The Vernon Spring is the recording project of North London-born musician Sam Beste, whose journey traces various arcs across jazz, soul, ambient, and songwriting modes. Beste’s earliest exposure to music came from his father’s eclectic record collection, which ranged from Thelonius Monk to Bob Dylan, D’Angelo to Luigi Nono.
At age eleven, a chance piano lesson set Beste in a pivotal direction, prompting an ongoing passion for improvisation that shaped his life’s trajectory.
Beste’s dedication and talent placed him in Amy Winehouse’s orbit, whom he accompanied as her live pianist for the majority of her ascendent career. Their pairing paved the way for other significant and diverse collaborations, including work with Gabriels, Kendrick Lamar producer Sounwave, Beth Orton, Kano, Joy Crookes, Matthew Herbert, and MF DOOM.
After years of writing and releasing music with the alt-soul outfit Hejira during his mid-twenties, Beste helped form the Lima Limo collective and label, which offered a supportive community and inspiring creative foundation. By 2019, he began releasing solo music as The Vernon Spring, developing a voice that merged his jazz background with contemporary electronic production. His debut EP and subsequent releases, including the acclaimed A Plane Over Woods and Earth, On A Good Day, established a signature sound for The Vernon Spring: ethereal piano work layered with emotive vocals and subtle electronics.
