Samuel Blaser— Bio

The fertile ground between hard bop and free jazz continues to attract the next generation of jazz artists, most notably trombonist Samuel Blaser. On Pieces of Old Sky, his new CD from Clean Feed, the Swiss-born and New York-developed brassman (now residing in Berlin—yes, he´s an inveterate globetrotter) shows off the fruits of his rapid development as a bandleader and instrumentalist. In a quartet featuring three like-minded collaborators—guitarist Todd Neufeld, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Tyshawn Sorey — Blaser delivers a work that is both imaginative and forceful.

Pieces of Old Sky begins with the title track, a 17-minute long opus that immediately showcases the delicate and ruminative strengths of Blaser´s quartet. Neufeld´s painterly guitar serves as a perfect foil for Blaser´s wide-open declarations, with Morgan´s bass issuing soft punctuation next to Sorey´s atmospheric drums and cymbals. "Chorale I" and "Chorale II," both clocking in under three minutes, are in a similar vein, seeming in a way like afterthoughts or simply "more pieces of old sky."

Blaser and his bandmates push up the tempo and look toward Monk and Mingus on Track 2 and prove they can navigate tricky arrangements on "Red Hook," "Mystical Circle" and "Speed Game," the enunciation of the respective melodies bouncing back and forth between the trombone and guitar. "Mandala," the fifth track and a tour de force, finds Blaser playing with a see-saw riff in a display of virtuosity that reminds listeners of the rich, nuanced character of his instrument.

Earning serious attention and enthusiastic praise over the last few years for his daring virtuosity and engaging improvisations, Blaser is a prolific talent with a truly collaborative spirit. In listening to his spectral trombone playing you hear tradition, finesse and questing innovation. His strong, colorful tone allows him to express his musical ideas in a straightforward manner, so each nuance of his phrasing stands complete and purposeful. With an astute command of rhythm and an impeccable ear for melody and harmony, Blaser fashions entertaining original compositions that emphasize his versatile playing and deep commitment to the jazz aesthetic.

Blaser was born and raised in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, located in the Neuchâtel canton and center of the country´s famed watch-making industry. It is also a vibrant jazz metropolis, and once was home to a pair of expatriate American jazz legends—pioneering saxophone and clarinetist Sidney Bechet and bebop drummer Kenny "Klook" Clarke—as well as the famed Swiss jazz trombonist Raymond Droz.

The middle of three brothers, Blaser was inspired to play trombone at an early age after seeing a marching band perform at a local parade. "I guess I like how the big, showy slide of the trombone was used," he says. There was always a lot of musical enjoyment in Blaser´s family: his father, a book manufacturer, was interested in Swiss folk music, while his mother, a machinist in a watch factory, loved American R&B and jazz. At 9 years old, Blaser started lessons on the trombone and quickly developed, thanks to the support of his parents.

While he kept up an interest in Egyptology in his youth, Blaser became a truly devoted musical student, entering the local conservatory at 14 and graduating seven years later in 2002. During this time he won numerous awards for both his classical and jazz performances, including the Benny Golson Prize in 2000, and was able to work in various big bands featuring guest luminaries like Phil Woods, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Buddy DeFranco and Jim McNeely.

After ending his formal education, Blaser studied privately for three years and maintained a steady schedule of bandstand appointments. He worked with the prestigious Vienna Art Orchestra, and then represented Switzerland in the European Radio Big Band "Tribute to Oscar Peterson" tour in 2005. A Fulbright scholarship to study in the United States at Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in New York followed, and in the next year he won the J. J. Johnson Prize while also copping the "Public Prize" and "Jury´s Favorite Player" at the Fribourg Jazz Festival. With his growing reputation as a young artist worth checking out, Blaser then landed a spot with his own band in the concert series at the Zagreb Jazz Festival.

Blaser began leading his own groups early on, and Pieces of Old Sky is a snapshot of his working quartet in action. A restless, questing individual, Blaser continues to work with a number of other groups as well, such as the new Braff Blaser duo, Malcolm Braff & TNT, Animal Forum, Peter van Huffel & Sophie Tassignon, and the Ravitz / Blaser Duo. He´s released numerous highly acclaimed CDs including "7th Heaven," on Between the Lines (2008), "Yay" with the Braaf Blaser Duo on Fresh Sound New Talent (2008), and Solo Bone on Slam Productions (2009), among others. Recent sideman work has found the trombonist sharing the stage with Renee Rosnes, Hal Galper and David Taylor, among others, leading Rene Laanen of USA Trombone Online to state, "Samuel Blaser is one of today´s finest trombonists."

"The world of music fascinates me to no end, and I´m determined to take one journey after another with my instrument and work," says Blaser. "It´s all about discovery and communicating new ideas. Believe me, I´m proof that a shiny trombone can send a message right to your heart and change your life."