor scales for the turnaround. The high energy is sustained through a nearly constant barrage of sixteenth note phrases, enhancing the interaction between the bass and guitar and making it a perfect opener.

No Time to Wait is a straightforward rock tune designed to be both simple and melodic. The song primarily centers around the I and V chords, with limited harmonic expansion until the end, where modal interchange is introduced for the outro solo section.

Dance of the Ballerina is a progressive rock/fusion tune centered around a melody in 7/8 time signature. The A section melody consists of a three-bar phrase, structured with a distribution of a 3+4 grouping of eighth notes, which then transitions to a 4+3 group phrase for the B section. The chorus smoothly shifts to a 4/4 rock backbeat, providing a strong foundation for both the solo sections and the overall composition.

MyMy is named after my daughter, Myriah. The melody captures the playfulness of her growing up, as she is now older and leading her own life. The melody is constructed with a variety of arpeggiated runs, odd-metered figures, interplay of major seventh intervals leading to reharmonized dominant chords, and the use of modal interchange to emphasize the Lydian mode. These elements represent the unpredictability and lighthearted jesters that children possess.

GO! Set…Ready… this track was cleverly named by my drummer, Chad Floyd, who, after a performance, likened it to a race for our bassist. Instead of the usual starting signal of 'Ready...Set...GO!' as one would expect in a race, GO! Set...Ready... perfectly captures how this lively funk/rock tune kicks off. The B section features a half-time groove that smoothly transitions back into the race of the A section upon its return.

Oldman was inspired by a melody I originally conceived soon after the passing of my father. I affectionately referred to him as “Oldman” due to his wealth of life experience and the wise guidance he shared with me. Despite my initial inability to complete the musical idea, the tune was set aside until it recently resurfaced in my mind.

The melody was developed from a lesson I had created for a private guitar student, focusing on spread voicing triads and string skipping arpeggios. The composition is primarily diatonic, with occasional moments of modal interchange. Throughout the tune, shifts in mood and texture reflect the internal conflicts I personally experienced after my father's passing, including feelings of desolation, depression, confusion, and chaos.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of my father's passing, and the emotions in my heart and mind remain as profound and raw as they were then. Oldman serves as my attempt to reconcile these complex emotions.

Lydia Who? was composed as a smooth jazz piece, featuring a funky backbeat and a simple melody that echoes the influences of guitarists Lee Ritenour and Larry Carlton. The title originated from a text message I received during a rehearsal with my trio. At that moment, we were playing this unnamed tune when I received a message stating that Lydia had been removed from my student roster. In response, I exclaimed, “Lydia who?” and realized I had just given the tune its name.

Warranty Issues was inspired by my love for the Pat Metheny Trio and my extensive background in progressive rock. The objective was to compose a piece where the melody was not constrained by a predetermined harmonic progression. The outcome was a melody generated from an initial improvisation, which remained unaltered from its first realization. This approach naturally led to a series of odd meters and non-functional harmonic schemes, influenced by my experience in playing progressive rock and fusion jazz.

The concept involved utilizing the bass as a melodic instrument alongside the guitar, doubling the most challenging lines at extreme tempos. When combined with the varied metric textures, this approach created a jazz tune infused with unpredictability.

Tabula Rasa meaning "a clean slate," is a progressive rock tune meticulously crafted to highlight a high-energy guitar melody. The inspiration for this composition arose from the completion of my doctoral studies, allowing me to pay homage to the foundational influences of my guitar playing, deeply rooted in progressive and instrumental rock. After years spent composing and studying various musical styles for my degree, it was energizing to return to my musical origins, approaching music with a fresh perspective while remaining faithful to my roots. This tune also mirrors the exciting new chapter I've embraced in becoming a part of the Belmont University family.

Program notes by Dr. Alan Robinson, School of Music Faculty

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Bios Dr. Alan Robinson is an active performer and composer residing in Nashville, Tennessee. He is Assistant Professor of Music at Belmont, where he teaches Commercial Guitar, Improvisation I & II, and serves as the director of Commercial Guitar Ensemble I. Robinson is currently writing and performing with his group, the Alan Robinson Trio, with an intended release of a new Fusion/Rock album in Fall 2023. He has performed and shared the stage with musical acts such as The Platters, John Rich, Stryper, the Winery Dogs, and has led several personal bands, including TOYS (Metal), Depot Road (Country), 4-Cast (Jazz), Toxic Toyz (Metal), and The Alan Robinson Band (Progressive Instrumental Rock).

