Jean-Michel Defaye (b. 1932):
- À la manière de Schumann
- À la manière de Debussy
- À la manière de Stravinsky
Ferdinand David (1810-1873): Trombone Concertino in E-Flat Major, Op. 4 (arr. for trombone and piano)
Jean-Michel Defaye (b. 1932):
- À la manière de Vivaldi
- À la manière de Bach
- À la manière de Brahms
Luke Dahn (b. 1976): Counterplay
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): Sonate

You know the old saying "You can't get blood out of a stone". Well I've often thought that "You can't get expression out of a trombone", unless of course you're a musician like Mark Davidson who can bend notes to his will with dynamic and expressive versatility. He's played with the San Antonio, Cincinnati and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, and is presently Principal Trombone of the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

All the pieces on this recording are perfect vehicles for the trombone. Even the 2021 Counterplay by Luke Dahn, despite forcing the player to generate some rather "unmusical" sounds, brings out the instrument's mellow character during its subdued middle section. But it's the six À la manière portraits by French composer Jean-Michel Defaye that steal the show. Not only do they well capture the style and technique of each individual composer, but they allow for different facets of the trombone's sonic characteristics to come through, as well as imposing a variety of expressive and technical demands on the performer.

Just like this other recording by trombonist extraordinaire Mark Hetzler, this new recording by Mark Davidson amply demonstrates that under the right hands, the trombone is a highly versatile and deeply expressive instrument that needn't always sit in the back row of the orchestra.