SAM WILSON

WINTERTIDES

Canada Council for the Arts

Sam Wilson, guitar/composer; Jen Yakamovich, drums; Geordie Hart, upright bass.

It is said by some that conventional wisdom grows from hardship, and that produces great art.  Certainly, this female guitarist has struggled against crisis, while working at producing her new album titled “Wintertides.”   She was trying to create a new recording in her rural hometown of Scotsburn, Nova Scotia, Canada.  Feeling frustrated, Sam Wilson decided that if she relocated, her creativity might have a breakthrough. The province she moved to was experiencing a notoriously bitter winter season that discouraged movement.  To her shock, at the same time a worldwide pandemic took center stage. She was encouraged to shelter in place.  Briefly, this situation had Ms. Wilson curled around her guitar in the fetal position.

On top of the new move to a strange place, the pandemic, the restrictions, the isolation, and especially since she grappled with chronic depression, this new adventure turned Wilson’s  already rocky world upside down. Then something unexpected happened. Sam saw an ad for the Leña Residency on Galliano Island in British Columbia, just off Canada’s West coast.  Thinking that maybe a change of scenery would remove the restrictions and a fresh climate would inspire her to compose, she applied for residency and moved once again.

The result is this wonderful album, released in early April 2024. Sam’s new location, on Galliano Island allowed the guitarist to walk the beach and through natural gardens and nature places.  The island inspired her to write songs like “Light Through the Bend” and “Into the Hollow.”  The nature noises and quiet spaces spurred her creativity.  Sam Wilson wrote “Dance of the Fungi” and of course the title tune.

The result of her experience was music steeped in a sort of melancholic pastoralism with folksy arrangements locking hand in hand with jazz.  She plays both electric and acoustic guitar on this project.  Joined by popular Vancouver bassist, Geordie Hart and drummer from Halifax, Canada, Jen Yakamovich, the trio brings Wilson’s compositions alive.  In addition to this current recording, Wilson frequently performs with acclaimed trombonist Andrew Jackson on collaborative projects as the Jackson/Wilson Duo. On the title tune, you can almost hear the island wind blowing and the snow falling on the forest.  Geordie Hart’s bass sets the mood and Jen Yakamovich uses mallets to coach the mood and magic out of her trap drums. However, it’s Sam Wilson’s inspired compositions, her tasty guitar licks and emotional adventure with melodies that endears this music to the listener.

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