Sam Reider & the Human Hands

A jazz pianist turned roots musician, Sam Reider is redefining American music on the accordion. He’s traveled extensively overseas as a musical ambassador for the Department of State, been featured at Lincoln Center and on NPR, and performed alongside pop stars and jazz and folk musicians. Now he’s surrounded himself with a crew of some of the most in-demand acoustic musicians on the scene in Brooklyn. The Human Hands combine irresistible melodies, fiery improvisation and otherworldly sounds into a sound Songlines Magazine has dubbed a “mash-up of the Klezmatics, Quintette du Hot Club de France and the Punch Brothers.” 

The Human Hands got their start playing regular late-night sessions at well-known dives and venues like Brooklyn’s Barbes and Sunny’s, and Manhattan’s Rockwood Music Hall and has since evolved into a ground-breaking instrumental collective featuring some of the brightest names in bluegrass, jazz, world and acoustic music. Following the release of their critically acclaimed 2018 album Too Hot to Sleep, the “staggeringly virtuosic” (RnR Magazine) ensemble toured throughout the US and UK, appearing at major venues and festivals like Jazz at Lincoln Center, Celtic Connections, and the Savannah Music Festival. Their most recent release, “The Human Hands EP” features six original compositions recorded and filmed live-to-tape in Brooklyn, and includes Brazilian samba, Venezuelan Joropo, western swing, and Baroque counterpoint, among other styles of music.  

The show runs 75 minutes without intermission and features selections from Sam Reider and the Human Hands’ soon-to-be released LP including an original folk music tone poem entitled “The Golem.”

San Francisco-native composer, accordionist, and pianist Sam Reider has appeared at major festivals and venues around the world and his performances and original compositions have been featured on NPR, PBS and the BBC. Reider has performed, recorded and collaborated with a range of artists including Jon Batiste, Sierra Hull and Laurie Lewis. His most recent project, with Venezuelan artist Jorge Glem, put the accordion in musical conversation with the cuatro. Their debut record Brooklyn-Cumanà was released on Guataca Records last year and features special guests Paquito d’Rivera and Gaby Moreno. NPR presented the album in a Tiny Desk performance earlier this year. 

In July 2022 Reider released Petrichor, his first record of solo piano music. The title refers to the smell of the earth after a first rain and the eight original compositions on Petrichor form a musical reflection on Reider’s recent homecoming to San Francisco after ten years in New York City. 

All seating is first come, first served.

Questions? Email support@jccsf.org