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Samo Šalamon

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Samo Šalamon (born October 9, 1978, in Maribor, Slovenia) is a Slovenian jazz composer, guitarist, and bandleader. He has performed on over 35 releases and is credited with over 300 compositions.[1]

Samo Salamon in Maribor, March 2021.

Biography

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Šalamon started playing the guitar at the age of seven and studied classical guitar in Maribor, a large city in Slovenia, until the age of 15. He continued his studies at the University of Ljubljana, where he obtained a PhD in the field of American poetry and translation. During his time at college, he became interested in jazz and improvisation.[1]

In 1999, Šalamon met jazz guitarist John Scofield, who became a close mentor and inspiration. In the early 2000s, Šalamon started to play and record with musicians from the New York jazz scene, including Tim Berne, David Binney, Josh Roseman, Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey, Gerald Cleaver, Tyshawn Sorey, John Hebert, Donny McCaslin and others. In 2003, he recorded Ornethology, his debut album as a bandleader, featuring a European quartet with Achille Succi, Salvatore Maiore, and Zlatko Kaučič. With this group, he performed at Ljubljana Jazz Festival,[2] Roma Jazz Festival and Skopje Jazz Festival[3] The album Ornethology was also selected among the 1001 best albums in the history of jazz according to the Penguin Guide to Jazz.[4]

Šalamon regularly toured Europe 2–3 times per year. His groups included various European and American jazz musicians. He has maintained long musical relationships with French tubist Michel Godard, American reed player and founding member of the group Oregon Paul McCandless, saxophonists Achille Succi and Tony Malaby, drummer Roberto Dani, and pianist Stefano Battaglia.[5] In his later work, Šalamon regularly mixed modern composition and improvisation,[6] as seen in his latest projects, such as duos with guitarist Hasse Poulsen[7] and clarinetist Francois Houle,[8] his European sextet for Clean Feed Records – The Colors Suite[9] featuring Julian Arguelles, Achille Succi, Pascal Niggenkemper and the drummers Christian Lillinger and Roberto Dani, as well as a large free orchestra, composed of European improvisers, including Fredrik Ljungkvist, Luis Vicente, Albert Cirera, Martin Küchen and others.

Šalamon has recorded for European jazz labels such as Clean Feed Records, Fresh Sound New Talent, Not Two Records, Steeplechase Records, and Splash Records. As a composer, he has developed projects with multiform syntheses of contemporary jazz, classical music, and free improvisation.[10]

Šalamon has been involved in playing Eric Dolphy's music on solo acoustic guitar[11] which resulted in the album Dolphyology.[12] The album features all 28 compositions by Eric Dolphy, rearranged for acoustic guitar, venturing from the avant-garde to the highly lyrical.[13]

In June 2022, Šalamon released Pure and Simple, a trio album with Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen and American drummer Ra-Kalam Bob Moses, followed by an extensive European tour in October 2022.[14]

Style

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Salamon's fluid style of guitar playing is primarily based on his studies of jazz saxophonists Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy, demonstrated on his first two albums Ornethology[15] and Ela's Dream, where his playing has been described as having a "quirky yet intriguing original sound."[16] His early guitar playing is influenced by guitarist and mentor John Scofield, while also drawing inspiration from players like John Abercrombie, Ben Monder, Adam Rogers, and Bill Frisell. His compositional style draws from different areas of jazz as well as modern classical composers, such as Bela Bartok, Witold Lutoslawski, and Olivier Messiaen.

