{{Short description|Slovenian jazz guitarist and composer (born 1978)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}{{Infobox musical artist | background = person | name = Samo Šalamon | image = Samo Salamon.jpg | landscape = yes | caption = Samo Šalamon in Maribor, March 2021 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|10|09|df=y}} | birth_place = Maribor, Slovenia | death_date = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} | genre = Jazz | occupation = {{hlist|Composer|guitarist}} | instrument = Guitar | years_active = 1990s–present | label = Samo Records, Clean Feed, Fresh Sound New Talent, SteepleChase, Splasc(h) | website = [http://www.samosalamon.com/ www.samosalamon.com] }}
'''Samo Šalamon''' (born 9 October 1978 in Maribor, Slovenia) is a Slovenian jazz composer, guitarist and interviewer. He has performed on over 35 albums and is credited with over 300 compositions.<ref name=":1" />
== Biography ==
Šalamon started playing guitar at the age of seven, studying classical guitar in Maribor until the age of fifteen. He later studied at the University of Ljubljana, earning a PhD in American poetry and translation. During his time at the university, he developed an interest in jazz and improvisation.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Jazz |first=All About |date=2022-02-28 |title=Samo Šalamon, prolifica libertà article @ All About Jazz |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/samo-salamon-prolifica-liberta |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=All About Jazz |language=en}}</ref>
In 1999, Šalamon met jazz guitarist John Scofield, who became a collaborator and influence on his musical development. In the early 2000s, Šalamon began performing and recording with musicians from the New York jazz scene, including Tim Berne, David Binney, Josh Roseman, Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey, Gerald Cleaver, Tyshawn Sorey, John Hebert, Donny McCaslin, and others.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} In 2003, he recorded ''Ornethology'', his debut album, featuring a European quartet with Achille Succi, Salvatore Maiore, and Zlatko Kaučič. With this group, he performed at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Arhiv|url=http://www.ljubljanajazz.si/index.php/sl/o-festivalu/arhiv|access-date=2021-12-16|website=62. Ljubljana jazz festival|language=sl-si}}</ref> Roma Jazz Festival, and Skopje Jazz Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Skopje Jazz Festival - Archive|url=http://www.skopjejazzfest.com.mk/archive.asp|access-date=2021-12-16|website=www.skopjejazzfest.com.mk}}</ref> The album ''Ornethology'' was included in The Penguin Guide to Jazz list of the ''1001 Best Albums in the History of Jazz''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Morton |first=Brian |author-link=Brian Morton (Scottish writer) |title=The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1001 Best Albums |last2=Cook |first2=Richard |author-link2=Richard Cook (journalist) |publisher=Penguin |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-14-104831-4 |edition=10th |location=New York |chapter=The recent scene: 2001-2010 |orig-year=1992}}</ref>
Šalamon performed extensively across Europe, collaborating with both European and American jazz musicians, including French tubist Michel Godard, American reed player Paul McCandless, saxophonists Achille Succi and Tony Malaby, drummer Roberto Dani, and pianist Stefano Battaglia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gama |first=Raul Da |date=2016-08-01 |title=Samo Salamon & Stefano Battaglia: Winds |url=https://jazzdagama.com/music/samo-salamon-stefano-battaglia-winds/ |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=Jazz da Gama |language=en-US}}</ref> His work has incorporated elements of modern composition and improvisation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Samo Šalamon Sextet - The Colours Suite {{!}} SIGIC |url=http://www.sigic.si/samo-salamon-sextet-the-colours-suite.html |access-date=2021-12-16 |website=www.sigic.si |language=en}}</ref> His projects have included duos with guitarist Hasse Poulsen<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Nic |date=2021-09-27 |title=Samo Salamon & Hasse Poulsen: String Dancers |url=https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2021/09/27/samo-salamon-hasse-poulsen-string-dancers/ |access-date=2021-12-16 |website=Jazz Journal |language=en-GB}}</ref> and clarinetist Francois Houle,<ref>{{Cite web |title=FRANÇOIS HOULE & SAMO SALAMON - Unobservable Mysteries |url=https://www.jazzviews.net/franccedilois-houle--samo-salamon---unobservable-mysteries.html |access-date=2021-12-16 |website=Jazz Views |language=en}}</ref> and a European sextet on the album ''The'' ''Colours Suite'', featuring Julian Arguelles, Achille Succi, Roberto Dani, Pascal Niggenkemper, and Christian Lillinger.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Heimesiger med Samo Salamon {{!}} salt peanuts* |url=https://salt-peanuts.eu/consert/heimesiger-med-samo-salamon/ |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=salt-peanuts.eu}}</ref> He also led a large improvisational orchestra with members such as Fredrik Ljungkvist, Luis Vicente, Albert Cirera, and Martin Küchen.
