Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Dr. Monte Coulter's recital at UTC Fine Arts Cneter to be a percussive tour de force. SATURDAY
Saturday night’s faculty recital featuring percussionist Dr. Monte Coulter III is as much about the passage of time as it is about keeping time.
Coulter, who has been teaching percussion at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for 37 years, said though he has done 10 recitals during his tenure, this is the first recital for him since he broke his elbow while rollerblading in his own driveway 15 years ago, and it is a chance to showcase the journey he has undertaken since.
“This program has taken 15 years to be ready for and six months to pre- pare for,” he said.
In addition to his teaching gig, Coulter played percussion with the Chatt anooga Symphony & Opera for 34 years over a 36-year period (he took time off after the accident that broke his elbow and to get his Ph. D) before retiring last year.
“Every doctor in town said I would never play the drums again,” he said of the accident. “It was potentially career-ending. Within a year, I could hold a drumstick. Within a couple of years, I could do everything except practice for six or seven hours a day.”
Every piece in the program was composed solely for percussion, he said. It will include one origi- nal piece called “Dancer,” as well as works by Paul Smadbeck, John Serry and Blake Tyson. He will be accompanied on percussion by his son, Monte Coulter IV, on the original piece.
Jenny Parker will play piano on “Chromatic FoxTrot” by G.H. Green, and Drew Daniels will play marimba on Tyson’s “Vertical River,” a piece about a whitewater rafting trip.
“And that is exactly what it sounds like,” Coulter said. “You hear the water falling.”
The Serry piece is called “Therapy for Solo Percussionist,” and Coulter said it also is a very descriptive title. It is also the song with the largest instrumental setup and will showcase just what a percussionist is all about.
For the first movement, “Anxieties,” Coulter will play 18 different instruments. For the second, “Fantasies,” he will play four and during “Aggressions” he will play 25 instruments.
“This is a great show for anyone who drums, or who loves drums or loves someone who does. I don’t know of anywhere else around here where you can hear this wide a range of playing. You won’t believe all of the things a percussion player can do. It’s a very difficult, professional-level program.”