Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
£1GBP or more
about
After many years of recording and performing with an endless string of immense musical talents, London-based composer and producer Sam Beste embarks on his debut solo adventures as The Vernon Spring.
Perhaps best known as a member of alt-soul trio Hejira, Sam’s work as a producer, performer and composer covers a multitude of styles and roles. He has worked with Amy Winehouse, Kano, Kindness, Blood Orange and many more, produced virtuosic London string duo Fran & Flora and sat in as a hang player for Portico Quartet. He has released music on Matthew Herbert’s label Accidental Records, composed for film and was commissioned by Radio 3’s Nick Luscombe for original work. Curated with Hejira, his TRAUM events in central London attracted performances from Micachu & The Shapes, The Invisible, Kwabs, Oliver Coates, Gwilym Gold, Eska and more. Despite his young age, Sam’s musical CV rivals many seasoned pros’.
Sam’s playing and composition style are multifaceted - an inevitable truth, given his wealth of experience - and yet there is cohesion and integration. You could draw parallels to the delicate muted piano of Nils Frahm, the gospel-inflected melancholy of James Blake, the sophisticated songwriting of Joni Mitchell, or the feel of Donny Hathaway. But The Vernon Spring does not rely on influences. It is a singular and unique expression, tied tightly to the innate musicality of a hugely talented songwriter and producer.
More fitting references lie in the creative discipline and auteurism of acts such as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Prince, Tame Impala and Matthew Herbert, for whom all and any element of their work is considered, controlled and meticulously positioned. Like theirs, Sam’s creative investment in The Vernon Spring is revealingly intimate, wholly independent and self-sufficient; the composition, performance and production all woven into the same process.
Following an introductory residency at London’s Servant Jazz Quarters in early 2019, Sam has slowly, gradually illuminated The Vernon Spring through live performances and self-released singles, with plenty more to come.
Immerse yourself in the gentle beauty of debut single “Another”
credits
released September 13, 2019
Written, produced and mixed by Sam Beste
Mastered by Peter Beckmann
I love this album! It helps me imagine the micro and macrocosms in the earth and in the soil and in space! a multi-scalar, multi sensory experience of ecosystems across time and space. Warm golden light, slow crystal growth over eons, geological forces and deep time, walking through woods, looking at plants and the smell of petrichor (the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil) jen-du-chatsein
My god, what an absolutely incredible Suite. I'll admit, I've struggled to get into Pharoah Sanders due to diving headfirst into some of his most challenging catalogue and that never worked. This is the perfect place to restart. Floating Points is new for me and I can honestly say I've never heard synthesizer music this lush and organic before. the LSO is just perfect. This is one of those albums that any serious music fan needs in their life. The perfect swan song for the great Pharaoh! 5/5 ClassyMusicSnob
Acclaimed jazz pianist and composer pivots from supporting player to bandleader, joined by a quintet of New York powerhouses. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 1, 2022