Sam
Sam
Drums
Sam is a jazz drum set player from the Phoenix area. Under the direction of Dom Moio and Lewis Nash, he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in jazz performance from Arizona State University. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree at ASU. Sam has had the great privilege of performing with both Dick Oatts and Jim McNeely with the ASU Concert Jazz Band and Harold Mabern and Joel Frahm as a part of his ASU Jazz Combo. He has also performed with Jane Monheit, Bruce Forman, Billy Stritch, Mike Kocour, Nick Manson, Eric Rasmussen, Jeff Libman, and many others. He can be seen performing frequently around the Valley at an assortment of restaurants, bars, jazz clubs, and other events.
Sam has been teaching private lessons for six years, with all age groups and is very intuitive at understanding his students’ needs. He believes in the importance of developing a strong technical foundation to be able to focus on enhancing musicality and creativity in the future. These topics include reading music, playing with good technique, and improving our feel for rhythms - all important for drummers. With Sam's wide range of musical experiences in styles such as jazz, big band, rock, drumline, percussion, and orchestra, he can help shape private lessons towards the interests of each individual student.