Musical Roots
A Colorado native, Sam began attending the Denver School of the Arts in 2016, where he graduated in 2019. In addition, he took part in the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts which was integral to his formative musical growth. Sam received statewide and national recognition early on, the Colorado All State Jazz Band, Telluride Jazz All Stars, Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, National YoungArts awards, and the Vail Jazz Workshop, were just a few of his accomplishments in high school. During this time Sam worked with artists the likes of Wycliffe Gordon, Lewis Nash, Dave Liebman, John Clayton, Terrell Stafford, Greg Gisbert, and Brad Goode among others.
Credentials
Sam holds a B.M. in Jazz Performance and an M.M. in Studio Jazz Writing from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. There he studied under the tutelage of trombonist Dante Luciani and worked closely with Maria Schneider, Brian Lynch, Dafnis Prieto, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Stephen Guerra, among others. While in Miami, Sam performed with artists such as Chucho Valdes, Tito Puente Jr, Patti Austin, and Vince Mendoza.