Sam Reider is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, NYC. A jazz pianist turned folk musician, Sam has spent the last eight years redefining American roots music on the accordion. His original music draws inspiration from sources ranging from Woody Guthrie to George Gershwin to Ennio Morricone. Sam has been featured on Marian McPartland’s “Piano Jazz” on NPR, the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, toured in seven countries overseas, and appears regularly at Jazz at Lincoln Center and major festivals nationwide.
Sam is co-leader of Brooklyn-based roots band Silver City Bound, which the Huffington Post calls, “Americana at its best.” In 2013 the U.S. Department of State selected Silver City Bound to be cultural ambassadors overseas, and they conducted a six-week tour of China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. In 2016 they went abroad again, this time to Azerbaijan and Istanbul, where they collaborated on a benefit concert with young Syrian, Turkish, Kurdish, Palestinian, and American musicians. Global Citizen’s coverage of the concert is available here.
In addition to his work with Silver City Bound, Sam leads a collective of acoustic musicians based in Brooklyn, NY. He collaborates regularly with swing guitarist Roy Williams, mandolinist Jacob Joliff (Yonder Mountain String Band, Joy Kills Sorrow), violinist Alex Hargreaves (Turtle Island Quartet, Sarah Jarosz Band), bluegrass guitarist Grant Gordy (David Grisman Quintet), and saxophonist Eddie Barbash (Jon Batiste Stay Human Band). Consummate performers and improvisers with conservatory-training, these artists are boldly reshaping the landscape of American acoustic music. You can find them playing weekly in different formats at Rockwood Music Hall, Sunny’s Bar, Barbes, Bar Lunatico, and other venues around New York City.
Sam is committed to having a positive impact on his community. Sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center, Sam does over sixty concerts and workshops each year at public schools around the country. These performances explore the links between American music and social studies themes like freedom, democracy, and civil rights. Sam’s interest in music and social change began when he planned a benefit concert that raised $15,000 for San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention center. The San Francisco Chronicle ran an article on the front page of the entertainment section, “He's got rhythm. And for someone his age, plenty of soul, too.”
