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Samo Salamon

SAMO ŠALAMON is "one of the most talented and interesting young guitarists and composers to emerge on today's jazz scene" (AllAboutJazz), being selected by the magazine Guitar Player as one of the hottest 10 new guitarists in the world. So far he has composed more than 280 compositions and recorded 31 albums as a leader for labels Clean Feed Records (Portugal), Fresh Sound New Talent (Spain), NotTwo Records (Poland), Splasch Records (Italy), Steeplechase Records (Denmark), Sanje Recordings (Slovenia), Klopotec (Slovenia) and Goga Records (Slovenia). So far he has played, cooperated, toured and recorded with many great international players like Howard Levy, Paul McCandless, John Hollenbeck, Mark Turner, Michel Godard, Drew Gress, Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey, Tim Berne, Donny McCaslin, David Binney, Josh Roseman, Gerald Cleaver, John Hebert, Julian Arguelles, Dominique Pifarely, Carlo DeRosa, Tyshawn Sorey, Bruno Chevillon, Stefano Battaglia, Christian Lillinger, Pascal Niggenkemper, Matt Brewer, Loren Stillman, John O'Gallagher, Mikkel Ploug, Manu Codjia, Alex Machacek, Sabir Mateen, Szilard Mezei, Kariem Riggins, Luciano Biondini, Lester St. Louis, Jim Mullen, Dejan Terzic, Rudi Mahall, Fareed Haque, Hasse Poulsen, Kalle Kalima, Cenk Erdogan, Jacob Young, Christy Doran, Ronny Graupe, Susanna Risberg, Emanuele Parrini, Vasco Trilla, Marco Colonna, Don Falzone, Rudy Linka, Tim Brady, Paolino Dalla Porta, Ares Tavolazzi, Roberto Dani, Wilbert De Joode, Joris Teepe, Bruno Cesselli, Zlatko Kaucic, Salvatore Maiore, Kyle Gregory, Emanuele Cisi, Gianluca Petrella, Achille Succi, Steve Altenberg, Yayoi Ikawa, Kruno Levacic, Igor Lumpert, Andrea Allione, Axel Dörner, Uli Jennesen, Loris Bertot, Nicolas Muresu, Jan Rhoder, Danilo Gallo, Dejan Pecenko, Alex Deutsch, Luigi Mosso, Aya Shimura, Giorgio Pacorig, Vasko Atanasovski, Jure Pukl, Nino Mureskic, Boštjan Gombač, Igor Matkovic, Bojan Krhlanko and others.

In 1998 Salamon established his first group Ansasa Trio, which focused on mixing etno jazz and world music influences with improvisation. The trio released the album Arabian Picnic in 2002. The album was described "a fine example of how much jazz there is to hear out there as its future is now."[3]

In 2003 Salamon released his highly acclaimed debut album Ornethology with his new quartet (Achille Succi, Salvatore Maiore, Zlatko Kaucic). The quartet played all over Europe, including the jazz festivals Ljubljana, Skopje and Rome, and got fantastic reviews from Europe and from the USA, claiming that "this very likable recording bodes well for the young guitarist as a possible future innovator and a present force to be reckoned with."[4] Ornethology also got the highest rating (4 stars) in the Penguin Jazz Guide and was also selected by the Penguin Jazz Guide as one of the 1001 Best Albums in the history of jazz (Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1001 Best Albums[5]).

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11
Album Review

Samo Salamon: Dances Of Freedom

Read "Dances Of Freedom" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon released a top-ten-of-the-year masterpiece CD in 2022, Dolphyolgy: Complete Eric Dolphy For Solo Guitar (Samo Records). On this tribute to the late reedman who was always an unconventional, free-flying artist, Salamon examined every composition in the Dolphy songbook. Dolphy for guitar was a surprise and certainly must have been a challenge. Salamon rose to it with an improvisatory zeal and affection for the reedman's work. The guitarist expands his palette in 2024 with Dances ...