Šalamon has recorded for European jazz labels such as Clean Feed Records, Fresh Sound New Talent, Not Two Records, SteepleChase Records, and Splasc(h) Records. As a composer, he developed projects synthesizing contemporary jazz, classical music, and free improvisation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jazz |first=All About |date=2022-02-28 |title=Samo Salamon: un mondo di variegate esplorazioni article @ All About Jazz |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/samo-salamon-un-mondo-di-variegate-esplorazioni |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=All About Jazz |language=en}}</ref>
In 2022, Šalamon recorded the album Dolphyology,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Milkowski |first=Bill |date=2022-04-02 |title=GuitArtistry: Samo Salamon Salutes the Genius of Eric Dolphy with an Ambitious Solo-Guitar Project |url=https://www.jazziz.com/guitartistry-samo-salamon-salutes-the-genius-of-eric-dolphy-with-an-ambitious-solo-guitar-project/ |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=JAZZIZ Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> a collection of Eric Dolphy's music played on solo acoustic guitar.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Intimni glasbeni esej |url=https://www.delo.si/kultura/glasba/intimni-glasbeni-esej/ |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=www.delo.si |language=sl-si}}</ref> The album features 28 compositions by Eric Dolphy, rearranged for acoustic guitar, ranging from avant-garde to lyrical.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.jazzweekly.com/2022/03/eric-dolphy-fretssamo-salamon-dolphyology-complete-eric-dolphy-for-solo-guitar/ |title=ERIC DOLPHY FRETS…Samo Salamon: Dolphyology-Complete Eric Dolphy for Solo Guitar |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=www.jazzweekly.com}}</ref> In June 2022, Šalamon released ''Pure and Simple'', a collaborative trio album featuring Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen and American drummer Ra-Kalam Bob Moses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pure and Simple, by Samo Salamon, Arild Andersen & Ra Kalam Bob Moses |url=https://samosalamon.bandcamp.com/album/pure-and-simple |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Samo Salamon |language=en}}</ref> The album was followed by a European tour in October 2022.
== Style ==
Šalamon's guitar style is influenced by his studies of jazz saxophonists Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy, evident in his first two albums, ''Ornethology''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jazz|first=All About|title=Samo Salamon Quartet: Ornethology album review @ All About Jazz|url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ornethology-sazas-review-by-javier-aq-ortiz|access-date=2021-12-16|website=All About Jazz|date=3 November 2003 |language=en}}</ref> and ''Ela's Dream.'' His early guitar playing was influenced by guitarist John Scofield and musicians like John Abercrombie, Ben Monder, Adam Rogers, and Bill Frisell. His compositional style draws from different areas of jazz and modern classical composers such as Béla Bartók, Witold Lutosławski, and Olivier Messiaen.
