01.22.26 Improv Nights 2026: A Tribute to Derek Bailey, guest curated by Wendy Eisenberg at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn
with
Eliza Salem drums
Ryan Sawyer drums
Nate Wooley trumpet
Nora Stanley sax
Emmanuel Michael guitar
Charmaine Lee voice/electronics
Patrick Holmes clarinet
Anna Abondolo bass
Conner Simmons bass
Chuck Roth guitar
Mari Rubio violin and electronics
Wendy Eisenberg guitar
Born to folk artists and educators, Sam Amidon has been making music since the age of 3 or so (fiddle, which he still plays, at first). He’s also been putting out records of beautiful deep, frequently strange folk and folk-adjacent music since 2007’s But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted. He’s amassed a deep and fascinating bench of collaborators along the way, including Bill Frisell, Milford Graves, Kenny Wheeler, Nico Muhly, Shahzad Ismaily, Valgeir Sigurðsson, and Sam Gendel. This year’s Salt River sees a stripped-back and electronic setup with the trio of Amidon, Gendel, and percussionist Philippe Melanson. Dusted’s Ian Mathers said that, when playing it, “for another 43 minutes the world feels like it makes a little more sense.” Here Sam shares ten musical favorites with us.
George “Bongo Joe” Coleman — Self Titled
I heard two tracks of Bongo Joe from a collection of field recordings made in Mississippi in the 1950s and 1960s awhile back and listened to them on repeat (“This Whole World’s In A Sad Condition” and “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.” I hadn’t realized until now that he released a full solo album on Arhoolie Records (now part of Smithsonian Folkways) in 1969. He plays a big drum and sings and whistles. The ultimate rhythmic pocket, incredible humor, the world feels happier when you’re listening to Bongo Joe even though he doesn’t turn a blind eye to human nature. There is a link between his work and the more minimalist compositions of Timbaland and Missy Eliott. Masterpiece.
Cecile McLorin Salvant — Oh Snap
I have always been blown away by Salvant’s singing and creative conception, but her work on this album has taken the whole thing to the next level. Freedom, mastery, mystery, wit, depth. Gonna have to listen to this one a thousand more times. And some of the best Sullivan Fortner (Salvant’s partner and fellow genius) pianoism I’ve heard yet is on this record too.
Norman Willmore — Alive And Well at Muckleroe Hall
This is an album of traditional fiddle tunes played by an ensemble with the same instrumentation as the classic Ornette Coleman quartet — alto saxophone, trumpet, acoustic bass, drums, and very much played in the style of that group. Of course, the original Ornette Coleman quartet played fiddle tunes as well — “Old Joe Clark” and other bluesy melodies connected both to Coleman’s Texas upbringing and bassist Charlie Haden’s upbringing in the Ozarks. But this album by Willmore brings that freedom and swing to tunes that come from his own world of Shetland and Scotland as well as some American tunes and draws a more explicit connection between Ornette’s style of jazz and fiddle tune modalism. The hookup between saxophonist Willmore and trumpeter Stylianides is blazing.
Derek Bailey — Domestic Jungle DAT
This is like a caffeinated dream. Bailey playing along with jungle that he heard on the radio. Get your synapses going!!
Steve Cooney — Ceol Ársa Cláirsí
An incredibly beautiful album of ancient Irish harp tunes, played on solo acoustic guitar by the legend. Cooney is originally from Australia but has lived in Ireland for many years and been a crucial and unique voice in the traditional music scene here, developing a tune-backing and production style very personal to himself. Growing up I loved his playing on Martin Hayes’ second album Under The Moon, and Sean Smyth’s The Blue Fiddle, as well as his iconic duo records with Seamus Begley. Those albums have overdubbing, electric bass, synthesizers — all used in eccentric and mischievous ways. But this record is just pure solo guitar and shows his deep connection to these profound melodies.
The Horse Flies — Human Fly
This is an iconic album from the 1980s, only recently available online via Bandcamp. A new wave old time record, if Talking Heads played Appalachian string band music. Never gets old. Judy Hyman is the fiddle player, with a distinctive style of her own, Richie Stearns on extremely funky and improvisatory clawhammer banjo, Jeff Claus on banjo uke, sheer pocket, and John Hayward holding down the bass.
Marcus Martin — Recordings from the collection of Peter Hoover
Just listen to the groove in this fiddle playing. Insane. “Sourwood Mountain” is my favorite. Put it on a loop.
Saileog Ní Cheannabháin — Rothleán
Saileog plays traditional Irish tunes on piano and fiddle and viola, and is an incredible traditional singer in the sean nós style, singing in the Irish language. This is a deep and hypnotic album with no extraneous elements, just the truth. Her singing is powerful and she also wrote a fantastic tune which she recorded on this album, “Sliabh Mis.”
Local Backing Bands
For the last ten years, my main touring bandmate has been the great Chris Vatalaro who also is the drummer on four of my albums. He’s been busy this year playing with Anohni and the Johnsons and other projects, so for the second half of my UK tour in May, and for my June tour in North America, I’ve played with different musicians in each city. It’s been a blast, and a new way to explore the music anew each night. Some highlights were Minneapolis, MN, where my band was Sean Carey on drums and keyboards, and John Dieterich from Deerhoof on electric guitar; and Toronto, Canada, where I played with my friends Thom Gill and Philippe Melanson — Philippe is the percussionist on my new album “Salt River,” and Thom is currently on tour with Knower. (We filmed a little live session while we were there.) In London my band included a fantastic UK drummer named Jas Kayser; she was home on break from touring with Lenny Kravitz.
John Coltrane at ½ Speed
I’ve been listening to John Coltrane solos at 1/2 speed on YouTube. I know that musicians do this as a way of learning a solo, but I’ve simply been doing this as a way to lose myself in the wandering paths of his melodies as he plays. It’s mind blowing. You don’t have to analyze or know what’s going on — just follow the journey. Try it.
