Swiss Country Gamblers
The Swiss Lander Gamblers are a music group founded in 1998 in the Swiss cantons of Bern and Friborg . The group includes Peter Grossen from Frutigen , Bruno Raemy from Schwarzsee , René Schmid from Bern , Pius Baumgartner from Meierskappel and André Schornoz from Tentlingen . Substitute is her founding member Willi Bollier from Thierachern . About half of their repertoire consists of Swiss folklore. Around half of the traditional repertoire is joined by many dixie / jazz melodies as well as light music from all over the world. The musicians use over 20 different instruments for their performances (saxophone, clarinet, piano, accordion, guitar, ukulele, percussion, black orchestra, double and electric bass, etc.). In 2002, the Swiss Lander Gamblers were recognized by the Grüezi record company for the “best-selling (popular) sound carrier” in Switzerland.
Peter Grossen, Bruno Raemy and René Schmid had developed into regional musicians in their own formations before the founding of the Swiss Ländler Gamblers : Peter Grossen at the Ländlerbuebe Biel (who were awarded 5 times platinum and 2 times gold during their active time), Bruno Raemy at Lander Quintet Schwarzsee and René Schmid at the Schmid Family Chapel, Bern. Pius Baumgartner, who later joined the Gamblers, was also a well-known country and jazz musician. The gambler repertoire is complemented by numerous compositions from our own ranks.
The five or often six musicians have so far released eleven sound carriers and several samplers. For their CD titles, they used word games like 1-zig-artig, 2-deutig, 3-st (brazen) etc. at the beginning of their career. After the CD unterwägs in 2005, which was produced in connection with their Swiss tour, as well Saxi-Gambling - a CD exclusively with saxophone melodies - was followed in 2006 by a “traditional disc” called Nature . For the 10th anniversary in 2008, the CD “10 Years of Swiss Country Gamblers” was released, which they presented to a broad public on a Swiss tour and at concerts in Los Angeles, California. This was followed in 2013 by the CD “be-swingt”, on its 15th anniversary in 2014 the production “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da”, and for the 20th anniversary in 2018 the CD “Congratulations”.
The Swiss Lander Gamblers give around 50 concerts a year - mainly in Switzerland and occasionally in Uebersee (California) - and can be seen / heard regularly on television and radio. Every year they organize either a fan trip or a river cruise for their fans. The title Lander Star 2007 is one of her greatest successes to date. At the Eidg. Ländlermusikfest on September 8, 2007 in Stans, 68 percent of the television viewers voted for their interpretation. Their tour of the 15-year success story began in September 2014 in the fully occupied KKL Luzern and successfully concluded with three concerts in California (USA). The tour "20 Years of Swiss Country Gamblers" was also celebrated with a tour: It began with the SRF program "Viva Volksmusik" and ended with a river cruise on the Rhône.
Discography
- Congratulations - Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da - be-swingt - 10 years of Swiss Lander Gamblers - Öppis vom Beschte (sampler) - Nature - unterwägs - Saxi-Gambling (saxophone dreaming) - Sincerely - 3-st brash - 2-distinct - 1-unique - live CD 1999