Max Lässer was born in Zurich, and began his music career in the 1970s as a freelance musician. He started on the Swiss folk scene, playing in various folk-rock groups. His career began to launch in the 1980s, playing with fellow Swiss musician, Andreas Vollenweider.
Lässer has played many different types of music during his career, and on A Different Kind of Blue, he allows his blues influence to shine through. The record continues Lässer’s tradition of using acoustic instruments and features marimbas, guitars, reeds and flute. Many in his listening audience have written letters describing their experience. “My music centers people and brings them into contact with themselves through either imagery or clear thinking,” explains Lässer.
Lässer is particularly active in the advancement of authentic Swiss folk music as well; he has increasingly turned his attention to the authentic folk music customs of his country, breaking new ground with his arrangement of traditional Swiss dances for the guitar.
The title cut on A Different Kind of Blue was inspired by a poem by Indian artists Hyemeyohsts and Swan Storm, which stresses an environmental impact. “As an artist, I want to point out certain things through my music. This album addresses the need for change in people’s attitudes regarding the earth. As a society we need to respect life, recycle and not waste a lot of things and be cautious in how we treat the Earth.”
A Different Kind of Blue
