Experimental folk artist and composer Sam Amidon stopped by New England Public Radio today to share a few songs off his latest album, The Following Mountain on the Vault Sessions.
Now based in London, Sam has local roots. He grew up in Brattleboro, Vermont, the son of prominent traditional folk, dance and storytelling educators Peter Amidon and Mary Alice Amidon. In 1998, NPR aired a story about Sam's contra-dance band Popcorn Behavior, a group he'd assembled with his friend Thomas Bartlett (a.k.a. Doveman) back when he was just 16, living in Vermont.
The Following Mountain represents a new approach for Sam. It is his first album of original compositions, and his most jazz-centric to date. Created with producer Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Regina Spektor) and Sam’s frequent collaborator Shahzad Ismaily, the album features guest appearances by drummer Milford Graves, percussionist Juma Sultan and saxophonist Sam Gendel. It is Sam’s sixth album and follows Lily-O, his 2014 Nonesuch Records collaboration with Bill Frisell. You can see them perform together in this NPR Tiny Desk Concert recorded in 2014.
To learn more about Sam, visit his website.