The CD does not feature "jazzed-up hymns." Still, they aren't your typical arrangements either. How often do you hear two bassoonists playing "Praise To the Man," or "I Need Thee Every Hour" done on the trombone? "We wanted it to be unique, as well as contemplative," says Larson. "The variety of instrumentation keeps things interesting, and we think it will wear well because of the simple, transparent concept."

Other offerings include songs associated with Joseph Smith, such as "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief " and "Joseph Smith's First Prayer." There are songs pertaining to the Savior's messages: "Love One Another," "Have I Done Any Good." There are spirituals and hymns, such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Amazing Grace." A track called "Pure Religion" combines two primary songs.

He also included "What Child Is This." "We did that on our holiday CD, but it is such a beautiful song it deserves wider listening than just at Christmas."

Dusting off his trombone for one song was a fun challenge for Larson. "I hadn't played it for 20 years, so I had to go out to the woodshed and practice. But on that track we layered all the pieces, so it sounds like more than one trombone. It was a lot of fun."

The trombone was actually Larson's first musical instrument — other than piano. "I started piano when I was 6 or 7. But I was always more fascinated by music theory — the chords and scales. That really helped a lot in the jazz end of things, where a lot of it is improvisation."

In the sixth grade he took up the trombone, and that became his focus in high school. But the best thing, he says, was that "when I was about 14, I started playing at Gold and Green Balls — church dances — with my Dad's 'orchestra,' as we called it in those days. I'm so grateful I had that opportunity. It was about the end of the ballroom era."

Larson grew up in Preston, Idaho, on the music of the big band era. His dad played the saxophone, "and we always had a lot of records around. That was when I knew I loved music. I connected with the big bands. My mother always said I was born 30 years too late."

At age 16, Larson won the prestigious Benny Goodman Award given by Selmer Band Instruments at a music camp he attended at the University of Utah. Two years later he played in a jazz quintet that represented the Intermountain region at the National Collegiate Jazz Festival in St. Louis.

While in college, he considered majoring in music — for about one semester. "But I've always been a niche player. I knew if I pursued a career in music, I would need to be more broad based." Instead, he pursued a career in law and real estate, and currently works mostly with real-estate acquisitions for the LDS Church.