Rita Payés

[tbdana]

I have such a trombone crush on Spanish jazz trombonist and vocalist, Rita Payés.

She has more natural soul than any living American trombone player I know of. Here she starts her first solo not with flash, but by picking out a single note and just letting it float over the chord changes. Awesome, and not an American approach at all. Then she sings. Then she plays. And it's all uniquely her. Dang. She has carved out her own space in the music landscape and I love that.



I'm also a big fan of the WDR Big Band, and indeed the whole German big band program.

[GabrielRice]

She is marvelous!

In the early months of the pandemic, my colleague Don Lucas and I did an interview with her online, archived here

She plays over a backing track at about 31:00

[Posaunus]

Rita is indeed wonderful. By the way, the guitarist, Elisabeth Roma, is Rita's mother. Rita got her start in Joan Chamorro's amazing Sant Andreu Jazz Band from Barcelona, featuring 7- to 20-year-old musicians (also the springboard for the equally great trumpeter/vocalist Andrea Motis). And of course the WDR Big Band is fantastic!

[dbwhitaker]

I first learned about her by watching this video. It still blows me away when I view it.



This is just one track from an entire album they did together: https://www.discogs.com/release/1502304 ... ma-Imagina

[CalgaryTbone]

I first heard her on that Boston University remote/online Trombone event, and have been a fan ever since. There are some great clips on youTube, including an appearance with the WDR Big Band (also a group I discovered online during the Covid shutdown).

Thanks to you Gabe and to Don for helping to get her name out to the trombone community.

Jim Scott

[Cmillar]

Thanks for this! Yeah! Beautiful soloing!

Soul-o-ing

[bassclef]

And, she's more or less just getting started. Imagine what she's going to be doing in 10-15-20 years from now!!

[Mikebmiller]

Holy cow! Thanks for sharing this. Interesting way that she balances the bone over her left shoulder when not playing.