Samuel
Eagles
Award-Winning Saxophonist
London-born Samuel Eagles is one of the UK’s most compelling contemporary saxophonists, whose artistry bridges bebop, modern jazz, Afrobeat and creative original music with consummate skill and vision. A musician of depth and versatility, Eagles has quickly established an international reputation as both a leading improviser and a forward-thinking composer.
Mentored early on by esteemed saxophonist Mornington Lockett and later refined through studies at the Royal Academy of Music’s Junior Jazz programme and Trinity College of Music under luminaries including Jean Toussaint, Eagles’ musical foundation blends rigorous training with bold exploration.
Eagles’ debut quartet album Next Beginning (F-IRE Records) was celebrated in Jazzwise and The Guardian for its inventive post-bop language and expressive depth, and his later sextet project SPIRIT’s Ask, Seek, Knock* (Whirlwind Records) was met with widespread critical acclaim for its original compositions and powerful ensemble interplay.
A dynamic presence on stages across Europe, Eagles has performed at major festivals and venues including the Bucharest International Jazz Festival (where SPIRIT won a prestigious award), EFG London Jazz Festival, Love Supreme Festival, Barga Jazz Festival, and the Oldenburg Big Band Festival. His expanding international touring footprint underscores a growing global audience for his singular musical voice.
Samuel is a distinguished alumnus of SERIOUS’s Take Five talent development programme, recognised as one of the UK’s most exciting creative jazz and improvising artists and spotlighted during curated showcases such as the EFG London Jazz Festival.
Praised for his “assurance and inventiveness” and “deftly swerving post-bop inventiveness,” Eagles occupies a unique place in contemporary jazz – a player and composer whose performances are as intellectually engaging as they are emotionally resonant.
“A work, then, that pulses with meaning, taking the active listener deeper and higher…”
– The London Evening Standard ★★★★ UK
“The future of Jazz… The real guardians of The Great Tradition…”
– Jazz Journal ★★★★ UK
“Richly textured and contrapuntal arrangements enhanced by the imaginative choice of instrumentation…”
– All About Jazz ★★★★ UK/USA
“A soothing musical generation of creative openness and elegant sound aesthetics”
– In Music - ★★★★ GERMANY
“His assurance and inventiveness are impressive at any tempo…”
– The National Guardian UK
Samuel Eagles
“This is brilliant contemporary Jazz, modern and based on the tradition of making music together at a high level”
– Muzik and Sick - GERMANY
