About

Sam Ross is a young musician in the Iowa City area currently pursuing his bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance at the University of Iowa. He has been involved in music and has played the saxophone for over 10 years.  During the first half of those years, he spent time studying under saxophonist Debbie Yarrow and later with multi-instrumentalist Suzanne Smith. While in high school, Sam made it into the Southeast Iowa Bandmasters Association (SEIBA) competition in both his sophomore and junior years and in his senior year made first chair tenor in the SEIBA jazz band as well as Allstate band. His primary instructor and mentor is Dr. Damani Phillips, jazz saxophonist and head of the jazz department at the University of Iowa. In addition to school-related concerts, Sam actively performs in jam sessions and other gigs at various local venues. While his repertoire is typically based around jazz, he is known for his stylistically diverse sets ranging from Latin, funk, rock, blues, fusion, and more. Sam primarily plays with a group of 4-7 musicians, although he also frequently plays solo and duo gigs. During his time as a musician, Sam has performed with many professional musicians such as world-renowned pianist Benny Green, pianists Steve Shanley and William Menefield, trumpeter Curtis Taylor, guitarists Steve Grismore and Craig Erickson, bassist Blake Shaw, and drummers James Dreier, Jerome Gillespie, and Ken Duncan. Sam is a foundational member of the funk band, Yesternite, led by trombonist Killian Ritland, and additionally has recently joined the Des Moines-based brass band BYOBrass. Sam’s main objective after completing the undergraduate program is to go to graduate school to further study music and become a jazz professor as well as continuing to hone his skills as a player and performer.