SAM AMIDON (USA)
PRESSE / PRAISE
“…a startling amalgamation of atmospheric jazz, Icelandic soundscapes and deep folk storytelling.” - THE BLUEGRASS SITUATION
“Folk innovator meets jazz visionaries. What joyous noise. Unfurling, twisting and turning, and uplifting music.” -fRoots
“… he is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and arranger who can switch from a sparse, no-nonsense treatment of traditional material to bursts of unexpected experimentation.” - THE GUARDIAN
“‘Lily-O’ is a hard album to describe; on the surface, fans get gorgeous folk, bluegrass and Americana arrangements — but the true meaning of the music lies much deeper. It’s found in the complex bedrock created by the band, with Amidon firmly at the helm.”- DIFFUSER
“The treatments are smartly contemporary, balancing Amidon’s clawhammer banjo with Frisell’s echoing electric guitar, backed by jazz-inflected bass and drums.” -MAGNET
“Amidon is doing to folk what Arthur Russell did to disco and dance music: The components are taken context-free and mixed around. He can recognize the patterns of bluegrass or jazz or indie rock without being bound to them. The result is compelling..." - WONDERING SOUND
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Sam Amidon: spokesman for the new, weird America.” - NEW YORK OBSERVER
“A gorgeous release of Americana and East Coast/Appalachian folk music. An almost perfect release and a prime addition to the folk rock climate." -MusicOMH
“Complementing his work on guitar, banjo, and fiddle, his voice rings with a removed loneliness, colored by the clean, sweet texture…” - BOSTON GLOBE
“Amidon creates songs with familiar traditional tones and structures and bends them in all sorts of unusual directions, from subtly jazzy to quietly psychedelic.” - BURLINGTON FREE PRESS
SAM AMIDON
Der Wahl-Londoner Sam Amidon wuchs als Kind musikalischer Puppenspieler in Vermont auf, umgeben von Musikinstrumenten und Musik von Miles Davis bis Talking Heads. Mit Anfang Zwanzig zog der versierte Irish Fiddler nach New York, um seiner Leidenschaft für freejazz nachzugehen, Gitarrespielen zu lernen und in Irish Pubs aufzutreten. Allmählich baute er Storytelling und schräge Tanzeinlagen in seine Shows ein, trat in „The Kitchen“ in Chelsea auf und tourte mit der Band Doveman seines Jugendfreundes Thomas Bartlett. Auf seinem Weg hat Amidon schon weltweit zu unzähligen Gelegenheiten performt, sei es in Zusammenarbeit mit anderen Musikern wie dem multitalentierten Nico Muhly, Beth Orton oder Glen Hansard. Als Gast taucht er auf Alben von Tune-Yards, Aoife O’Donovan and den Blin Boys Of Alabama auf. Seine Soloarbeiten entstehen mit minimalem instrumentalen Einsatz, Sounds und Samples. Durch sein tiefgreifendes Wissen über traditionelle Liedformen, schafft er es musikalische Miniaturen in der US-Folk- und Countrytradition zu komponieren. Amidons Arrangements bestechen durch Schlichtheit und Ökonomie der Mittel.
The Londoner-by-choice, Sam Amidon, grew up as a child of musically involved puppeteers in Vermont, surrounded by music instruments and tunes from Miles Davis to the Talking Heads. In his early twenties the well-versed Irish fiddler moved to New York to follow his passion of playing freejazz, learning to play the guitar and performing in Irish Pubs. Bit by bit he started to embed his storytelling and eerie dance interludes in his live acts, played a show in “The Kitchen“ in Chelsea and toured with the band of his childhood friend Thomas Bartlett called Doveman. Along the way Amidon has performed worldwide in myriad contexts, collaborating with musicians such as the multi talented Nico Muhly, Beth Orton and Glen Hansard. He has appeared as a guest artist on recent albums by Tune-Yards, Aoife O’Donovan and the Blind Boys Of Alabama. His solo projects are always fashioned with minimal use of instruments, sounds and samples. From his “deep knowledge of traditional song forms“, as Pitchfork wrote, he creates music-miniatures in the manner of US folk- and country-traditions. Amidons compositions are brought about by simplicity and economic use of their tools.
Lately, Amidon started a number of live shows with the congenial jazz guitarist and composer Bill Frisell, who has been a hero of Amidons since he first heard the guitarist play at the Village Vanguard during a teenage visit to New York City. The two musicians stayed in touch and had their first live collaboration in 2011; not long after, Amidon began contemplating a return to Iceland. His new album “Lily-O“ – which will be released this fall – was recorded in Reykjavik and produced by Valgeir Sigurðsson (Björk, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Feist) and features the innovative talents of Bill Frisell, bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Chris Vatalaro.
Amidon draws comics and makes videos. His work has shown in the galleries Kuhturm in Leipzig, Audio Visual Arts in New York City, and in a multimedia performance at New York's Museum of Art and Design.
He lives in London with his wife Beth Orton and their child.
TASTE-TIPS
Sam Amidon: Blue Mountains
Sam Amidon: Walkin' Boss
Sam Amdion: Saro
Sam Amidon covers R. Kelly with Beth Orton: Relief
Sam Amidon: "Short Life" - live
Sam Amidon: Official Site
Sam Amidon: Bedroom Community Site
Doors: 19:30
Show: 20:30
Eintritt: 25.-/20.- (ermässigt)
Kombi-Ticket: 65.- (3-Gang-Menü am 18:00 + Konzert-Eintritt)
Hinweis: Steh- und Sitzplätze, keine Platzreservation!
