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Sam Newsome

Samuel Augustus Newsome was born on April 28, 1965 in Salibury, MD. He is the youngest of three boys. He began playing music at 12 years old when his family relocated to Hampton, VA. By the time he was 15 years old he began playing professionally around town with local R & B bands along with his high school classmate bassist James Genus. It was during high school that he became serious about studying jazz and began taking lessons after school with saxophonist Steve Wilson. It was Steve who introduced him to recordings of jazz legends such as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins.

In 1983, after graduating high school, Sam received the Kool Jazz Festival scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. where he studied saxophone with Billy Pierce, Andy McGhee and George Garzone; and composition with Hal Crook, Fred Lipsius, and Herb Pomeroy. It was there that he also began long time relationships with fellow classmates Danilo Perez, Javon Jackson, Cyrus Chestnut, Mark Whitfield, Antonio Hart, Mark Turner, and many others.

Soon after graduation, Sam received news from pianist Donald Brown (who was also one of his instructors at Berklee) that trumpeter Donald Byrd was looking for a young tenor player to join his band. So that summer, along with Donald Brown, bassist Ron McWhorter, and drummer Billy Kilson, Sam toured with Byrd's quintet, playing major clubs and festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe.

In the fall of 1989, Sam moved to New York and was immediately taking under the wing of saxophonist Donald Harrison. They jammed regularly with legendary drummer Roy Haynes at his house in Long Island, along with guitarist Mark Whitfield and bassist James Genus. Sam would also regularly fill in for saxophonist Justin Robinson, running after-hours jam session at the Blue Note jazz club six nights a week. It was a regular meeting place for young musicians during the late eighties and early nineties. It was at one of the Blue Note jam sessions that Terence Blanchard heard Sam play and soon after asked him to join his band. They began a five year musical relationship that includes three CDs on Columbia/Sony, several movie soundtracks, and performances at clubs and festivals all over the world.

In 1996, Sam made a rather radical change, trading the big tenor saxophone in for the smaller, more difficult soprano saxophone. It was during this time that he started to broaden his musical palette and began studying music from North Africa, Japan, and the Middle East—incorporating non-Western scales into his musical vocabulary. He soon formed Global Unity, which was to become his working band for the next seven years. Global Unity consisted of a wide range of musicians from all over the world: vocalist Elisabeth Kontomanou, oud player Amos Hoffman, guitarist Marvin Sewell, pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, and percussionists Gilad and Satoshi Takeishi. They released two CDs: Sam Newsome & Global Unity (Columbia/Sony) and Global Unity (Palmetto)

Christine Correa: Just You Stand and Listen with Me

Read "Just You Stand and Listen with Me" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
March 19, 2024

«Il primo incontro con la musica di Abbey Lincoln l'ho avuto nel 1979 tramite Ran Blake, poco dopo il mio arrivo negli Stati Uniti--ha ricordato Christine Correa--. Non avevo mai ascoltato registrazioni così intense come la Freedom Now Suite e Straight Ahead. Il messaggio di Abbey era appassionato, espressivo, con un potere tutto suo. (...) Quella sua voce possente ha avuto un effetto duraturo su di me e la sua musica ha continuato ad essere una fonte d'ispirazione».

Album Review

Sam Newsome: Tubes

by Mike Jurkovic
February 25, 2024

Tubes, a riotous investigation into the sonic by outlaw soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome and provocateur bassist Max Johnson, burps to life with “Dust" and proceeds assuredly down its own peculiar byways and highways. It is a real treat. The track closes with Newsome's prepared horn pondering like a bluesman on his lone, lonely harp. It is a real neat treat too. That is pretty much the blueprint for Tubes. However, it is not as simple as that and ...

Album Review

Sam Newsome, Jean-Michel Pilc: Cosmic Unconsciousness Unplugged

Read "Cosmic Unconsciousness Unplugged" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
November 27, 2023

Talentuosissimi strumentisti ed eccellenti improvvisatori, Sam Newsome e Jean-Michel Pil tornano a registrare assieme a sei anni di distanza dal loro Magic Circle. E lo fanno con lo stesso spirito, cioè andando in studio senza scalette o programmi predefiniti, fidandosi dell'intesa consolidata e delle comuni preferenze, per snocciolare una serie di improvvisazioni alternate a storici standard, il tutto interpretato in modo estremamente personale anche grazie all'uso di “preparazioni" sui rispettivi strumenti. Quest'ultimo aspetto del lavoro viene valorizzato fin ...

Album Review

Jacob Garchik: Assembly

Read "Assembly" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
July 17, 2022

Trombonist and composer Jacob Garchik is versatile and restlessly inventive. His past work has ranged from a brass-only orchestra to a guitar-heavy ensemble as well as a unique take on gospel music. His sixth release, the provocative Assembly, evokes film soundtracks with a touch of fantasy. The nine originals make a cohesive whole with a creative momentum which does not slack. The opening track “Collage" has two distinct layers; in the background Garchik and soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome ...

