Samuel's Biography
Winner of the 2019 “Prix du Musicien européen” from the Académie du Jazz in Paris , as well as the 2021 Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll (“Rising Star Trombone”), Samuel Blaser is a 21st-century trombonist. Born in 1981 in the town of La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, he emerged professionally after graduating from conservatory in 2002. During the next five years, he developed associations with the Vienna Art Orchestra and the European Radio Big Band, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, pursued graduate studies at the Purchase College Conservatory of Music, State University of New York, and recorded his first album as a leader, the Samuel Blaser Quartet’s 7th Heaven (Between The Lines). After living 16 years abroad in New York and Berlin, he has been back in his hometown since December 2021.
The foundations of Blaser’s art are the breadth of his influences, his technical fluency, and the clarity with which he applies these assets. He grew up learning classical and Swiss folk music as well as jazz, and his projects include jazz-informed investigations of operatic, rock, and blues music. He understands that growth is relational and has sought out and sustained relationships with veteran musicians such as Pierre Favre, John Hollenbeck, Gerry Hemingway, Marc Ducret, Paul Motian, Oliver Lake, and Daniel Humair—each of whom has helped him to develop his own sense of identity.
He exercises the full range of the trombone’s possibilities, including fluid melodic statements, emphatic rhythmic punctuations, earthy interjections, and abstract sound effects—all with a clear sense of purpose. He approaches each endeavor as a leader and collaborator with a defined goal in mind and an understanding of what each musical situation requires from him. Blaser’s responsiveness is never more evident than in his solo performances, which use his bold sound to draw out the qualities of both architectural and environmental settings.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced all musicians to suspend touring. However, Blaser’s response illustrated another aspect of his resourcefulness: while he was off the road, he set up a label called Blaser Music that issued 20 albums. He also created a sub-label called SONGS that releases music from other musicians, starting with Russ Lossing. As soon as Europe began to reopen, he returned to the stage playing concerts with his own groups and as a sideman for Michel Portal, Daniel Humair, and Marc Ducret. As of 2020, Blaser’s projects include:
**+**Pierre Favre & Samuel Blaser
Pierre Favre was born in 1937, and has been an enduring figure in Swiss jazz since the 1950s. Samuel Blaser grew up aware of Favre’s work at home and with the larger European scene. When he returned to Europe from New York, he reached out to Favre, and their association began with a duo concert at Centre Dürrenmatt in Neuchâtel. They have continued with that format ever since, united by their shared appreciation for tonal colors, patient improvising, and an open mind about mixing jazz with other musical forms.
Vol À Voile (Intakt 2010) Same Place, Another Time (Blaser Music 2022)
**+**Blaser-Ducret Duo
Two facts inspired Samuel Blaser to initiate his partnership with Marc Ducret; he knew that he appreciated the French electric guitarist’s playing, and he knew that Ducret liked to play with trombonists. From this common ground has grown an enduring partnership, with each musician completing many of the other’s projects. In this duo, they use a repertoire that includes compositions written by both men as launching platforms to explore an empathy that transcends style.
Audio Rebel (Blaser Music, 2020) Voyageurs (Jazzdor Series, 2022)
**+**Samuel Blaser Trio with Ducret and Peter Bruun
Danish drummer Peter Bruun joined Samuel Blaser and Marc Ducret for the first time in 2013, and as of the great pause of 2020 they have played over 150 concerts together. For several years that was the only way to experience their mercurial interaction, which encompasses lyrical melodic statements, hushed abstractions, and exhaustive explorations of their material’s myriad implications. While it is now possible to hear what the trio sounds like, each set is a new opportunity to share in their ongoing pursuit of discovery.
ABC vol. 2 (Blaser Music, 2020) ABC vol. 1 (Blaser Music, 2020) Taktlos Zürich 2017 (Hatology, 2018) Dark was the night, cold was the ground (Blaser Music, 2024)
**+**Samuel Blaser Solo
Solo trombone improvisers are rare specimens, and many current practitioners tilt heavily towards extended techniques. While Samuel Blaser does not shy away from such effects, he has established a singular solo language on his instrument by placing equal emphasis on melody, wit, and a proactive relationship to space and acoustics. On 18 Monologues Élastiques, his second solo recording, he uses the limestone walls and long hallways of the Funkhaus in Berlin to shape his sounds.
18 Monologues Élastiques (Blaser Music/OutNote Records, 2020) Solo Bone (Slam Productions, 2008)
**+**ROUTES
Inspired by the legacy of Don Drummond, trombonist Samuel Blaser gathered a gang of greats to create the ultimate Jamaican repertoire. ROUTES is the result of their musical camaraderie, anchored in the musical tradition of the island and firmly rooted in jazz.
Routes (Enja, 2023)
**+**Helveticus
While drummer Daniel Humair, bassist Heiri Känzig, and trombonist Samuel Blaser represent three generations of Swiss jazz, they find ample common ground on their debut recording, 1291. Named for the year that Switzerland’s original three cantons united, the album honors their shared heritage by including “Guggisberglied,” a folk song that is nearly 280 years old. Their interpretations of tunes by Kid Ory, Sydney Bechet, and the Original Dixieland Jass Band, as well as original compositions by the trio’s members, update the exuberance of early jazz with their collective grasp of a century’s advances.
1291 (OutNote Records, 2020) Our Way (Blaser Music, 2024)
Samuel Blaser is a XO Sophisticated Brass Artist.