Samo Šalamon
Samo Šalamon (born 9 October 1978 in Maribor, Slovenia) is a Slovenian jazz composer, guitarist and interviewer. He has performed on over 35 albums and is credited with over 300 compositions.
Samo Šalamon

Julesjules864 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Samo Šalamon
- Born
- 9 October 1978
- Birthplace
- Maribor, Slovenia
- Occupation
- * Composer
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q23914282 · wikipedia · Samo Šalamon
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Key facts
Key facts
• Background — person • Name — Samo Šalamon • Landscape — yes • Born — 9 October 1978 • Birthplace — Maribor, Slovenia • Genre — Jazz • Occupation — * Composer • guitarist • Instrument — Guitar • Years Active — 1990s–present • Label — Samo Records, Clean Feed, Fresh Sound New Talent, SteepleChase, Splasc(h) • Website — www.samosalamon.com
Documentary record
Samo Šalamon appears in the authority records of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as a composer and guitarist (born 9 October 1978). Samo Šalamon was born on 9 October 1978.
Biography
Biography
Šalamon started playing guitar at the age of seven, studying classical guitar in Maribor until the age of fifteen. He later studied at the University of Ljubljana, earning a PhD in American poetry and translation. During his time at the university, he developed an interest in jazz and improvisation. In 1999, Šalamon met jazz guitarist John Scofield, who became a collaborator and influence on his musical development. In the early 2000s, Šalamon began performing and recording with musicians from the New York jazz scene, including Tim Berne, David Binney, Josh Roseman, Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey, Gerald Cleaver, Tyshawn Sorey, John Hebert, Donny McCaslin, and others. In 2003, he recorded Ornethology, his debut album, featuring a European quartet with Achille Succi, Salvatore Maiore, and Zlatko Kaučič. With this group, he performed at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival, Roma Jazz Festival, and Skopje Jazz Festival. The album Ornethology was included in The Penguin Guide to Jazz list of the 1001 Best Albums in the History of Jazz. Šalamon performed extensively across Europe, collaborating with both European and American jazz musicians, including French tubist Michel Godard, American reed player Paul McCandless, saxophonists Achille Succi and Tony Malaby, drummer Roberto Dani, and pianist Stefano Battaglia. His work has incorporated elements of modern composition and improvisation. His projects have included duos with guitarist Hasse Poulsen and clarinetist Francois Houle, and a European sextet on the album The Colours Suite, featuring Julian Arguelles, Achille Succi, Roberto Dani, Pascal Niggenkemper, and Christian Lillinger. He also led a large improvisational orchestra with members such as Fredrik Ljungkvist, Luis Vicente, Albert Cirera, and Martin Küchen. Šalamon has recorded for European jazz labels such as Clean Feed Records, Fresh Sound New Talent, Not Two Records, SteepleChase Records, and Splasc(h) Records. As a composer, he developed projects synthesizing contemporary jazz, classical music, and free improvisation. In 2022, Šalamon recorded the album Dolphyology, a collection of Eric Dolphy's music played on solo acoustic guitar. The album features 28 compositions by Eric Dolphy, rearranged for acoustic guitar, ranging from avant-garde to lyrical. In June 2022, Šalamon released Pure and Simple, a collaborative trio album featuring Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen and American drummer Ra-Kalam Bob Moses. The album was followed by a European tour in October 2022.
Style
Style
Šalamon's guitar style is influenced by his studies of jazz saxophonists Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy, evident in his first two albums, Ornethology and Ela's Dream. His early guitar playing was influenced by guitarist John Scofield and musicians like John Abercrombie, Ben Monder, Adam Rogers, and Bill Frisell. His compositional style draws from different areas of jazz and modern classical composers such as Béla Bartók, Witold Lutosławski, and Olivier Messiaen.
