"A seductively slippery identity graces Yellow - and the ongoing Blaer adventure" Downbeat Mag.
"The travels appear to possess some kind of internal spiritual purpose and momentum" Jazz Journal
The fourth album of working band BLAER, founded in 2013 by composer and pianist Maja Nydegger,
is pure and essential - A „dive into calmness“ as the Swiss Jazz magazine JNM precisely describes
the drift of the music.
The longstanding and diligent collaboration of the band members continues subtly, persistent and
with musical intelligence. Since releasing their last album YELLOW (RRR 2020), the band was
frequently touring and continued to improve its crystal clear musical concept.
By this genuine attitude of a band spirit, the new album reaches a self-confidence and natural
maturity, generously and clearly lead by Maja Nydegger with her elaborated compositional and
pianistic skills and taste. Since the last album, which attracted attention in the new jazz and
ambient scene, the music developed into an even more original blend of different influences like
ambient, minimal, spherical and independent music and contains even a pinch of movie scores.
The album PURE forms a clear bow, consisting of five individual tracks and three interludes called
GOLD I – III. They are all based on a sophisticated rhythmical organization and on familiar but at the
same time surprizing harmonies – a paradoxical phenomenon in BLAER’s music. With its
consciousness for instrumentation and sound the band does often sound like a whole orchestra
with seducing, glowing melody guidelines.
Reeds player Nils Fischer and Claudio von Arx play the blending and counterpoints of their
instruments with a collegial sense for duo colours and dynamics. The rhythm section with drummer Philippe Ducommun and bass player Simon Iten creates a dynamic flow based on a relaxed
togetherness and trust in each other. Elegant master mind Maja Nydegger herself guides the
spherical groove organism BLAER with her creative taste and decisions as if by magic.