George Gruntz - leader and piano, Raymond Court – trumpet, Hans Kennel – trumpet,
Franco Ambrosetti – trumpet, Raymond Droz – trombone and alto horn, Heinz Bigler
alto saxophone and clarinet, Bruno Spoerri - tenor and baritone saxophone,
Peter Candiotto - alto saxophone, Ueli Staub – vibraphone, Heinz Christen – bass, Rolf Bänninger - drums

Production: Lance Tschannen, Organisation: Gérard Lüll, Engineering: Pitt Linder, Photos: Mario Tschabold, Steffisburg Recorded at Studio Bern on September 17, 1964

Final mastering of all tracks in 2011 by Jury Lutz at 24 bit/ 48 khz

Release Date: 24.06.2011

Original Liner Notes by Lance Tschannen (1964):

"Swiss All-Stars! ... After federally modest terms perhaps a little high-flown title. And yet they all deserve this designation, the twelve Swiss jazz soloists who came together last fall for the first time in order to play three concerts in Basel, Bern and Zurich for showcasing their collective skills. They are worthy representatives of a Swiss jazz elite that deserves to not have their light under a bushel.
You know, for example, that not less than five Swiss currently belong to the best drummers in Europe and work in Paris (Daniel Humair and Peter Giger), Munich (Pierre Favre), Cologne (Stuff Combe) and Stuttgart (Charlie Antolini) with great success? These five jazz musicians are certainly not the only ones that are better known outside our borders, than in their own country! In Switzerland, the Jazz is largely treated as a hobby, with all the advantages and disadvantages, which brings that fact to himself. The demand for jazz in our country is relatively modest, and for the professional musician, therefore, often left with no other choice than to try his luck abroad. On the other hand, there is probably no other country in Europe where the level of amateur jazz is as high as in Switzerland. More than 100 formations wanted to participate in the Amateur Jazz Festival 1964 in Zurich, large and small bands of any style that - in general - had to offer very positive benefits. For this festival the most of our Swiss All-Stars also emerged as laureates. This album should therefore represent not only an account of the skill of Swiss top jazz musicians, but also an encouragement for those who will be the jazz elite in Switzerland tomorrow.


Some of the musicians:

GEORGE GRUNTZ
32 years old, genuine Basler, one of the few real professional musicians in Swiss jazz. His education at the conservatories of Basel and Zurich allows him today to express himself with growing success as a composer and arranger (film music, new works on the radio, jazz version of Rolf Liebermann's "Symphony des Echanges"at the EXPO, own jazz compositions, jazz arrangements of baroque and modern music). As a pianist he has represented Switzerland in the international jazz festivals of Newport (USA), San Remo, Antibes/ Juan-les-Pins, Comblain-la-Tour, Lugano and Warsaw. In 1963 he accompanied the American singer Helen Merrill on their tour of Japan. In the present recordings George Gruntz is mainly active as an arranger-leader and accompanist, and does not participate as a soloist.

RAYMOND DROZ
30 years, Swiss photographer from La Chaux-de-Fonds, residing in Basel, where he works at the local radio station. A conservatory-educated trombone player of international quality, he spent six years in the orchestra of Kurt Edelhagen and had the opportunity to work with many prominent American musicians (Pettiford, Carter, Giuffre, Griffin, etc.). One of his happiest memories are the recordings with the Kenny Clarke All-Stars for "The Golden Eight". Has toured throughout Europe and visited Russia in May 1964 with Edelhagen.

FRANCO AMBROSETTI
The youngster within the Swiss All-Stars and yet already a trumpet player of international stature. Playing Jazz as a hobby, like his father, the famous Swiss Industrial Flavio Ambrosetti, who earned himself an excellent reputation as an alto saxophonist in Swiss Jazz, when Franco was still in the cradle. Franco himself soon played in the top group, without ever participating at the Zurich Amateur Festival. But he has already performed at the festivals in San Remo, Comblain-la-Tour, Lugano and Warsaw with great success. PIERRE CAVALLI
The 36 year-old native of Zurich from Lausanne is one of the most famous guitarists in Europe. As a professional musician, he not only dominates the Jazz scene but also the domain of sophisticated popular music, writing his own compositions, in which he often tries to exploit the electronic capabilities of his instrument. Even at the time of the first American "Play Back"sessions he showed a keen interest in these experiments, and after his first recordings of this kind he was often called the "Les Paul of Europe ". On the other hand he was  compared to Django Reinhardt in a panel discussion on "Down Beat". Also played in Friedrich Gulda's Big Band and at the Jazz Workshop in Recklinghausen recently.
 
BRUNO SPOERRI
An outspoken intellectual within the Swiss jazz scene but an artist who does not his music on a chilly, cerebral level. As a qualified psychologist, he even worked as a professional consultant in Zurich at the time of the All-Star recording, but has now taken over the post of the music adviser in a film company. Sees himself as a “sidelining” Jazz musician. His compositions were heard at the EXPO, in radio plays for Radio Zurich and in a meaningful "Jazz and Poetry" program of the Zurich Municipal podium. As a member of the Metronome Quintet, he has accompanied the group on tour abroad. Until today and for many years he worked tirelessly and earned great merit for the Swiss jazz

HANS KENNEL
Comes from the Swiss town called “Zug” and proves the fact that even a tiny canton can produce an extraordinary jazz musician. Born in 1939, he now works as a clerk and as a jazz musician in a sideline. Attended the Conservatory of Fribourg and Zurich for two years. A versatile musical talent whose role models reach from Bix Beiderbecke to Don Cherry, from Ravi Shankar to Bela Bartok. Other hobbies are modern literature, mountain agriculture and country music! Received a scholarship from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, worked with Kenny Clarke in Milan for a month, played the "Chat qui pêche" in Paris in the summer of 1963 and went on tour to Czechoslovakia and Hungary this year.
 
Many thanks to George Gruntz, Hans Kennel, Bruno Spoerri and Arild Widerøe for their valuable help. Album originally released 1964 in small amounts as a 2LP-Set on Exlibris (300 copies, club edition available on subscription in Switzerland only), original recordings remastered by Jury Lutz (24 bit/ 48 khz), cover art by W. Marti, photos by Mario Tschabold/ Steffisburg, production and original liner notes by Lance Tschannen, session organised by Gérard Lüll, engineered by Pitt Linder, reproduction of original cover design by Patrick Haase (rab-bit.net), produced for reissue by Ekkehart Fleischhammer.