Discography
• Release year — Album — Label — Personnel • 2003 — Ornethology — Samo Records — Achille Succi, Salvatore Maiore, Zlatko Kaučič • 2005 — Ela's Dream — Splasc(h) Records — Achille Succi, David Binney, Kyle Gregory, Paolino Dalla Porta, Zlatko Kaučič • 2005 — Two Hours — Fresh Sound New Talent — Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey • 2006 — Kei's Secret — Splasc(h) Records — Achille Succi, Carlo DeRosa, Tyshawn Sorey • 2006 — Government Cheese — Fresh Sound New Talent — David Binney, Josh Roseman, Mark Helias, Gerald Cleaver • 2007 — Nano — Goga Records — Julian Argüelles, Michel Godard, Roberto Dani • 2007 — Fall Memories — Splasc(h) Records — Luciano Biondini, Michel Godard, Roberto Dani • 2008 — Mamasaal feat. Mark Turner — Dometra Records — Mark Turner, Matt Brewer, Aljoša Jerič • 2009 — Live! — Samo Records — Michel Godard, Roberto Dani • 2011 — Almost Almond — Sanje Records — Drew Gress, Tom Rainey • 2011 — Duality — Samo Records — Tim Berne, Achille Succi, Tom Rainey, Roberto Dani • 2012 — Eleven Stories — Samo Records — Michel Godard, Roberto Dani • 2013 — Stretching Out — Samo Records — Donny McCaslin, Dominique Pifarély, Bruno Chevillon, John Hebert, Gerald Cleaver, Roberto Dani • 2014 — Orchestrology — KGOSF Records — Roberto Dani, Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra • 2014 — 2 Alto — SteepleChase Records — Loren Stillman, John O'Gallagher, Roberto Dani • 2014 — Ives — Samo Records — Manu Codjia, Mikkel Ploug • 2015 — Little River — Samo Records — Paul McCandless, Roberto Dani • 2016 — Unity — Samo Records — Julian Argüelles, John Hollenbeck • 2016 — windS — Klopotec Records — Stefano Battaglia • 2017 — The Colours Suite — Clean Feed Records — Julian Argüelles, Achille Succi, Pascal Niggenkemper, Christian Lillinger, Roberto Dani • 2017 — Free Sessions Vol. 1: Planets of Kei — Not Two Records — Achille Succi, Szilard Mezei • 2018 — Traveling Moving Breathing — Clean Feed Records — Tony Malaby, Roberto Dani • 2018 — Peaks of Light — Samo Records — Howard Levy • 2018 — Pure Magic — Alessa Records — Stefano Battaglia • 2019 — Free Sessions Vol. 2: Freequestra — Klopotec Records — Matija Krecic, Bostjan Simon, Achille Succi, Ziga Murko, Domen Gnezda, Vitja Balzalorsky, Marko Crncec, Goran Krmac, Bojan Krhlanko, Jaka Berger • 2019 — Swirling Blind Unstilled — Klopotec Records — Szilard Mezei, Jaka Berger • 2019 — Punk You — Samo Records — Eva Poženel, Achille Succi, Bojan Krhlanko • 2020 — Rare Ebb — Samo Records — Igor Matković, Kristijan Krajnčan • 2020 — Common Flow — Samo Records — Igor Matković, Kristijan Krajnčan • 2020 — Almost Alone Vol. 1 — Samo Records — Alex Machacek, Rafal Sarnecki, Cenk Erdogan, Andre Fernandes, Kalle Kalima, Jacob Young, Albert Vila, Dušan Jevtović, Lorenzo Di Maio, Philipp Schaufelberger, Spiros Exaras • 2020 — Free Distance, Vol. 1: Love is More Thicker — Samo Records — Emanuele Marsico, Alberto Mandarini, Mirko Cisilino, Luís Vicente, Emanuele Parrini, Marco Colonna, Achille Succi, Albert Cirera, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Christoph Irniger, Alberto Pinton, Beppe Scardino, Martin Küchen, Marcelo Dos Reis, Silvia Bolognesi, Vasco Trilla • 2021 — Timelessness — Samo Records — Cene Resnik, Bojan Krhlanko • 2021 — String Dancers — Samo Records — Hasse Poulsen • 2021 — Unobservable