On his latest effort, The Following Mountain, singer/songwriter Sam Amidon changes things up. The past several albums established Amidon as a re-interpreter of Appalachian folk music and other traditional folk songs and here he debuts an LP entirely composed of original songs. Amidon’s Nonesuch releases have traded more traditional folk sounds for a more jazz/improv-based sound that include recent collaborations with Kenny Wheeler, Bill Frisell, saxophonist Sam Gendel, ’60s free jazz drummer Milford Graves and Jimi Hendrix percussionist Juma Sultan. Standout tracks include: the hemiola pattern based track “Fortune”; the complex 5/4 time “Gendel in 5”; the eclectic “Another Story Told”; and the free-jazz closer featuring Milford Graves, “April.” On The Following Mountain, Amidon once again demonstrates why he is a must watch talent who masters genres fully and fantastically. – Written by JFelton
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