Discography

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Release year Title Label Line-up
2024 Dances of Freedom Samo Records Vasil Hadžimanov, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses
2023 State of Grace Samo Records Bruce Saunders
2023 Electric Duo Samo Records Martin Speake
2023 Eating Poetry Clean Feed Records Emanuele Parrini, Vasco Trilla
2023 Rainbow Bubbles Samo Records Asaf Sirkis
2022 Before It Rains Samo Records Cene Resnik, Jost Drasler, Bojan Krhlanko
2022 Pure and Simple Samo Records Arild Andersen, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses
2022 Dolphyology Samo Records solo acoustic guitar
2022 Free Distance, Vol. 2: Poems are Opening Fundacja Sluchaj Emanuele Marsico, Alberto Mandarini, Mirko Cisilino, Luís Vicente, Emanuele Parrini, Marco Colonna, Achille Succi, Albert Cirera, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Christoph Irniger, Alberto Pinton, Beppe Scardino, Martin Küchen, Samo Salamon, Marcelo Dos Reis, Silvia Bolognesi, Vasco Trilla
2022 Joy and Sorrow Klopotec Records Samo Salamon, Sabir Mateen
2021 Unobservable Mysteries Afterday Records Samo Salamon, Francois Houle
2021 String Dancers Samo Records Samo Salamon, Hasse Poulsen
2021 Timelessness Samo Records Samo Salamon, Cene Resnik, Bojan Krhlanko
2020 Free Distance, Vol. 1: Love is More Thicker Samo Records Emanuele Marsico, Alberto Mandarini, Mirko Cisilino, Luís Vicente, Emanuele Parrini, Marco Colonna, Achille Succi, Albert Cirera, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Christoph Irniger, Alberto Pinton, Beppe Scardino, Martin Küchen, Samo Salamon, Marcelo Dos Reis, Silvia Bolognesi, Vasco Trilla
2020 Almost Alone Vol. 1 Samo Records Samo Salamon, Alex Machacek, Rafal Sarnecki, Cenk Erdogan, Andre Fernandes, Kalle Kalima, Jacob Young, Albert Vila, Dušan Jevtović, Lorenzo Di Maio, Philipp Schaufelberger, Spiros Exaras
2020 Common Flow Samo Records Samo Salamon, Igor Matković, Kristijan Krajnčan
2020 Rare Ebb Samo Records Samo Salamon, Igor Matković, Kristijan Krajnčan
2019 Punk You Samo Records Samo Salamon, Eva Poženel, Achille Succi, Bojan Krhlanko
2019 Swirling Blind Unstilled Klopotec Records Samo Salamon, Szilard Mezei, Jaka Berger
2019 Free Sessions Vol. 2: Freequestra Klopotec Records Samo Salamon, Matija Krecic, Bostjan Simon, Achille Succi, Ziga Murko, Domen Gnezda, Vitja Balzalorsky, Marko Crncec, Goran Krmac, Bojan Krhlanko, Jaka Berger
2018 Pure Magic Alessa Records Samo Salamon, Stefano Battaglia
2018 Peaks of Light Samo Records Samo Salamon, Howard Levy
2018 Traveling Moving Breathing Clean Feed Records Samo Salamon, Tony Malaby, Roberto Dani
2017 Free Sessions Vol. 1: Planets of Kei Not Two Records Samo Salamon, Achille Succi, Szilard Mezei
2017 The Colours Suite Clean Feed Records Samo Salamon, Julian Arguelles, Achille Succi, Pascal Niggenkemper, Christian Lillinger, Roberto Dani
2016 windS Klopotec Records Samo Salamon, Stefano Battaglia
2016 Unity Samo Records Samo Salamon, Julian Arguelles, John Hollenbeck
2015 Little River Samo Records Samo Salamon, Paul McCandless, Roberto Dani
2014 Ives Samo Records Samo Salamon, Manu Codjia, Mikkel Ploug
2014 2 Alto Steeplechase Records Samo Salamon, Loren Stillman, John O'Gallagher, Roberto Dani
2014 Orchestrology KGOSF Records Samo Salamon, Roberto Dani, Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra
2013 Stretching Out Samo Records Samo Salamon, Donny McCaslin, Dominique Pifarely, Bruno Chevillon, John Hebert, Gerald Cleaver, Roberto Dani
2012 Eleven Stories Samo Records Samo Salamon, Michel Godard, Roberto Dani
2011 Duality Samo Records Samo Salamon, Tim Berne, Achille Succi, Tom Rainey, Roberto Dani
2011 Almost Almond Sanje Records Samo Salamon, Drew Gress, Tom Rainey
2009 Live! Samo Records Samo Salamon, Michel Godard, Roberto Dani
2008 Mamasaal feat. Mark Turner Dometra Records Samo Salamon, Mark Turner, Matt Brewer, Aljoša Jerič
2007 Fall Memories Splasc(h) Records Samo Salamon, Luciano Biondini, Michel Godard, Roberto Dani
2007 Nano Goga Records Samo Salamon, Julian Arguelles, Michel Godard, Roberto Dani
2006 Government Cheese Fresh Sound New Talent Samo Salamon, David Binney, Josh Roseman, Mark Helias, Gerald Cleaver
2006 Kei's Secret Splasc(h) Records Samo Salamon, Achille Succi, Carlo DeRosa, Tyshawn Sorey
2005 Two Hours Fresh Sound New Talent Samo Salamon, Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey
2005 Ela's Dream Splasc(h) Records Samo Salamon, Achille Succi, David Binney, Kyle Gregory, Paolino Dalla Porta, Zlatko Kaučič
2003 Ornethology Samo Records Samo Salamon, Achille Succi, Salvatore Maiore, Zlatko Kaučič

References

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  1. ^ a b Jazz, All About (2022-02-28). "Samo Šalamon, prolifica libertà article @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  2. ^ "Arhiv". 62. Ljubljana jazz festival (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  3. ^ "Skopje Jazz Festival - Archive". www.skopjejazzfest.com.mk. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  4. ^ "Explore - Slovenian Music". www.musicslovenia.si. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  5. ^ Gama, Raul Da (2016-08-01). "Samo Salamon & Stefano Battaglia: Winds". Jazz da Gama. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  6. ^ "Samo Šalamon Sextet - The Colours Suite | SIGIC". www.sigic.si. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  7. ^ Jones, Nic (2021-09-27). "Samo Salamon & Hasse Poulsen: String Dancers". Jazz Journal. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  8. ^ "FRANÇOIS HOULE & SAMO SALAMON - Unobservable Mysteries". Jazz Views. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  9. ^ "Heimesiger med Samo Salamon | salt peanuts*". salt-peanuts.eu. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  10. ^ Jazz, All About (2022-02-28). "Samo Salamon: un mondo di variegate esplorazioni article @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  11. ^ "Intimni glasbeni esej". www.delo.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  12. ^ Milkowski, Bill (2022-04-02). "GuitArtistry: Samo Salamon Salutes the Genius of Eric Dolphy with an Ambitious Solo-Guitar Project". JAZZIZ Magazine. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  13. ^ "ERIC DOLPHY FRETS…Samo Salamon: Dolphyology-Complete Eric Dolphy for Solo Guitar". www.jazzweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  14. ^ Dourlhès, Nicolas. "La mine de Samo Salamon". Citizen Jazz (in French). Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  15. ^ Jazz, All About (3 November 2003). "Samo Salamon Quartet: Ornethology album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  16. ^ Ornethology - Samo Salamon | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-12-16
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