Arranged for Trombone and Piano by Shawn W. Davern
Pure Imagination, Toby Oft (trombone) and Kyra Zhao (piano), 2019
Year: 1971/2018
Duration: 2:45
Difficulty: Advanced
Pure Imagination is a song from the 1971 film Willy Wonka &
the Chocolate Factory that was by British composers Leslie Bricusse
and Anthony Newley specifically for the movie. It was sung by
Gene Wilder.
Pure Imagination was later arranged for trombone and piano by
Shawn W. Davern for Toby Oft in 2017 and performed in 2018.
Toby Oft and Kyra Zhao recorded the arrangement in 2019
at the Boston University College of Fine Arts.
Program Notes
Pure Imagination was originally composed by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. My arrangement for trombone and piano was concocted out of sheer respect and admiration for Toby Oft, principal trombone of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Toby originally recorded a beautiful solo rendition of him playing the tune in Symphony Hall in Boston, MA and I thought a piano accompaniment would compliment Toby’s gorgeous sound nicely. I am so delighted that our mutual love of this classic song has bred an amazing collaboration between Toby and myself.
Shawn W. Davern 