Sam Reider

Sam Reider is an accordionist, pianist, singer, and songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. He is co-leader of The Amigos, who perform foot-stomping, accordion-infused Americana music blending folk-rock, zydeco/cajun, and jazz. In 2013, The Amigos were selected by the U.S. Department of State to be cultural ambassadors overseas and recently conducted a six-week tour of China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam, giving over forty performances and educational workshops and collaborating with local and internationally acclaimed artists.

The Amigos have received critical attention for their musical collaborations with artists ranging from Americana singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale to western-swing band Vince Gill and the Time Jumpers, yodeling cowboy Ranger Doug, jazz/beat/classical composer David Amram, and singer-songwriter Nellie McKay. The Amigos have appeared at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, Folk Alliance International, and have opened for artists including the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sam Bush, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Jon Batiste and Stay Human. The Amigos give over 50 performances in public and private schools around the country each year. Their educational work focuses on celebrating the connections between different types of American roots music and empowering students to express themselves through singing and improvisation.

Reider grew up in San Francisco and studied classical and jazz piano from an early age. After graduating high school he moved to New York City. In 2007 he was featured on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz on NPR.  Sam attended Columbia University where he majored in American Studies and wrote his thesis on songwriting in the Great Depression. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and was given the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts, an award granted by the university to a single individual for excellence in any artistic discipline. In addition to his work with The Amigos, he has recorded and performed extensively with fellow SJW educator Ben Flocks. Reider is also a member of YouTube music video channel CDZA with whom he performed at the first ever YouTube Music Awards and opened for artists like Snoop Dogg, Macklemore, Arcade Fire, T-Pain, and more.