Brendan Taaffe: Review of Sam Amidon




Sam Amidon: Solo Fiddle

(no label, 20 Willow St. Brattleboro, VT 05301, samiam@sover.net)

Some will recognize Sam Amidon as the fiddle player with Popcorn Behavior, one of the hotter contra dance bands around, or as the son of Peter and Mary Alice Amidon, two pillars of the Vermont music scene. I imagine that Sam has been waiting for a long time for people to stop referring to him as a great young fiddler, and just call him a good player. This spring, Sam released a solo project, titled simply solo fiddle, that will do much to establish him in people’s minds as a musician of high caliber.

One fiddle, no frills. As Pete Sutherland said, “this is one for the connoisseurs.” The entire album is just Sam playing tunes; no accompaniment, no overdubs. And while Popcorn Behavior’s repertoire ranges from Irish to Bulgarian to South African jazz, on his own Sam plays purely traditional Irish material, in a traditional way. The tracks are a mix of standards and less well-known gems, including particularly nice versions of Spike Island Lasses and Kit O’Connor’s. Sam’s playing is clean and precise, his rhythm steady and unrushed, his use of ornamentation tasteful, and he plays the tunes through enough times to allow for variation. Tommy Peoples is clearly a big influence, particularly noticeable in Sam’s phrasing and ornamentation.

My only quibble, and I’ll admit that this is subjective, is that I feel like Sam is holding himself back emotionally. And I wouldn’t attribute it to age, for surely there are middle-aged musicians holding back, but what marks the legends of the tradition, like Tommy Peoples, is the great heart they throw into their playing, and their ability to transport the listener to other realms. Without a doubt, there will be a lot of good music to come from the hands of Sam Amidon. Get on board now.

Sam Amidon: Solo Fiddle