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Release Date: 10 October 2025
Label: Blaser Music
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 0730706016851
Genres: Jazz Contemporary
Description
A modernist's journey through sound and memory, Swiss trombonist-composer Samuel Blaser delivers a stunning solo statement inspired by literary giant Blaise Cendrars. '18 Monologues Elastiques' is a deeply personal solo album that stands as both artistic statement and cultural homage. First released on August 14, 2020, this collection of 18 original compositions explores the intersection of modernist literature and contemporary jazz through the lens of shared Swiss heritage.
The album's title pays tribute to "Dix-neuf poemes elastiques" by influential Swiss-born author Blaise Cendrars, whose modernist poetry captured the fragmentation and wonder of early 20th Century Europe. Both Cendrars and Blaser share roots in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland - a connection that runs deeper than geography.
Like Cendrars' poetry, Blaser's '18 Monologues Elastiques' embodies the modernist's "fierce independence" - each piece a quest toward new connections and shared recognitions. Recorded at the historic Funkhaus Nalepastrasse in Berlin (GDR radio studio) under the artistic direction of Martin Ruch, the album captures Blaser's trombone in its full mimetic range, giving voice to what liner note author Thomas Staudter describes as "the entire animal kingdom all at once."
The album garnered significant attention from the international press, including such quotes as "A crazy project for sound and trombone fetishists" and "A strange and fascinating adventure where boundaries between sound sculpture and music are blurred."
Winner of the 2019 "Prix du Musicien europeen" from the Academie du Jazz in Paris and the 2021 Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll "Rising Star Trombone," Samuel Blaser has established himself as one of contemporary jazz's most innovative voices. His collaborations span legends like Pierre Favre, Paul Motian, and Marc Ducret, while his own ensembles continue to push the boundaries of genre and expectation.
Tracklisting
Samuel Blaser
Russ Lossing
Samuel Blaser, Marc Ducret, Peter Bruun
Russ Lossing
Helveticus (Daniel Humair, Samuel Blaser & Heiri Kanzig)
Pierre Favre & Samuel Blaser
Ensemble Songs & Sarah Maria Sun
Samuel Blaser
Samuel Blaser
Samuel Blaser
