Review

David Vayo
Eight Poems of William Carlos Williams:

, United States
Publisher: International Trombone Association Manuscript Press
Date of Publication: 1994

Solo part

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - unaccompanied

David Vayo’s Eight Poems of William Carlos Williams was commissioned by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra for Roger Oyster, Principal Trombonist. The writings of William Carlos Williams are associated with American Modernism and the Imagist movement. With specific staging, lighting and props David Vayo treats this text with great care and insight. The longest poem of the set is “The Sea-Elephant” which can be effectively performed separately. It involves the use of a hi-hat, bass drum with pedal, plunger mute, wooden platform, mouth siren and slide whistle. In this excerpt, the trombonist portrays a callous carnival barker and a down-trodden sea elephant performing on stage. Eight Poems of William Carlos Williams requires some memorization and is complex, but is worth the effort as one of the best theatrical compositions for trombone in the repertoire.

-David Manson
St. Petersburg, FL