Sam Bardfeld is a violinist, composer and arranger. He is a member of The Jazz Passengers and Bruce Springsteen’s Sessions Band with whom he recorded We Shall Overcome (Sony, 2006) and Live in Dublin (Sony, 2007). He has also worked with jazz/downtown artists John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, The String Trio of New York, and straight-ahead singer Curtis Stigers; Alt-rockers Elvis Costello, Calexico, John Cale, and Debbie Harry; and Latin legends Johnny Pacheco and Gilberto Santo Rosa.

Bardfeld’s own recordings Taxidermy (CIMP, 1999) and Periodic Trespasses (FreshSounds, 2006) have both earned acclaim, including a “4-Star” rating in Downbeat magazine, raves in Jazz Times, Jazziz magazine and “4-Stars” in All Music Guide. His latest project, “Up Jumped the Devil,” is an irreverent tribute to madcap swing violinist Stuff Smith. The group has played in Europe each of the last three years including dates at the Banlieues Bleues jazz festival in Paris, the Bolzano Jazz Festival and Porgy and Bess in Vienna.

Some recent side projects include recording and touring with Roy Nathanson’s chamber-jazz project “Sotto Voce” Subway Moon (Enja, 2009); gigs and recording with Joel Harrison’s String Choir – a string quartet with fellow jazz stringers Mat Maneri, Chris Howes and Dana Leong playing the music of Paul Motian (Sunnyside, Jan 2011); and a new recording with the Jazz Passengers (Enja/JustinTime, fall 2010) featuring Elvis Costello and Mark Ribot.

Sam’s arranging credits include work for Calexico, Nancy Sinatra, film music for Hedwig and the Angry Inch composer Stephen Trask, and work on the Broadway-bound production of Lone Star Love with The Red Clay Ramblers. He has also contracted string sections for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Madison Square Garden and for Gilberto Santa Rosa at Carnegie Hall.

In the 1990’s, Sam’s immersion in NYC’s fertile Salsa and Charanga scene led to writing a book, Latin Violin (Music Sales, 2002), considered to be the authoritative work on the Afro-Cuban violin tradition. He is also an instructor of jazz violin at the New School jazz program in NYC.

Sam studied violin technique with Gerald Beal and Joey Corpus and improvisation with Bill Barron, George Garzone and Richie Beirach. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1990 where he studied music, anthropology and history. In 1991 he received a year-long Ford Foundation grant to study ethnomusicology at Wesleyan.

Sam Bardfeld | violinist & composer