Swiss trombonist SAMUEL BLASER first played the Bop Shop in 2008 as a member of the improvising trio Animal Forum. Talking with him, he mentioned he was just coming out with the first release under his own name, Seventh Heaven on Between the Lines. We heard it, liked it and made tentative plans to book him in the future. Although we made several attempts to connect, we were unable to link up due to schedules. That is, until now, 7 years later. But in that time, Blaser has gone from strength to strength releasing a number of strong recordings with his quartet, trio, a series of duo recordings (including one with Swiss proto free jazz drummer Pierre Favre) and two recordings with his group Consort In Motion, a group that interprets pre-Bach music with a modernist’s twist and included the great drummer Paul Motian as a member.
For this tour, Blaser assembled a new quartet and is touring to support his most recent recording Spring Rain, a tribute to the trio recordings made by clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre’s trio with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow. The group Blaser has assembled contains some of the finest players in contemporary jazz. It includes Russ Lossing on piano and electric piano, (his first time playing at the Bop Shop), bassist Toto Gucci and drummer Gerry Hemingway (who has played the Bop Shop several times). All have played with Blaser in other bands and this is a seasoned quartet. The group bears very little resemblance to Giuffre’s classic trio. The lead voice is a trombone, not clarinet. Giuffre’s band was drummerless. And, while they perform several of the pieces that were in the band’s repertoire (compositions mainly by Giuffre and Carla Bley….including her haunting Jesus Maria), Blaser has composed a number of originals that take up more than half the album. It’s a remarkable project that, while paying homage Giuffre’s timeless music, also puts its own individual stamp on it.
Incidentally, Spring Rain has made our short list for jazz album of the year. It's that good! This concert is going to be a perfect way to wind up the jazz series for 2015.
The concert is being sponsored by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.