In 2019 you released your first solo album, Everything but Trombone (Cid Music Records), which includes music originally written for other instruments. What made you decide to do it?
I should mention that the music I listened to all my life wasn’t precisely trombone playing. I didn’t have many recordings of trombone players. Still, I did have many recordings of Luciano Pavarotti, Jacqueline du Pré, Cecilia Bartoli, Alicia de Larrocha; that’s what I enjoyed listening to. I was “slow cooking” this CD for a long time. What kept me from actually doing it was that I couldn’t decide what I wanted to put on my first album. In the end, I decided that it didn’t need to be just trombone music because I rarely listen to trombone music. I decided to ask other people to arrange the music that I always listened to, the music I truly enjoyed. I started writing down names for a long time, what was viable and what wasn’t. Some of them — not possible things — ended up being feasible because I wanted to do them. That’s why I chose the name Everything but Trombone — because there’s nothing original for trombone in that album. I played symphonic music, Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss, from that to a flute and harp suite that I transcribed for trombone and Massenet as well. That’s the music that I truly enjoyed listening to.
Who are some musicians who inspire you?
I would say Luciano Pavarotti. It’s amazing how I still listen to him, and it still makes me feel like I’m tiny in a musical way.
Website: davidrejano.com
| Full Interview: “Listen to Good Music, Not Only to Trombone Music” |