== Discography ==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! scope="col"|Release year ! scope="col"|Album ! scope="col"|Label ! scope="col"|Personnel |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2003 ! scope="row"| ''Ornethology'' |Samo Records |Achille Succi, Salvatore Maiore, Zlatko Kaučič |- | style="text-align:center;"|2005 ! scope="row"| ''Ela's Dream'' |Splasc(h) Records |Achille Succi, David Binney, Kyle Gregory, Paolino Dalla Porta, Zlatko Kaučič |- | style="text-align:center;"|2005 ! scope="row"| ''Two Hours'' |Fresh Sound New Talent |Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey |- | style="text-align:center;"|2006 ! scope="row"| ''Kei's Secret'' |Splasc(h) Records |Achille Succi, Carlo DeRosa, Tyshawn Sorey |- | style="text-align:center;"|2006 ! scope="row"| ''Government Cheese'' |Fresh Sound New Talent |David Binney, Josh Roseman, Mark Helias, Gerald Cleaver |- | style="text-align:center;"|2007 ! scope="row"| ''Nano'' |Goga Records |Julian Argüelles, Michel Godard, Roberto Dani |- | style="text-align:center;"|2007 ! scope="row"| ''Fall Memories'' |Splasc(h) Records |Luciano Biondini, Michel Godard, Roberto Dani |- | style="text-align:center;"|2008 ! scope="row"| ''Mamasaal feat. Mark Turner'' |Dometra Records |Mark Turner, Matt Brewer, Aljoša Jerič |- | style="text-align:center;"|2009 ! scope="row"| ''Live!'' |Samo Records |Michel Godard, Roberto Dani |- | style="text-align:center;"|2011 ! scope="row"| ''Almost Almond'' |Sanje Records |Drew Gress, Tom Rainey |- | style="text-align:center;"|2011 ! scope="row"| ''Duality'' |Samo Records |Tim Berne, Achille Succi, Tom Rainey, Roberto Dani |- | style="text-align:center;"|2012 ! scope="row"| ''Eleven Stories'' |Samo Records |Michel Godard, Roberto Dani |- | style="text-align:center;"|2013 ! scope="row"| ''Stretching Out'' |Samo Records |Donny McCaslin, Dominique Pifarély, Bruno Chevillon, John Hebert, Gerald Cleaver, Roberto Dani |- | style="text-align:center;"|2014 ! scope="row"| ''Orchestrology'' |KGOSF Records |Roberto Dani, Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra |- | style="text-align:center;"|2014 ! scope="row"| ''2 Alto'' |SteepleChase Records |Loren Stillman, John O'Gallagher, Roberto Dani |- | style="text-align:center;"|2014 ! scope="row"| ''Ives'' |Samo Records |Manu Codjia, Mikkel Ploug |- | style="text-align:center;"|2015 ! scope="row"| ''Little River'' |Samo Records |Paul McCandless, Roberto Dani |- | style="text-align:center;"|2016 ! scope="row"| ''Unity'' |Samo Records |Julian Argüelles, John Hollenbeck |- | style="text-align:center;"|2016 ! scope="row"| ''windS'' |Klopotec Records |Stefano Battaglia |- | style="text-align:center;"|2017 ! scope="row"| ''The Colours Suite'' |Clean Feed Records |Julian Argüelles, Achille Succi, Pascal Niggenkemper, Christian Lillinger, Roberto Dani |- | style="text-align:center;"|2017 ! scope="row"| ''Free Sessions Vol. 1: Planets of Kei'' |Not Two Records |Achille Succi, Szilard Mezei |- | style="text-align:center;"|2018 ! scope="row"| ''Traveling Moving Breathing'' |Clean Feed Records |Tony Malaby, Roberto Dani |- | style="text-align:center;"|2018 ! scope="row"| ''Peaks of Light'' |Samo Records |Howard Levy |- | style="text-align:center;"|2018 ! scope="row"| ''Pure Magic'' |Alessa Records |Stefano Battaglia |- | style="text-align:center;"|2019 ! scope="row"| ''Free Sessions Vol. 2: Freequestra'' |Klopotec Records |Matija Krecic, Bostjan Simon, Achille Succi, Ziga Murko, Domen Gnezda, Vitja Balzalorsky, Marko Crncec, Goran Krmac, Bojan Krhlanko, Jaka Berger |- | style="text-align:center;"|2019 ! scope="row"| ''Swirling Blind Unstilled'' |Klopotec Records |Szilard Mezei, Jaka Berger |- | style="text-align:center;"|2019 ! scope="row"| ''Punk You'' |Samo Records |Eva Poženel, Achille Succi, Bojan Krhlanko |- | style="text-align:center;"|2020 ! scope="row"| ''Rare Ebb'' |Samo Records |Igor Matković, Kristijan Krajnčan |- | style="text-align:center;"|2020 ! scope="row"| ''Common Flow'' |Samo