Jazz Trio Enthralls Students and Faculty in First of a Series of Recitals Highlighting Faculty Musicians – The Quadrangle

Jake Robinson, Manhattan School of Music graduate and current MC Pep Band director, took the stage in the first of a series of recitals highlighting faculty musicians.
@MCJAZZBAND INSTAGRAM / COURTESY

By Jill Tuthill, Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor

MC Pep Band director and adjunct professor of music Jake Robinson, alongside fellow musicians Dan Asher and Dave Archer, performed at the first in a series of faculty recitals hosted by the music and theater department at the college this past Thursday. 

The event was attended by students and faculty alike and was presented by Mark Pottinger, chair of the department.

Robinson has known Asher for over a decade, and first met him at a gig.  It was through Asher that Robinson met Archer as well, and from there, he was able to put together a trio for the jazz performance opportunity.  According to Robinson, the three were not able to rehearse their entire set before the recital, but jazz’s characteristics as a genre of music not only allowed for them to pull off a highly successful performance but encouraged this spirit of spontaneity.  

“That’s kind of the nature of what we’re doing,” Robinson said.  “Part of the fun thing when you’re actually really focused on playing jazz is that you get to explore, and not just by improvising notes –  you can improvise form as well, if you have that kind of trust.  I remember for the first song we played, I started by just playing quarter notes, and then we kind of found our way into the melody.”

 The level of trust the three have in their own musicianship and the musicianship of their partners proved to be an important part of the performance, according to Robinson.

“I can trust them to do that,” Robinson said. “They hear what I’m doing and they know how to go with it.”

According to Robinson, his musicianship began when he was growing up as he watched his dad play a wide collection of blues music on rhythm guitar and harmonica. He ultimately found his passion for jazz while in school. The complexity and challenge of rhythm in jazz compelled him to study how these motifs are extracted and applied to other genres of music, which led him to the study of percussion performance, his enrollment at the Manhattan School of Music, and eventually to his position as pep band director and adjunct professor at Manhattan College. He told The Quadrangle that he is extremely thankful of Pottinger for the opportunity to perform at the college.

“I was very glad to be able to go to the event,” wrote Kevin Kane, sophomore mechanical engineering major, in an email to The Quadrangle.  “I’ve always enjoyed live music, and being able to see a free concert was amazing. They were able to play a few different kinds of jazz music, keeping the show interesting. I hope the school does more activities like this in the future.”

Kane wasn’t the only student attendee impressed with Robinson’s performance.

“I was very impressed with Jake’s faculty recital and I thought it was an incredible opportunity to see professional musicians playing in a genre that we don’t get as much exposure to now,” wrote Ethan Haley, sophomore physics major and a student of Robinson’s, in an email to The Quadrangle. “It was also great to hear about the creative process and songwriting from Jake about the two songs the trio played that were original works of his. Especially for anyone interested in playing or writing music, it was a great way to look into the life of real professional musicians. I’m very excited for the faculty recital program to continue, and I’ll be attending the next one with Dr. Garcia!”

The next event in the series of faculty recitals across the music and theater department will be held on March 26, highlighting guitar professor Daniel Garcia.