“****4 Stars (4/5) “Violinist Sam Bardfeld makes his case for ‘weird, joyous, art’ on this wildly eclectic outing with pianist Kris Davis and drummer Michael Sarin. An adventurous spirit...Bardfeld combines a touch of Stuff Smith’s playfulness with a Charles Ives aesthetic on his first album as a leader in 12 years.”

“Most people know Bardfeld from his work with Springsteen but his best material is his own…This is the great violin album that Monk never made…One of the top ten jazz albums of the year so far, no question.”

“Weird, creative, wonderful jazz that is steeped in folk and blues and the tradition of the avant-garde. Strong!”

“#19/50: Best of 2017 “It’s truly amazing how violinist Sam Bardfeld is able to thread the needle of the point where avant-garde, modern jazz and chamber music come together. The trio...roll out this concoction of tones and influences in a way that is remarkably embraceable”

“’The Great Enthusiasms’ (BJU Records) is a delightful surprise…Kris Davis and Michael Sarin are perfect partners for the”dancing on the edge” approach of this music.  The music of Sam Bardfeld dazzles, delights, and definitely deserves to be heard.”

“Five Stars ***** (5/5) ”

“You shouldn’t miss The Great Enthusiasms, a brilliantly odd and altogether lovely new album by violinist Sam Bardfeld. It’s the first recording under his name since 2005; he has spent the intervening years working with assorted American originals: The Jazz Passengers, Bruce Springsteen, Anthony Braxton.””

“#5 in 2018 International Jazz Critics Poll, Violin/Viola Category.”

“The Great Enthusiasms is a slice of New Jazz that feels casual and accomplished at once. That kind of artistry comes from artists who have worked long and hard at making it look easy. In Bardfeld, who can seemingly play (and reconcile) any set of styles, and in Kris Davis and Michael Sarin...you’ve found a trio of real artistry. 8/10 Stars.”

“Violinist Sam Bardfeld contemplates growing up within New York’s diverse musical landscape in the 70s and early 80s, and forges something decidedly contemporary”

“Violinist Sam Bardfeld has had an under-sung, yet storied career…Reveling in stylistic freedom, Bardfeld’s protean violin technique incorporates straight-ahead swing and free expressionism in equal measure…Though grounded in vernacular, Bardfeld’s eccentric writing takes cues from the American maverick tradition, ala Ives, Monk, etc.”

“Bardfeld is very much effective in the way he builds music, experimenting in accordance with his unique vision and taking advantage of the enthusiastic passion he feels for this particular genre. Rather than clashing, the trio advances collectively, finding an exquisite purity and climactic astonishment in their procedures.”

“Sam Bardfeld is a marvelously gifted violinist, composer and arranger… Periodic Trespasses’ unveils Bardfeld as a composer of quirky but accessible melodies as well as a lyrically gifted soloist...as well as being one of today’s more delightfully eccentric characters.”

“[Bardfeld’s] melodies are arch and appealing, sampling lots of harmonies without committing to any one key and dancing easily over quick rhythms or hanging lightly on even, slow beats. His violin playing always sounds relaxed even when what he’s playing is anything but easy, and he can suggest a melodic direction with a single gesture.”

“Bardfeld’s combination of gleeful melody and light-hearted story-telling could be just the thing to turn smarter tots towards new jazz [rating - 8/10]”

“PICK - With violin, vibes, and brass up front, Bardfeld creates a unique sound from the get-go. His ensemble’s individuality is furthered by dreamy turns flaunted by the tunes themselves...Bardfeld presents an album full of modern Jewish intellectual reflection as practiced by such diverse artists as Saul Bellow and Woody Allen...Bardfeld has written music that exists simultaneously in the realms of the accessible and postmodern”

“The music itself is an uplifting blend of tightly arranged yet adventurous jazz, ...What is so nice about this disc is the way the story, the narration and the music, all flow so nicely together. Sam has written some marvelous music here, keeping the quintet on its toes through all kinds of intricate passages and lots of inspired solos...A most unexpected delight. ”

“A virtuoso violinist”

“Bardfeld has fashioned an album that’s unequivocally modern and occasionally edgy in it’s approach, yet completely enticing...’Periodic Trespasses’ is layered enough to appeal to those with unconventional dispositions, yet it’s easy enough on the ears to those who’ve yet to make a leap beyond the mainstream.”

“Sam Bardfeld has enough music in him to tell quite a few stories, that’s plain. If popping modern jazz with a downtown wink makes it for you then by all means, get yourself a crumhorn and join the party.”

“Fascinating”

“Mr. Bardfeld, a violinist with a wide-ranging resume, regroups the core musicians from his coolly evocative new album “Periodic Trespasses [The Saul Cycle].”

“Bardfeld has written] an array of tunes that will make you grin while admiring their design - Overall Village Voice Pick for Summer 2004 ”

“Bardfeld has a loose arm and a mercurial mind... lots of air and light in this wonderful band” **** 4 Stars ”

“Taxidermy has the same delicately piroutting grace that characterised [Dave] Douglas’ series of pocket Balkan pieces”

“There are not many violinists who can swing with the ease and grace of Sam Bardfeld...[He] seems at home in a relaxed style that incorporates so much of the history of jazz...delightful and fun and maintains standards of excellence. *** 3 Stars”

“One of the 10 Best Jazz Records of 2000”

“One of the 10 Best Jazz Records of 2000”

“The violin still has a rather peripheral role in improvised music, but Bardfeld has devised a language which takes in classical models, jazz harmony and pure sound. *** 3 Stars”

“[Bardfeld] likes to mix his meaty moves with earthy grooves. The music on the new Taxidermy is downright frisky”

“Provocative up-and-coming jazz violinist”

“Taxidermy...establishes Bardfeld as a major voice”

“An excellent new disc that goes right in the permanent collection...much fun, with brains too; the perfect date...treat yourself without hesitation.”

“He just helped Springsteen get his big band on; now the violinist-cum-fiddler returns to a new fave pastime: celebrating the entertaining elan of Stuff Smith. Don’t let the jaunty rhythms fool you. Bardfeld’s a serious improviser who can inject hip lines into the master’s amusing book.”

“Maverick violinist Sam Bardfeld has found the perfect counterpart in pianist Anthony Coleman in his new tribute to swing-era violinist Stuff Smith”

“Every tune is different, starting with the walking, stalking blues of ‘Paris,’ which nicely features Roy Nathanson’s boppish sax, Curtis Fowlkes ironclad trombone and Sam Bardfeld’s sweet violin. Four & 1/2 Stars *****”

“Violinist Sam Bardfeld’s in good, familiar company, his sweet violin at home, adding extra spice and flair...with special guests Elvis Costello, Debbie Harry and Mark Ribot...the sextet [Jazz] Passengers work their lounge-jazz magic through intricate arrangements - Four Stars****””

“The highlight is her desolate whisper through the ironically titled Jolly Street, originally sung by Jeff Buckley, which inspires the two best solos of the evening from Bill Ware’s celestial vibes and Sam Bardfeld’s spectral violin.” [JP’s w Debbie Harry and the Northern Sinfonia @ The Sage, Gateshead]”

“As fine as anything else on “Reunited” is a cover of Radiohead’s “The National Anthem” from Kid A. Unlike some of the brooding jazz versions of Radiohead tunes we’ve heard in the last ten years, this one has a funky swing to it, even as Sam Bardfeld brings haunting texture on violin and Ribot lays in the effects. The Passengers make it truly their own.”

“[Cathedral Song] features one of the best Bardfeld solos, which is driven by his unique phrasing.” - Mike Shanley, JazzTimes (March 2011)”