Records |Igor Matković, Kristijan Krajnčan |- | style="text-align:center;"|2020 ! scope="row"| ''Almost Alone Vol. 1'' |Samo Records |Alex Machacek, Rafal Sarnecki, Cenk Erdogan, Andre Fernandes, Kalle Kalima, Jacob Young, Albert Vila, Dušan Jevtović, Lorenzo Di Maio, Philipp Schaufelberger, Spiros Exaras |- | style="text-align:center;"|2020 ! scope="row"| ''Free Distance, Vol. 1: Love is More Thicker'' |Samo Records |Emanuele Marsico, Alberto Mandarini, Mirko Cisilino, Luís Vicente, Emanuele Parrini, Marco Colonna, Achille Succi, Albert Cirera, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Christoph Irniger, Alberto Pinton, Beppe Scardino, Martin Küchen, Marcelo Dos Reis, Silvia Bolognesi, Vasco Trilla |- | style="text-align:center;"|2021 ! scope="row"| ''Timelessness'' |Samo Records |Cene Resnik, Bojan Krhlanko |- | style="text-align:center;"|2021 ! scope="row"| ''String Dancers'' |Samo Records |Hasse Poulsen |- | style="text-align:center;"|2021 ! scope="row"| ''Unobservable Mysteries'' |Afterday Records |Francois Houle |- | style="text-align:center;"|2022 ! scope="row"| ''Joy and Sorrow'' |Klopotec Records |Sabir Mateen |- | style="text-align:center;"|2022 ! scope="row"| ''Free Distance, Vol. 2: Poems are Opening'' |Fundacja Sluchaj |Emanuele Marsico, Alberto Mandarini, Mirko Cisilino, Luís Vicente, Emanuele Parrini, Marco Colonna, Achille Succi, Albert Cirera, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Christoph Irniger, Alberto Pinton, Beppe Scardino, Martin Küchen, Marcelo Dos Reis, Silvia Bolognesi, Vasco Trilla |- | style="text-align:center;"|2022 ! scope="row"| ''Dolphyology'' |Samo Records |(solo album) |- | style="text-align:center;"|2022 ! scope="row"| ''Pure and Simple'' |Samo Records |Arild Andersen, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses |- | style="text-align:center;"|2022 ! scope="row"| ''Before It Rains'' |Samo Records |Cene Resnik, Jost Drasler, Bojan Krhlanko |- | style="text-align:center;"|2023 ! scope="row"| ''Rainbow Bubbles'' |Samo Records |Asaf Sirkis |- | style="text-align:center;"|2023 ! scope="row"| ''Eating Poetry'' |Clean Feed Records |Emanuele Parrini, Vasco Trilla |- | style="text-align:center;"|2023 ! scope="row"| ''Electric Duo'' |Samo Records |Martin Speake |- | style="text-align:center;"|2023 ! scope="row"| ''State of Grace'' |Samo Records |Bruce Saunders |- | style="text-align:center;"|2024 ! scope="row"| ''Dances of Freedom'' |Samo Records |Vasil Hadžimanov, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses |- | style="text-align:center;"|2024 ! scope="row"| ''Unlocking the Code'' |Samo Records |Kevin Miller |- | style="text-align:center;"|2024 ! scope="row"| ''For the Listener Who Listens'' |Samo Records |Ronan Guilfoyle, Rafal Mazur |- | style="text-align:center;"|2024 ! scope="row"| ''The Thinkers'' |Samo Records |Cene Resnik, Samuel Ber |- | style="text-align:center;"|2025 ! scope="row"| ''Acoustic Duo'' |Samo Records |Martin Speake |- | style="text-align:center;"|2025 ! scope="row"| ''Dream Suites Vol. 1'' |Samo Records |Dave Ballou, Russ Johnson, Tom Varner, Jeb Bishop, Curtis Hasselbring, Steve Swell, Chet Doxas, Ben Goldberg, Vinny Golia, Adam Kolker, Andrew Rathbun, Ned Rothenberg, Dan Willis, Ernst Reijseger, Rez Abbasi, Mike Baggetta, Jonathan Goldberger, Jerome Harris, Michael Cain, Steve Hunt, Jimmy Haslip, Chris Lightcap, Eivind Opsvik, Matt Pavolka, Tim Daisy, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses |}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{official|http://www.samosalamon.com/}} * {{AllMusic | id= mn0000896884 | title= Samo Salamon}} * {{Discogs artist|Samo Salamon}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samo Salamon}} Category:1978 births Category:Musicians from Maribor Category:Slovenian male musicians Category:Slovenian guitarists Category:Slovenian jazz composers Category:21st-century jazz composers Category:Male jazz composers Category:University of Ljubljana alumni Category:Living people