Results for "Sam Bardfeld"

Sam Bardfeld

Born: January 14, 1968

Sam Bardfeld is a violinist, composer, arranger and author. He is a member of The Jazz Passengers and a frequent collaborator of Bruce Springsteen's. He has worked as sideman with a long list of jazz, pop, folk and experimental acts including Elvis Costello, John Zorn, Calexico, Anthony Braxton, Henry Butler, Debbie Harry, Steven Bernstein, John Cale, Kris Davis, Savion Glover, The Red Clay Ramblers, Nancy Sinatra, Willie Colon, The String Trio of NY, Hank Roberts, Johnny Pacheco, Dar Williams, and Chuck Prophet among others. 

Bardfeld’s latest recording with pianist Kris Davis and drummer Michael Sarin, The Great Enthusiasms (BJUR, 2017), earned acclaim from top critics including Nate Chinen who called it "brilliantly odd and altogether lovely" (WBGO, 2017); Bill Milkowski, who said "[Sam's playing] combines a touch of Stuff Smith's playfulness with a Charles Ives aesthetic - Four Stars!" (Downbeat, 2017); and LucidCulture "this is the great violin recording Monk never made, one of the 10 best jazz records of the year." His earlier recordings, Taxidermy (CIMP, 1999) and Periodic Trespasses (FreshSounds, 2006) also earned acclaim, including a “4-Star” rating in Downbeat magazine, raves in Jazz Times, Jazziz magazine and “4-Stars” in All Music Guide (both recordings). He has performed with his own group at jazz festivals and clubs throughout Europe including Banlieues Bleues (Paris), Sud-Tirol (Italy) and Porgy and Bess (Vienna). In 2019, Bardfeld was voted #5 in the El Intruso International Jazz Critics Poll in the Violin/Viola category.

Bergamo Jazz 2026

by Libero Farnè
March 27, 2026

Bergamo Jazz Festival 2026 Varie sedi Bergamo 19--22 marzo 2026 A differenza di altri jazz festival, molto estesi sotto il profilo cronologico e territoriale, quello di Bergamo, a parte alcune appendici prima e dopo, si concentra in quattro giornate fitte di eventi, di progetti speciali e di protagonisti ...

The Hemphill Stringtet Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill

Label: Out Of Your Head Records
Released: 2025
Track listing: Revue; Mingus Gold: Nostalgia in Times Square; Mingus Gold: Alice in Wonderland; Mingus Gold: Better Get Hit in Your Soul; My First Winter/Touchic; Choo Choo.

Troy Dostert's Best Jazz Albums of 2025

by Troy Dostert
December 10, 2025

We were treated to another superb year of creative jazz and improvised music in 2025, with a broad range of projects seeking to extend the boundaries of jazz into and beyond other idioms. Chamber-adjacent outfits such as the Hemphill Stringtet and Patricia Brennan's latest ensemble blurred the border between jazz and contemporary classical music, while Miguel ...

The Hemphill Stringtet: The Hemphill Stringtet Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill

by Troy Dostert
May 13, 2025

One of the most multifaceted saxophonists to come out of the 1970s-80s jazz avant-garde, Julius Hemphill exuded both fervid power and delicate sensitivity, always with an underpinning of swing to help anchor him within the jazz tradition. While his iconic releases like Dogon A.D. (Mbari, 1972) and Flat-Out Jump Suite (Black Saint, 1980) are rightly considered ...

The Hemphill Stringtet: The Hemphill Stringtet Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill

by Mark Corroto
April 29, 2025

Let us borrow a famous tagline from the dairy industry: Got Hemphill? If not, it is time to take a closer listen. Julius Hemphill (1938-1995) was a towering figure in the creative music scenes of both St. Louis, where he co-founded the Black Artists' Group (BAG), and New York's vibrant loft jazz scene of the 1970s ...

The Hemphill String Stringtet: The Hemphill Stringtet Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill

by Glenn Astarita
April 27, 2025

The Hemphill Stringtet's debut album, Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill is a vibrant tribute to the late jazz composer and saxophonist Julius Hemphill (1938--1995). This string quartet, featuring violinists Curtis Stewart and Sam Bardfeld, violist Stephanie Griffin and cellist Tomeka Reid, reimagines Hemphill's compositions with a fresh chamber music perspective. Formed in 2022, the ensemble ...

A Few of My Favorite 2023 Jazz Things (so far) - Part 1

by Ludovico Granvassu
July 21, 2023

The first half of the year has brought us plenty of great new albums. Let's look back at some of the tunes and compositions which have left a mark during these six months.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Billy Valentine “Home Is Where the ...

Kala Jula, Gangbé Brass Band, Rudy Royston, Samuele Strufaldi & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
June 6, 2023

From projects inspired by African traditions to jazz spiked with hard-rock, passing through some fascinating chamber influences, this episode showcases the creativity, breadth and depth of today's international jazz scene.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Kala Jula, Gangbé Brass Band “Asro" Asro (Buda Musique) ...

We Sick, Soojung Lee, Jane Ira Bloom & Novembre

by Maurice Hogue
April 3, 2023

The release of We Sick is not until the end of April, but definitely watch for this fiery work of improvisation and passion. Not long after George Floyd's murder, pianist deVon Russell Gray, saxophonist Nathan Hanson & drummer Davu Seru recorded We Sick in an abandoned church across from the Minnesota state capitol which was surrounded ...