Album Review

Jacob Garchik: Assembly

Read "Assembly" reviewed by John Chacona

by John Chacona
June 7, 2022

Trombonist Jacob Garchik has an interest in musical subtraction. His 2012 release The Heavens: The Atheist Gospel Trombone Album (Yestereve Records) presented religious music stripped of religion. Clear Line (Yestereve Records) from 2020 featured a 13-piece big band with no rhythm section. Now comes Assembly, an inquiry into what a jazz quintet sounds like when added to itself. Garchik declares both method and intent in his song titles; the first three cuts are “Collage," “Pastiche" and “Bricolage." The ...

Album Review

Jacob Garchik: Assembly

Read "Assembly" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
May 28, 2022

As a consequence of the global pandemic, we have been schooled in the science of virology. Under certain conditions viruses mutate and reorganize into something completely new. That is bad. Mutations can also be heard in the adventurous music of Jacob Garchik. That is good. His trombone leads his Atheist Gospel Trombone Album, his big band, plus Banda de los Muertos, a Mexican brass band. He can be heard in ensembles lead by Anna Webber, Henry Threadgill, Mary Halvorson, John ...

Book Review

Be Inspired, Stay Focused: Creativity, Learning, and the Business of Music

by David A. Orthmann
May 17, 2022

Be Inspired, Stay Focused: Creativity, Learning, and the Business of Music Sam Newsome 146 Pages ISBN: #978-1-09835-231-8 Some New Press 2022 Sam Newsome offers an abundance of ideas, concepts, and guidance throughout Be Inspired, Stay Focused: Creativity, Learning, and the Business of Music. Some of them, like “The Benefits of Slow Practice" and “Ten Reasons You Might Have Trouble with Rhythm," are helpful, somewhat conventional pieces of wisdom that are likely to benefit ...

Contest

Enter the "Sam Newsome - The Art of the Soprano, Vol. 1" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz
September 16, 2012

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the “Sam Newsome - The Art of the Soprano, Vol. 1“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on October 14th. Click here to enter the contest

(Following Sam Newsome at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)

Good luck! Sam Newsome on The Art of the Soprano, Vol. 1 This CD features selections from three musical suites, two of which were adapted ...
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Recording

Sam Newsome Explores Ellington, Coltrane and African Suites on Third in a Trilogy of Solo Soprano Sax Releases.

Source: Two for the Show Media
September 8, 2012

Following such acclaimed projects as 2010's Blue Soliloquy (which received a five-star rating from Downbeat and was named one the Best CDs of 2010 by All About Jazz) and 2007's Monk Abstractions, virtuoso saxophonist Sam Newsome unveils the third in a trilogy of potent solo soprano recordings, The Art of the Soprano, Vol. 1. Utilizing an array of extended techniques on the straighthorn, from circular breathing to multiphonics to slap-tongue percussive effects, Newsome puts his own personal stamp on John ...
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Education

Saxophonist Sam Newsome and Pianist Ethan Iverson Perform in the Sound It out Series at Greenwich House Music School, September 15, 2012.

Source: Two for the Show Media
September 5, 2012

Sam Newsome will play an intro set of incantatory solo soprano saxophone - including famous Coltrane and Ellington pieces - before being joined by Iverson, pianist of The Bad Plus, for a full duo performance. The Sound It Out series presents saxophonist Sam Newsome and pianist Ethan Iverson in performance at the Greenwich House Music School in New York City's West Village at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 15, 2012. Newsome is renowned for his incantatory solo soprano saxophone performances, ...
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Radio

The Jazz Session #170: Sam Newsome

Source: Michael Ricci
May 24, 2010

Recording

Saxophonist Sam Newsome Releases New Solo Saxophone CD

Source: All About Jazz
July 23, 2007

Saxophonist Expanding The Role Of The Instrument (Brooklyn, NY) -- Saxophonist Sam Newsome, best known for his work with his cross-cultural ensemble Global Unity, has now embarked upon a new direction in his career with the release of his debut solo saxophone recording Monk Abstractions. Several years in the making, this CD is the culmination of Mr. Newsome's work highlighting multi-phonics (playing two or more notes simultaneously) and various extended saxophone techniques that far exceed the expectations of the instrument. ...
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109

Performance / Tour

Gene Ess, Harvie S, Sam Newsome, and EJ Strickland @ Freddy's Backroom 5/30/06

Source: All About Jazz
May 28, 2006

Gene Ess Quartet featuring Sam Newsome, Harvie S, and E.J. Strickland performing at Freddy's Backroom, Brooklyn - May 30, 2006 9PM

A rare combination of facility and emotion drives Sandbox and Sanctum with energy and unrelenting genius of composition. Ess has put together a fascinating quartet featuring Sam Newsome (sax), E.J. Strickland (drums), and Harvie S (bass). Ess's out of the box, hard driving, modern guitar lines create a release filled with depth and angular colors. Sandbox and Sanctum is ...
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"Sam Newsome’s Monk Abstractions is a jazz album that showcases one artist’s superb skill on the soprano sax." —Sari N. Kent, The CelebrityCafe.com

"If you enjoy the sounds of the soprano sax pushed to new limits, this is the CD for you!" —Xavier P., RadioIndy.com

"Newsome expands the sound of a single soprano saxophone into a one man band." —Mark Corroto, All About Jazz