Sam Newbould

Born and raised in the Northern English countryside, Sam Newbould is a saxophonist, composer and bandleader based in Amsterdam. A prolific and multi award winning composer, his compositions combine a passion for storytelling with a clarity and originality described as "mind-blowing, sometimes introverted and intimate and then exuberant again" (SWN Talent Award, NL).

Newbould won the Keep an Eye Records Award 2019, and was the first recipient of the Rabobank So Who's Next Talent Award 2024. Drawing together some of Europe's finest young improvisers, his bandleading combines striking creative vision with "no shortage of world class talent" (UK Vibe). “The group dynamic is masterful and its inherent charm is thickly underlined on every arrangement” (Jazzism, NL). With a burgeoning international reputation, the quintet have been selected as a Jazzahead 2025 European Showcase artist, and have been invited to play North Sea Jazz Festival, Love Supreme Festival (UK), BIMHUIS (NL), and the Vortex (UK) amongst others.

​His debut album Blencathra (2019) was hailed by Windout magazine as “A musical mosaic of futurist ideas and indie-jazz harmonies”. 

Inspired by his upbringing in the north of England, his second album, Bogus Notus (ZenneZ Records) garnered critical acclaim as "compulsive listening" (Bebop Spoken Here, UK). Newbould released his highly anticipated third album Homing in June 2024. Described by Dutch national newspaper NRC as "a jazz pearl...album of the week", the album is inspired by - and named after - his temporary adoption of a Polish homing pigeon, as well as his own reflections on building a life abroad. Regarded as his most personal and apologetically bold music statement yet, Homing was voted #1 in Dutch magazine Jazzism 'Jazz Not Jazz' poll.

Besides his own group, Sam is also an in-demand sideman with bands including the BvR Flamenco Big Band and has shared the stage with major international artists including Jasper Blom, Ben van Gelder and Reinier Baas. Sam teaches at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and the Conservatory of Maastricht.

Sam was born in the North of England in 1990. He took an early interest in the drums and percussion, joining his local concert band at the age of 8, before transitioning to saxophone when he reached High School.

Sam moved to the Netherlands to pursue his studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he graduated in 2019. Prior to that, he also spent a year in Berlin in 2014 studying at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler". Outside of music, Sam holds a masters degree in Philosophy from Durham University (UK).

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