Sam Reider - The Golem and Other Tales (2024)

Sam Reider and the Human Hands are on a mission to expand the boundaries of instrumental folk music. Led by Latin GRAMMY-nominated composer, accordionist, and pianist Sam Reider, this all-star ensemble includes Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings), Eddie Barbash (Jon Batiste), Dominick Leslie (Molly Tuttle), Duncan Wickel (Rising Appalachia), Roy Williams (Stephane Wrembel), and Andrew Ryan (Kaia Kater). The Human Hands’ new record, features Sam Reider’s 22-minute suite “The Golem” alongside five other original compositions that elicit echoes of Django Reinhardt, Planxty, Duke Ellington, Astor Piazzolla, Bernard Hermann and Raymond Scott.

Reider’s version of the legend of the Golem tells the story of a clay man brought to life by a Rabbi. In a time of darkness, the Rabbi prays for a hero to deliver his community from evil. One night, a mysterious stranger shows up at the Rabbi’s door and convinces the Rabbi to build a Golem. With his assistants, the Rabbi gathers clay, sculpts a giant man, and inscribes the name of God on its forehead. At the stroke of midnight, when the final letter is completed, the Golem comes to life. The supernatural being performs heroic acts but quickly spins out of control as it yearns to become more and more human. After falling in love with the Rabbi’s daughter, the Golem is ambushed by its creators, chased and destroyed.

Each instrument in the ensemble plays a character: the narrator/composer (piano), the Rabbi (cello), a mysterious stranger (saxophone), the Rabbi’s assistants (mandolin and guitar), the Rabbi’s daughter (violin), and the Golem (accordion). A gentle nod to the contemporary debate over artificial intelligence, the Golem story, like Frankenstein, is both a warning against man’s hubris and also a commentary on the act of artistic creation.

Musicians:
Sam Reider (piano & accordion)
Alex Hargreaves (violin)
Eddie Barbash (alto saxophone)
Duncan Wickel (violin, cello, & bouzouki)
Dominick Leslie (mandolin)
Roy Williams (acoustic & electric guitar)
Andrew Ryan (acoustic bass).