12th February 2016: Samuel Blaser nominated for L’Academie du Jazz’ (FR) award for European musician of the year.

Swiss trombonist Samuel Blaser recently made his Whirlwind debut with a new quartet album (Russ Lossing (piano/keyboards), Drew Gress (bass) and Gerald Cleaver (drums)) Spring Rain, a tribute to US clarinettist and composer Jimmy Giuffre.

Blaser thrives on continually developing and communicating new expressions in improvisation. Spring Rain clearly displays that intent with an immersive soundworld which rewards with deeper understanding. He explains: “With this album I would like to show that the trombone can be melodic and have various forms of expression.”

This year, Samuel received a nomination (for the second time running) for the L’Academie du Jazz award for ‘European musician of the year’. (see)

Meanwhile Spring Rain continues to draw a positive response from music publications across Europe:

“A play on textures and depth create a metamorphosis of sound that goes beyond the acoustic phenomenon.”
Noiself (blog)

“Inspired new interpretations and compositions full of spontaneity and inventiveness.”
Tracce Di Jazz Magazine (website)