Mysteries — Afterday Records — Francois Houle • 2022 — Joy and Sorrow — Klopotec Records — Sabir Mateen • 2022 — Free Distance, Vol. 2: Poems are Opening — Fundacja Sluchaj — Emanuele Marsico, Alberto Mandarini, Mirko Cisilino, Luís Vicente, Emanuele Parrini, Marco Colonna, Achille Succi, Albert Cirera, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Christoph Irniger, Alberto Pinton, Beppe Scardino, Martin Küchen, Marcelo Dos Reis, Silvia Bolognesi, Vasco Trilla • 2022 — Dolphyology — Samo Records — (solo album) • 2022 — Pure and Simple — Samo Records — Arild Andersen, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses • 2022 — Before It Rains — Samo Records — Cene Resnik, Jost Drasler, Bojan Krhlanko • 2023 — Rainbow Bubbles — Samo Records — Asaf Sirkis • 2023 — Eating Poetry — Clean Feed Records — Emanuele Parrini, Vasco Trilla • 2023 — Electric Duo — Samo Records — Martin Speake • 2023 — State of Grace — Samo Records — Bruce Saunders • 2024 — Dances of Freedom — Samo Records — Vasil Hadžimanov, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses • 2024 — Unlocking the Code — Samo Records — Kevin Miller • 2024 — For the Listener Who Listens — Samo Records — Ronan Guilfoyle, Rafal Mazur • 2024 — The Thinkers — Samo Records — Cene Resnik, Samuel Ber • 2025 — Acoustic Duo — Samo Records — Martin Speake • 2025 — Dream Suites Vol. 1 — Samo Records — Dave Ballou, Russ Johnson, Tom Varner, Jeb Bishop, Curtis Hasselbring, Steve Swell, Chet Doxas, Ben Goldberg, Vinny Golia, Adam Kolker, Andrew Rathbun, Ned Rothenberg, Dan Willis, Ernst Reijseger, Rez Abbasi, Mike Baggetta, Jonathan Goldberger, Jerome Harris, Michael Cain, Steve Hunt, Jimmy Haslip, Chris Lightcap, Eivind Opsvik, Matt Pavolka, Tim Daisy, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Samo Šalamon, revision 1305056320 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Jazz, All About. Samo Šalamon, prolifica libertà article @ All About Jazz. All About Jazz. 2022-02-28.
- 2.Arhiv. 62. Ljubljana jazz festival.
- 3.Skopje Jazz Festival - Archive. www.skopjejazzfest.com.mk.
- 4.Morton, Brian. The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1001 Best Albums. Penguin. 2010. 978-0-14-104831-4.
- 5.Gama, Raul Da. Samo Salamon & Stefano Battaglia: Winds. Jazz da Gama. 2016-08-01.
- 6.Samo Šalamon Sextet - The Colours Suite SIGIC. www.sigic.si.
- 7.Jones, Nic. Samo Salamon & Hasse Poulsen: String Dancers. Jazz Journal. 2021-09-27.
- 8.FRANÇOIS HOULE & SAMO SALAMON - Unobservable Mysteries. Jazz Views.
- 9.Heimesiger med Samo Salamon salt peanuts*. salt-peanuts.eu.
- 10.Jazz, All About. Samo Salamon: un mondo di variegate esplorazioni article @ All About Jazz. All About Jazz. 2022-02-28.
- 11.Milkowski, Bill. GuitArtistry: Samo Salamon Salutes the Genius of Eric Dolphy with an Ambitious Solo-Guitar Project. JAZZIZ Magazine. 2022-04-02.
- 12.Intimni glasbeni esej. www.delo.si.
- 13.ERIC DOLPHY FRETS…Samo Salamon: Dolphyology-Complete Eric Dolphy for Solo Guitar. www.jazzweekly.com.
- 14.Pure and Simple, by Samo Salamon, Arild Andersen & Ra Kalam Bob Moses. Samo Salamon.
- 15.Jazz, All About. Samo Salamon Quartet: Ornethology album review @ All About Jazz. All About Jazz. 3 November 2003.
References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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