Lift marks the debut recording of the SCOTT AMENDOLA TRIO, but the leader’s relationship with Parker and Shifflett stretches back through several years and a variety of configurations. Amendola and Parker studied at Berklee College of Music together in the late eighties, and Shifflett entered the picture a few years later, after Amendola relocated to the Bay Area. All three first combined, along with guitarist Nels Cline and violinist Jenny Scheinman, on Believe (Cryptogramophone, 2005) by the drummer’s long-running quintet..
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SCOTT AMENDOLA BAND I started the Scott Amendola Band in the spring of 1998 as an outlet to realize myself as a composer and bandleader. I'd had the composer's bug for a long time, but had been very intimidated by composing. I finally decided to buckle down and get the music out of my head that's been swirling around for a while. My music goes from being groove-oriented to ballads to totally free, through composed pieces to sketches.
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“Lean and mean, the “AMENDOLA vs. BLADES” duo has firmly established itself as one of the liveliest acts in the Bay Area”- Forrest Dylan Bryant Jazz Observer online

Wil Blades and Scott Amendola conjure various sonic deities though only a duo. Their live shows have been generating a buzz around the Bay Area.  The two got their start as a group when Scott had the vision of performing Duke Ellington’s “Far East Suite” in duo with Wil.  While quite a daunting task translating a suite (originally written for a big band) into duo, the Hammond Organ had previously been used in the 1940’s and 1950’s to emulate the sound of big bands.  With Wil’s knowledge of this tradition and Scott’s desire to push boundaries, they were able to pull it off in a explorative, yet cohesive manner.  The duo continues to perform the Ellington suite in their live performances, while also developing their original material.  In performance, Amendola and Blades cover everything from Avant Garde to Funk, Bebop to Rock.