Samuel Blaser, trombonist, composer

 

All About Jazz - Troy Collins, May 2008

New York-based, Swiss-born trombonist Samuel Blaser has appeared on over 30 recordings as a sideman and former member of numerous European big bands (including the Vienna Art Orchestra). 7th Heaven is his impressive debut as a leader. Accompanied by sympathetic peers, his quartet interprets these elaborate, lyrical compositions with knowing restraint and simmering volatility.
Drawing on his classical education, Blaser blurs the line between the written and improvised with an intricate, multi-layered aesthetic that is as melodically engaging as it is exploratory. Employing ample space and open tonalities, Blaser's angular tunes are ethereal even at their most tumultuous. Dominated by the three-part “Metamorphose Suite,” the album unfolds with an atmospheric, neo-classical attention to detail.
A commanding soloist with a harmonious approach to abstraction, Blaser enriches his mellifluous, buttery timbre with multiphonics, smears and myriad extended techniques to paint swirls of expressive chiaroscuro. Together with nimble guitarist Scott DuBois, they craft a rich sonic palette. A rising presence in the Downtown scene, DuBois has a distinct, effusive style that avoids routine conventions. Eschewing electronic EFX, he favors an unaffected, traditional guitar tone to fuel his blistering intervallic runs and percolating salvos.

Bassist Thomas Morgan (Dave Binney, Steve Coleman) and drummer Gerald Cleaver (Charles Gayle, Roscoe Mitchell) navigate turn-on-a-dime shifts in tempo and tone with a far-reaching facility. Morgan alternates lithe figures with sinewy support while Cleaver mixes roiling trap set palpitations with scintillating cymbal work, offering an expansive percussive panorama. From rubato pulses to unusual time signatures, Morgan and Cleaver spin a web of complex rhythmic patterns as they gracefully navigate a maze of quicksilver changes that veer from intricate cadences to pointillist accents.

Blaser's quartet brings a majestic air to the session, bolstering their empathetic communal sensibility with intuitive dexterity and unfettered virtuosity, accentuating and deconstructing forms with carefully considered interpretation. A stellar debut, 7th Heaven reveals Blaser as an artist of great promise.

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www.gaz-eta.vivo.pl (15.05.08)

New York based Swiss trombonist Samuel Blaser continues his quest in redefining his compositional skills on his quite delectable album "7th Heaven". Joining his quartet is guitarist Scott Dubois, bassist Thomas Morgan and percussionist Gerald Cleaver. Though he has appeared on more than twenty records by artists as various as EBU Jazz Orchestra, Lee Scratch Perry and Vienna Art Orchestra, his compositional side was under-developed on record. As such, this record lets his compositions breathe free. An almost half-an-hour long "Metamorphose Suite" allows all players to dabble in little side episodes of their own. All the while, the leader glues the whole thing together. His playing is rather pleasant, and for the most part, he doesn't like to step on his sidemen's toes. What's best about "7th Heaven" is the high level of communication between the players. I hope this record marks only the beginning of great things to come for Blaser's quartet.

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CD Reviews: Samuel Blaser Quartet - 7th Heaven
Posted by: editoron Monday, May 12, 2008 - 10:33 AM

Glenn Astarita

CD-2008 Between the Lines

Trombonist Samuel Blaser’s debut outing as a leader has been spinning in my
home stereo systems for several weeks. It’s one of those unanticipated
surprises us reviewers receive in the mail every now and then. He’s a
prestigious Fulbright scholar who has studied in the USA and abroad. At
twenty-six years, Blaser communicates musical maturity that is far beyond
the norm. A masterful technician and forward-thinking idea man, the
trombonist conveys an uncanny manner of bridging dark, brooding passages
with an overriding sense of vibrancy. Moreover, guitarist Scott Dubois looms
as a near-flawless accomplice for the leader. They jab and dart amid
blossoming storylines while often raising the ante in gradually ascending
fashion.

Bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Gerald Cleaver play a vital role
throughout, as they provide the requisite pop and zip. And in spots, Dubois
generates some high-heat when he cranks up the distortion pedal along with
Blaser’s animated phrasings. No doubt, this band thrives upon a dynamic that
consists of creating tension amid ominous overtones, largely within the
three-part, “Metamorphose Suite.” If you’re seeking a modern jazz record
that stands out from the majority of recent releases, then this shrewdly
engineered album should provide some near and long-term gratification. –
Glenn Astarita