Sam Dunn

About Sam...

Based in Leeds, England, Eastman Guitars Artist Sam Dunn is a 6 & 7 String Jazz guitarist, Mandolinist, and Oud player from Liverpool, England, and has nearly twenty years experience as a working pro musician.

His relaxed guitar playing belies a lyrical virtuosity that has been heard in concert halls, clubs, pubs, on radio and TV, all over the UK and beyond. Whilst Sam is predominantly a contemporary jazz musician, he is also a formidable fingerstyle solo guitarist, and effortlessly blends elements of jazz, folk, classical, Brazilian, and other disparate musical influences into a truly personal style. Sam is influenced by guitarists such as Joe Pass, George van Eps, Barney Kessel, Martin Taylor, Howard Alden, Pat Martino and many more...

Venues of note where Sam has performed include The Albert Hall and the National Theatre in London, The Opera Houses of Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Oslo, Graz, and Copenhagen, The Stables in Wavendon, The Cardiff Opera House, The Cutty Sark in Greenwich, The Old Vic in Bristol, The Empire in Liverpool, and countless other theatres and concert halls across the UK and beyond.

Sam has performed at Jazz Festivals in Marlborough, Canterbury, Cleethorpes, Manchester, Marsden, Hull, Ashford, Wigan, at the Wirral Guitar Festival, and was invited to perform at the North Wales International Jazz Guitar Festival in 2004 and 2005 where he opened for Martin Taylor and John Pisano. Jazz venues where Sam has played include The Vortex Jazz Club in London, The Dean Street Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, the Bedford in Balham, Oliver's in Greenwich, Cafe Jazz in Cardiff, the Wardrobe in Leeds, Jazzkeller in Frankfurt, Sax 'n Art in Saigon, Ned Kelly's in Hong Kong, and many others. His guitar playing has been heard on BBC Radio 3's 'Jazz Line Up,' and BBC Radio 4's 'The Gift.' He is featured on jazz vocalist Laura Collins recent debut album 'Baltimore Oriole,' available on Spotlite Records.

Sam has performed with a veritable 'who's who' of the British Jazz Scene, and was for several years a member of NYJO (the National Youth Jazz Orchestra), UK Jazz legend Mike Garrick's Big Band, and the Guildhall Jazz Orchestra. Sam has worked extensively in the theatre and has toured Great Britain and Europe with various shows including 'The Rat Pack - Live from Las Vegas,' 'The Kings of Swing,' 'The Glenn Miller Orchestra,' and 'The Bobby Darin Songbook.' Sam toured the UK with Theatre Alibi for their innovative production of 'Caught' in 2007.

For the last few years, Sam has enjoyed life at sea with the luxury 6* cruise line 'The Yachts of Seabourn' where he is employed as Assistant Cruise Director and Guitarist on their ships Pride, Legend and Spirit.

Sam is a Masters Degree graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and also completed his undergraduate degree at Leeds College of Music, where he won the Eric Kershaw award for plectrum guitar. For several years he taught guitar at Blackheath Conservatoire in London, and welcomes inquiries from prospective private students.

Sam is an 'Eastman Artist' and plays Eastman Uptown 6 & 7 string guitars, and endorses Evans Amplifiers. He also so plays a Fender Stratocaster with Bareknuckle Pickups, a Godin ACS-SA and a Fylde Single Malt Mandolin.

Client testimonials:

• Judy Carmichael

  "Sam Dunn is a wonderful musician on all levels. He has a wide, interesting repertoire, beautiful sound, and is equally compelling with ballads and burners. And with his fast ears and quick wit, he's great fun on the bandstand"
• George Wein

  "Keep playing those right chord changes, you sound great!"