Scott Amendola

An adventurous percussionist based in the Bay Area, Scott Amendola has built a reputation for his wide-ranging contributions across jazz, rock, funk, and avant-garde improvisation. Emerging in the mid-’90s as part of guitarist Charlie Hunter’s ensemble, he quickly set himself apart through ongoing partnerships with Nels Cline, Jenny Scheinman, and Ben Goldberg while releasing distinctive recordings such as Cry in 2003, Lift in 2010, and Fade to Orange in 2016.

Born in Tenafly, New Jersey, in 1969, Amendola began drumming at the age of nine. Though rock initially drew his attention, his grandfather, guitarist Tony Gottuso, sparked an interest in jazz. Alongside swing and bop figures, he cultivated a passion for avant-garde expressions, particularly the work of Ornette Coleman and Pat Metheny’s Song X project, which he witnessed during its 1986 tour. Following high school, he sharpened his technique at Berklee College of Music in Boston, sharing classes with Kurt Rosenwinkel and Seamus Blake. There he broadened his perspective through deeper immersion in Coleman’s music along with that of Steely Dan, Miles Davis, and Dave Weckl. Upon graduating in 1992, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where the region’s diverse music community provided a fitting environment. It was there that he encountered guitarist Charlie Hunter and began joining him for a weekly Friday night performance. With Hunter he co-founded the exploratory T.J. Kirk alongside guitarist John Schott and Will Bernard, interpreting material by Thelonious Monk, James Brown, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. The ensemble earned a Grammy nomination for its 1996 release If Four Was One. Amendola also helped establish the forward-thinking Charlie Hunter Quartet, appearing on several acclaimed Blue Note albums including Ready...Set...Shango! in 1996, Natty Dread in 1997, and Return of the Candyman in 1998.

In 1999 he stepped out as a leader with the Scott Amendola Band, an eclectic debut featuring violinist Jenny Scheinman, saxophonist Eric Crystal, guitarist Dave MacNab, and bassist Todd Sickafoose. Additional inventive projects followed with Paul Plimley, Will Bernard, Sonya Hunter, and others. His second album as a leader, Cry, arrived in 2003 and incorporated guitarist Nels Cline into the lineup. Believe appeared two years later, again highlighting Cline alongside longtime Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker. Amendola next teamed with clarinetist Ben Goldberg and bassist Devin Hoff for 2007’s Plays Monk. Beyond his own releases he contributed to efforts by Hunter, Tony Furtado, Jim Campilongo, and Kelly Joe Phelps, among others, and joined Cline’s L. Stinkbug project with guitarist G.E. Stinson and bassist Stuart Liebig.

He released the trio album Lift in 2010 with guitarist Parker and bassist Jeff Schifflett. That same year he appeared alongside clarinetist Goldberg, Hunter, and cornetist Ron Miles on Go Home. Further work with Hunter yielded Not Getting Behind Is the New Getting Ahead in 2012 and Pucker in 2013. He also took part in the Nels Cline Singers’ 2014 album Macroscope and issued the 2015 duo recording Leaps with guitarist Henry Kaiser. Also in 2015, Amendola explored a different direction with the extended orchestral work Fade to Orange, which included guitarist Cline and bassist Trevor Dunn. The following year he and organist Will Blades launched their Amendola vs. Blades duo with Greatest Hits, and in 2017 he joined bassist Michael Manring and guitarist Roberto Zorzi for Facanàpa & Umarells and the World Wide Crash. In 2019 Amendola reunited with Blades for their second album as a duo, Everybody Wins.