Sam Reider

Slow & Steady Records announces the release of pianist-composer Sam Reider’s first solo piano recording Petrichor. The eight original compositions form a musical reflection on Reider’s recent homecoming to San Francisco  after ten years in New York. “Hiking the foggy coastline, climbing through redwood forests up to alpine lakes, I felt rejuvenated to be back home, in touch with a part of myself that had laid dormant,” says Reider. “ I sought to capture the grandeur, intimacy and nostalgia of the landscape I grew up with.”

The move back to California also reunited Reider with his grandfather’s 1918 Steinway, the piano from his childhood. Throughout much of Reider’s professional career, he’s focused on writing, recording, singing and playing accordion with his band Human Hands, which has garnered a loyal international following through its infectious blend of bluegrass and jazz. But on Petrichor, Reider returns to his piano roots, with particular focus on composition (which Reider currently studies at San Francisco State University, while continuing a mentorship with NYC-based composer Kendall Briggs) as well as paying homage to his earliest inspirations on piano – Duke Ellington, James Booker, Keith Jarrett, Claude Debussy, and Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou.

Petrichor was recorded in August, 2021 at SandBox, a brand new performing arts venue in Sand City, CA that’s run by cellist Michelle Djokic. In fact, Reider first discovered the space (and its 1917 Steinway) while quarantining in the Monterey area during the pandemic, and was immediately enamored with its sound. Two months later, Reider was back at the SanBox, having written and workshopped his new music. This time, he was accompanied by engineers and co-producers Jacob Blumberg (who grew up with Reider in the Bay Area) and Jon Seale (of Mason Jar Music) with the intention of “capturing the vibe of Michelle’s space,” as Reider puts it.

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