Petrichor by Sam Reider

Petrichor: n. the fresh smell of the earth accompanying a first rain.

The past two years represent a homecoming for me on many levels. I returned to San Francisco after living for more than decade in New York City. With the normal busyness of touring on pause, I found myself reconnecting with the landscape of Northern California. Hiking the foggy coastline, climbing through redwood forests to high alpine lakes, I felt rejuvenated and back in touch with a part of my being that had been dormant for many years. At the same time, I was also reunited with a musical instrument from my childhood: my grandfather’s 1918 Steinway piano.

This new record of original compositions offers a musical reflection on this homecoming and also a tribute to some of the pianist-composers who have inspired me since I was young: Duke Ellington, James Booker, Keith Jarrett, Claude Debussy, and Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou to name a few.

The record contains a mix of composed and improvised material. Mirror Lake is a contemplation on the reflection of mountains in a high Sierra lake—the placid surface of the water is represented by a repeated drone while the two hands surround it with melodies in perfect reflection of each other. In the title track, Petrichor, bright melodies and brisk rhythms blossom out an ostinato inspired by a balafon musician I used to hear playing in Grand Central Station. It’s a musical figure I played around with for years until I finally found it a home. Emahoy is an homage to the Ethiopian musician and nun Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, an improvising pianist and composer who mixes the blues with a wandering, impressionist sensibility. I’ve taken one of her iconic licks and used it to weave a fantasy of my own design.

“Petrichor” was recorded in August, 2021 at the Sandbox, a new performing arts venue in Sand City, CA run by cellist extraordinaire Michelle Djokic. This record was made possible through her support and through the hard work of my talented friends Jacob Blumberg and Jon Seale of Mason Jar Music who expertly captured the sound and mood of this unique time and space.

Sam Reider is a pianist, accordionist, composer, and educator. From his instrumental folk ensemble The Human Hands to his Latin Grammy-nominated collaboration with Venezuelan artist Jorge Glem, Reider’s unique compositional voice and melodicism runs throughout his eclectic projects.

samreidermusic.com