‘Norris is a particularly refreshing voice on the alto saxophone, and one who largely avoids pervasive influences to follow a more individual path‘ - UK Jazz News

Sam Norris is a London-based saxophonist and composer with a forward-thinking outlook. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music on a scholarship under Julian Siegel, Stan Sulzmann and Kit Downes, graduating in 2021 with first-class honours. He won the Craig Ball prize for jazz saxophone in 2021 and was a finalist in the coveted Musician’s Company Young Jazz Musician of the Year competition in 2022.

Moved from an early age by agentic performers and composers, some of Sam’s most significant inspirations have been John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Warne Marsh, Alexander Scriabin and Arnold Schoenberg. He explores these influences in his own groups including his quartet, whose debut album ‘Small Things Evolved Slowly’ was released to critical acclaim in 2024. He also works regularly as a sideman with many of Europe’s finest improvisers, composers and cutting-edge ensembles; these include Ronan Guilfoyle, Ashkan Layegh, the London Sinfonietta, Tom Challenger, MACKWOOD, Stan Brunt and Saurabh Shivakumar.