5
Multiple Reviews

Three Gems from Guitarist Samo Salamon: Joy and Sorrow, Freed Distance Volume 2/Poems Are Opening, and Pure and Simple

Read "Three Gems from Guitarist Samo Salamon: Joy and Sorrow, Freed Distance Volume 2/Poems Are Opening, and Pure and Simple" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


Innovative guitarist Samo Salamon always thrills with the diversity of his output. Right on the heels of his two-disc solo recording of the entirety of saxophonist Eric Dolphy's compositions,Dolphyology (Samo, 2022), come three very different releases. Samo Salamon Joy and Sorrow Klopotec Records 2022 The first a duet with saxophonist Sabir Mateen, is the short and poignant Joy and Sorrow. Mateen has a distinctively soulful sound and a direct, honest style ...

5
Album Review

Samo Salamon: Dolphyology: Complete Eric Dolphy For Solo Guitar

Read "Dolphyology: Complete Eric Dolphy For Solo Guitar" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


Multi-reed virtuoso Eric Dolphy was a brilliant composer and deserves better recognition as such. In 2011, saxophonist Silke Eberhard put together a wind quartet of fellow Berliners, Potsa Lotsa, for a two disc release of all of Dolphy's works. Ten years later Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon has done the same with Dolphyology. Salamon performs all of Dolphy's 28 compositions unaccompanied on acoustic guitar, with the exception of “Inner Flight I," which features Salamon on the mandolin. The unique ...

Interview

Samo Salamon: un mondo di variegate esplorazioni

Read "Samo Salamon: un mondo di variegate esplorazioni" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


In neanche vent'anni d'attività professionale, il chitarrista sloveno ha maturato un ampio e diversificato ventaglio di esperienze, che si riflettono in una nutrita discografia. Ha pubblicato 35 album con etichette quali la Clean Feed, Fresh Sound, Not Two, Spasch, Steeplechase [clicca qui per leggere la recensione dei suoi ultimi 12 album] in organici comprendenti molti protagonisti del jazz contemporaneo, statunitense ed europeo, tra i quali Tim Berne, Mark Turner, Michel Godard, John Hollenbeck, Drew Gress, Stefano Battaglia, Gianluca Petrella, Tony ...

Multiple Reviews

Samo Šalamon, prolifica libertà

Read "Samo Šalamon, prolifica libertà" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Chitarrista e compositore sloveno assai prolifico e dalle mille frequentazioni, Samo Šalamon, che abbiamo appena intervistato compare nelle situazioni più disparate in questi dodici lavori pubblicati tra il 2018 e il 2022, con il recentissimo omaggio a Eric Dolphy, figurandovi comunque sempre come titolare o contitolare. Vediamoli uno a uno fino. Samo Šalamon, Tony Malaby, Roberto Dani Traveling Moving Breathing Clean Feed Traveling Moving Breathing, registrato nel 2017 e uscito l'anno dopo ...

8
Album Review

Samo Salamon: Dolphyology: Complete Eric Dolphy For Solo Guitar

Read "Dolphyology: Complete Eric Dolphy For Solo Guitar" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


As the clock ticked toward 2020, jazz guitarists began recording tributes to jazz giants of yesterday who were not guitarists: Dom Minasi offered up a compelling and beautiful salute to pianist Cecil Taylor with Remembering Cecil (Unseen Rain Records, 2019), and Miles Okazaki gave us Work: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Monk (Self Produced, 2018). In 2022, it is Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon's turn, with his presentation of Dolphyology: Complete Eric Dolphy For Solo Guitar. Some would say ...

17
Album Review

Samo Salamon & Friends: Almost Alone Vol 1

Read "Almost Alone Vol 1" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


To keep the train on the track during the Covid lockdowns, artists must think outside the box. Such is the case with this first volume of duets performed by renowned Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon and European guitarists via the Internet by using web-based meeting programs and file-sharing processes. And besides performing on acoustic and electric guitars, Salamon incorporates a Moog synth on several tracks, largely used for textural backdrops. He also uses the body of his acoustic as a percussion ...

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Contest

Enter the "Samo Salamon Quartets - Stretching Out" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Enter the "Samo Salamon Quartets - Stretching Out" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the “Samo Salamon Quartets - Stretching Out“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on November 18th. Click here to enter the contest

(Becoming a fan of Samo Salamon at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)

Good luck! About Stretching Out

The album features 12 original compositions and two great bands: The first CD features some of the best NYC jazz musicians, with Donny ...

