Scott Amendola, a New Jersey-born drummer, is a Berklee College of Music graduate. Soon after arriving in San Francisco, Amendola met Charlie Hunter, guitarist. They formed the groundbreaking band T. J. Kirk (Warner Bros.) with John Schott and Will Bernard. T. J. Kirk was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1995. Scott joined the Charlie Hunter Quartet a year and a quarter later. They toured the world and released three Blue Note records. Scott Amendola Band is his latest project. The self-titled debut CD features Jenny Scheinman as a violinist, Dave MacNab as a guitarist, Todd Sickafoose on bass, and Eric Crystal as a reed player. Scott’s music is a mix of hard-hitting grooves and lush ballads. He also has original compositions and covers by artists like Jimi Hendrix and Fela. Steven Raphael, of Modern Drummer magazine, says that Amendola is a master of all his drumset pieces and can create many sounds with sticks, brushes and mallets. Raphael says that the Scott Amendola band features a remarkable interaction between five musical voices. Amendola and his carefully selected crew take improvisation to new levels. Amendola believes that improvisation is all about freedom and allowing the music to be open for interpretation. Scott’s new album is available as well as other recordings: Jenny Scheinman’s Live at Yoshi’s, The Tony Furtado band (Cojema), Jim Campilongo’s Live at the Du Nord(Ethic), Noe Veable’s No Curses here (Intuition), Paul Sprawl’s Blue Suitcase and Paul Plimley’s Safe-Crackers. Scott has recorded and toured over the past nine years with Bill Frisell and Dave Liebman. He also performed with Wadada Lee Smith, Dave Liebman and Jacky Terrasson. He has toured extensively in Europe, North America, Australia, and elsewhere. Scott Amendola plays Craviotto Drums. from http://www.drummerworld.com
