Samuel Blaser Quartet - Rosina

Experience the deeply personal and inventive sounds of Samuel Blaser Quartet's album, 'Rosina.' This collection features eight original compositions inspired by Alan Lomax field recordings and the Swiss trombonist-composer Samuel Blaser's Italian family roots. Blaser, a prolific voice in jazz with 34 recordings as a leader or co-leader since 2008, delivers his most personal album yet, drawing on Italian folk melodies and a profound reconnection with his heritage in Emilia-Romagna.

The album is named after Blaser's maternal grandmother, Rosina Pierina Scarpioni, a wartime Resistance fighter. Through reconnecting with family in her native region and discovering Italian cousins, Blaser delved into this aspect of his identity. Traditional folk melodies, some found in Alan Lomax's field recordings, served as a gateway to open, unadorned sounds that Blaser reshapes in his unique style.

Joined by longtime associates pianist Russ Lossing, drummer Billy Mintz, and bassist Masa Kamaguchi, the quartet creates expansive soundscapes, dynamic interplay, and moments of intimate lyricism that characterize Blaser's work. Blaser notes, 'I feel with this project I'm finally shaping the music in a way I want it to sound, where different parts of my musical language are coming together. It's also the first time I'm consciously linking my music to Italy.'

The 57-minute album comprises eight tracks, blending three traditional Italian folk melodies from Emilia-Romagna ('Boara,' 'Rosina,' 'Serenata') with five original compositions by Blaser. The result is music that is both profoundly personal and freely inventive.

• Samuel Blaser: trombone
• Russ Lossing: piano
• Masa Kamaguchi: bass
• Billy Mintz: drums

Recorded at Skyline Underground, NJ, USA, on September 27-28, 2024, and March 2025. Mastering by Paul Wickliffe.