On the Flying Carpet
They could be grandfather, father and son: The drummer Daniel Humair, the bass player Heiri Kanzig and the trombone player Samuel Blaser are 85, 66 and 42 years old: but the three musicians meet on the same level - in an intriguing conversation which combines tradition and modernity, lyric and drama, intimacy and humour. All three are not only masters of their instruments but also band leaders and composers of renown. In their roles, but also as sidemen, they are much valued by the global jazz community and superbly well connected. In 2020 the All-star trio collaborated for this first album ‘1291’:
The title refers to the year in which the Federal Charter originated. This charter was the oldest constitutional document of Switzerland. Now, with ‘Our Way’, the band has produced a convincing second album.
The next album followed the same concept as before. Once again it consisted of their own compositions in addition to standard jazz pieces as well as versions of Swiss folksongs from various parts of the country.
However, their teamwork as a trio has become much stronger due to them performing together more frequently. This enables the three musicians to interact much more spontaneously using their vast experience. Therefore, they also have the urge to widen their tried and tested repertoire extensively since the first album.
“Originally, the trio was the idea of Daniel Humair,” said Samuel Blaser, the youngest of the band who guides the melody and simultaneously organises - a bit like a leader. Whereas, Humair, the painter on the drums, and Kanzig, the poet on the bass, are much more than just accompanists. “I was invited to Daniels 80th birthday in Lyon” Blaser continued, “There was lots of music. Michal Portal, Stefano di Battista and Bruno Chevillon were there and who knows who else. We jammed and Daniel said, “Let’s make a trio with Heiri”. He knew the bass player really well, whereas although I had always admired him, I had never played with him.”
Obviously, it was immediately clear to Humair, what talent he was confronted with in Samiel Blaser. The Genf born musician who moved to Paris in 1958, who had worked with world renowned celebrities from Chet Baker to Phil Woods, from Lee Konitz to Art Farmer, from Dave Liebman to Richard Galliano possessed immense experience in assessing musicians. If he had had any doubts such as with the guitar player Marc Ducret and as well as Blaser and even Humair, they would have been dismissed.

It is obviously not difficult to love Samuel Blaser: He is simultaneously an uncompromising artist and a very approachable person – not a common mixture! After a total of almost twenty years travelling around Paris, New York and Berlin, he has, once again, been living for a while in his native town La Chaux-de-Fonds where he grew up and where he was taught for eleven years by Jacques Henri. Henri introduced him to both masters of his instrument, J.J. Johnson and Albert Mangelsdorff, which made a huge impression on him in his early years. At a later date, Glen Ferris also became important to him, mainly because of his velvet tones. “Once”, he said, “I asked Glenn: “How do you manage to get so much air in your sound?”, and he answered: “I don’t have air in my sound, I have sound in my air”.
Samuel Blaser plays an instrument that was made for him by the well-known trombone maker Winfried Rapp in Schwieberdingen near Stuttgart. He practises on it daily. He says, “The trombone is relentless. It’s immediately noticeable if the musician doesn’t practice daily. To start with, it’s the flexibility, such as the coordination of the tongue and the lips, as well as in the arm movements. Also, you don’t want to get stuck at the same level. You want to continuously move forward.”
Blaser, with his exceptional technique, is convincing as a soloist. He took over the voicings from Von Albert Mangelsdorf. He has also mastered the double-tonguing and the doodle-tonguing. He enjoys using a mixture of these tongue beats to give the sound more impact. For him, his expertise isn’t just for its own sake. He uses it to express what his creativity dictates.
As his previous recordings prove, Blaser is an extremely multi-talented musician. Particularly with the guitarist Marc Ducret, he played sophisticated chamber jazz: in a duo, as in a trio (with Peter Bruun on the drums) and in a quartet (with Banz Oester on the bass and Gerald Cleaver on the drums). Included in his Discography are “folk songs” from Luciano Berio for mezzo-soprano and small ensemble as well as the groovy Reggae inspired album ‘Routes’ (2023) that he achieved with an eight-piece band plus an additional seven guest artists. The collection of thirteen pieces is included on ‘Our Way’. A whole album, with only bass and drums, and without the safety net of harmonising instruments, can be challenging for a trombone player, even more difficult than for a saxophonist. “The airy texture demands an enormous presence but also gives me more freedom”,says Samuel Blaser. It stretched and inspired me. Also. I could totally rely on both of my musical collaborators; they not only provide the music with a solid foundation but also continuously provide inspiration and contribute their own ideas.”
You can sense the engagement and pleasure in playing with every note. It can’t become monotonous because of the multitude of material. Successful individual ideas (e.g. Heiri’s idea with his magnificent Ostinato-Figur on the bass or the humorous ‘Root Beer Rag’, stand alongside the Thelonius Monk classics ‘Jackie-Ing’ and ‘Bemsha Swing’ that Humair had suggested; a Tessiner Mazurka and the touching Rhaeto-Romanic way ‘Chara Lingua della Mamm’ stand alongside Duke Ellington’s ‘Creole Love Call’ and the irrepressible ‘Tiger Rag’. However, the pieces are not just churned out but given a totally original interpretation, occasionally altered and even deconstructed.
Ueli Bernays, the long-time jazz journalist for the NZZ once wrote of Daniel Humair “If Buddha had been a drummer he would have played like Daniel Humair”. Peter Ruedi, a veteran of the Swiss jazz critic wrote of Heiri Kanzig “He is among the most spectacular and overpowers you with his bulky/unwieldy powerful instrument. Samuel Blaser’s trombone playing is also colourful, meaningful, somehow moving.
Thus, on their flying carpet, the trio carry us along into the unknown.
Manfred Papst, September 2023