Robinson’s recording projects include various independent releases, such as The Tommy Money Jazz Orchestra, 4Cast, Psychedelic Rendezvous, TOYS: Let the Games Begin, and Contemplation, an instrumental rock project. In 2021, Robinson composed and recorded Circuition: Concerto for Jazz Guitar and Orchestra, a four-movement programmatic work featuring the guitar with a full orchestra, which accompanied his doctoral dissertation.

Robinson has an extensive musical career and has held various positions in education and performance. He served as the Director of Bands at South Floyd High School, Director of Jazz and Contemporary Music at Pikeville University, and Jazz Guitar Instructor at both the University of Kentucky and Campbellsville University.

In addition to his musical endeavors, Robinson also dedicated time to serving in the United States Air Force and United States Army. He was the principal guitarist and director of the jazz and rock nd ensembles with the 202 Army Band. Robinson retired from active duty with the United States Army in 2017 at the rank of Sergeant Major.

Robinson earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kentucky, Master of Music degree from Eastern Kentucky University, and Bachelor of Music from the Berklee College of Music.

Bio courtesy of alanrobinsonmusic.com

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dr. Saulo Moura started his musical journey early in life: seven years old on piano and thirteen on cello. During his early twenties, Moura was already performing and recording with some of the finest bossa-nova, jazz, and samba musicians in Brazil and Europe, and was also a part of the cello section for the Brazilian National Symphony Orchestra.

After all those years in Rio, Moura moved to America to further his studies in Miami at Florida International University completing a Masters in Cello Performance in 2003. In 2008, Moura was awarded a full scholarship and a graduate teacher assistantship to study jazz bass at the University of Louisville completing his second master’s degree in spring 2010. Following the conclusion of this degree, Moura accepted a full-time teaching position at Campbellsville University where he teaches music composition, arranging, theory, and jazz.

In 2023 Moura completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Composition at the University of Kentucky. After performing and touring extensively around the world on important stages in Brazil, Argentina, England, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea, Moura brought his experience to the classroom, and is very passionate about instructing and equipping the next generation of musicians and music educators of Kentucky.

Bio courtesy of alanrobinsonmusic.com

Dr. Chad Floyd currently serves as Professor of Percussion at Campbellsville University where he instructs applied percussion and directs the percussion ensemble, steel band, and drumline.

Floyd maintains an active career as an educator, clinician, performer, and composer. He has performed throughout the United States, Brazil, China, Ecuador, Japan, South Korea, and Trinidad. He has served as drummer for the award-winning band, Stoik Oak, the Grammy-nominated members of Sojourn Fare, and the Brazilian based group Almeida Duo. He has also performed with the Birdsong Steel Orchestra at Panorama in Trinidad, with the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Kentucky, Sacred Winds Ensemble, and Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra.

Floyd’s original compositions and arrangements for percussion are published by Bachovich Publications, C-Alan Publications, Innovative Percussion Inc., Row-Loff Productions, and Tapspace Publications. He holds degrees from the University of Kentucky (DMA), Belmont University (MM), Eastern Kentucky University (MAED), and Campbellsville University (BME).

He has studied primarily under James Campbell, David A. Johnson, and Todd London.

Chad Floyd is proud to be an artist endorser/clinician for Grover Pro Percussion Inc., Humes and Berg Co., Innovative Percussion Inc., Pearl Drums and Adams Musical Instruments, and Remo Inc. Bio courtesy of alanrobinsonmusic.com

 Upcoming Concerts and Events Voxology and World Percussion Ensemble A Perfect Love Friday, October 20, 7:30 p.m.

Fisher Center for the Performing Arts Tickets for this event are required and can be reserved through the Belmont Box Office.

Chorale and Bel Canto Sunday, October 22, 5:00 p.m.

McAfee Concert Hall Time Remembered—A Viewing of the Documentary Based on the Life of Jazz Pianist Bill Evans Tuesday, October 24, 6:30 p.m.

Harton Recital Hall

Q&A with Dave Thompson (Bill Evans Scholar) and Jazz Trio Concert Tuesday, October 24, 8:00 p.m.

Harton Recital Hall World Fiddle and Bluegrass Ensembles Wednesday, October 25, 7:30 p.m.

Massey Concert Hall Jazz Band I and II Friday, October 27, 7:30 p.m.

Massey Concert Hall

Belmont Opera Scenes Vices and Virtues Monday, October 30, 7:30 p.m.

Massey Concert Hall Faculty Brass Monday, October 30, 7:30 p.m.

McAfee Concert Hall

 For more information on upcoming concerts and events, please visit www.belmont.edu/cmpa or “like” Belmont University School of Music on Facebook.