118

Recording

Buy One CD, Get the Other for Free Feat. Mark Turner, Dave Binney, Michel Godard, Luciano Biondini and Others

Buy One CD, Get the Other for Free Feat. Mark Turner, Dave Binney, Michel Godard, Luciano Biondini and Others

Source: Michael Ricci

SPECIAL OFFER!

Buy the CD SAMO SALAMON TRIO feat. MICHEL GODARD & ROBERTO DANI: Live! (Samo Records SSCD 04, 2009), which received amazing reviews:

“Samo Salamon has recorded live successfully before, on Ela's Dream (Splasch, 2005) and Kei's Secret (Splasch, 2006). Live! is another worthy addition to a significant body of work, one that can only enhance Salamon's reputation as a distinctive composer and original guitar stylist." ALLABOUTJAZZ (Jakob Baekgaard, December 2009)

“All in all, the disc is an exceptional ...

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Contest

Enter the "Samo Salamon - Live!" CD Giveaway Contest

Enter the "Samo Salamon - Live!" CD Giveaway Contest

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the “Samo Salamon - Live!“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on March 26th. Click here to enter the contest

(Following Samo Salamon at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)

Good luck!

About Samo Salamon and Live! Samo Salamon is one of the most talented young guitarists and composers to emerge on today's jazz scene. He has toured and recorded 10 ...

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Recording

New Samo Salamon Albums Featuring Mark Turner and Michel Godard

New Samo Salamon Albums Featuring Mark Turner and Michel Godard

Source: Michael Ricci

The guitarist's Samo Salamon 2008 album Samo Salamon Quartet: Mamasaal feat. Mark Turner is finally available on Emusic and Amazon for downloading...it features a great band with MARK TURNER on tenor saxophone and MATT BREWER on bass: Link to eMusic

There are also samples available on the website of the guitarist - Samo Salamon Website, where you can also request the CD version.

A new album SAMO SALAMON TRIO: Live! featuring the best tuba player around Michel Godard and one ...

161

Interview

Samo Salamon Interviewed at AAJ

Samo Salamon Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz

There are many outstanding guitarists in jazz music, but Samo Salamon stands out. He's a technically terrifying musician, but the world of improvisational music is full of players with intimidating technique. Salamon's greatest attribute is his uniqueness: His rock-inflected electric tone and trademark solo lines of jagged single notes and crunching chord clusters are his own. He's as talented a composer as he is a guitarist, with a fondness for through-composed passages, challenging harmony and impossibly-complex time signatures.

What makes ...

»Samo Salamon is a creative pearl and one of the most challenging creative players of the new jazz scene, who is constantly opening the doors of development with his his research-like passion to the jazz culture!« (Aleš Podbrežnik, Rockline, Slovenia, December 2017)

»Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon holds a unique position in the world of jazz. Recognized as a top-level guitarist, composer and improvisor!« (Dragutin Matoševič, Barikada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, November 2017)

»On The Colours Suite, Salo Salamon and Co. have assembled a document which is both exciting and multi-faceted. Each member of the sextet is a wonder to listen to, and each pulls their instrument through several terrains whether it be together or independently...The Colours Suite is not one to miss!« (Connor Kurtz, FreeJazzBlog, Belgium, August 2017)

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Primary Instrument

Guitar, electric

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Credentials/Background

Music school in Maribor, Slovenia http://www.taktars.si

Tim Berne
saxophone, alto
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto
Bill Frisell
guitar, electric
Ben Monder
guitar

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Dances Of Freedom

Samo Records
2024

buy

Common Flow

Samo Records
2020

buy

Rare Ebb

Samo Records
2020

buy

Almost Alone Vol 1

Samo Records
2020

buy

Free Sessions, Vol....

Klopotec Records
2019

buy

Nantucket

From: Little River
By Samo Salamon

Ice Storm

From: Stretching Out
By Samo Salamon

Ducks On Ice

From: Eleven Stories
By Samo Salamon

Blistering

From: Duality
By Samo Salamon

Lastovo

From: Almost Almond
By Samo Salamon

Miss Sarcasm

From: Live!
By Samo Salamon

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