ON THE RECORD | Sam Braysher
Local boy Sam Braysher is a London-based alto saxophonist who grew up near Norwich. Renowned for his warm tone and inquisitive approach, Sam and his band bring us an enticing programme of music centred around Kurt Weill and adjacent composers from The Great American Songbook.
Fresh from sold out shows at Ronnie Scotts and the London Jazz Festival, Sam returns to the Festival accompanied by the celebrated vocalist Sara Dowling, and an all-star rhythm section formed of virtuosic Hungarian pianist Matyas Gayer, ultra-swinging drummer Steve Brown, and in-demand Italian bassist Dario di Lecce.
Ahead of his performance at the Festival this year, this bright light of the UK Jazz scene talks us through some of the tracks that have shaped him and his life in music.
17 April 2026
TRACK #1 | BILLIE HOLIDAY (WITH LESTER YOUNG) – ‘THIS YEAR’S KISSES’
The President and Lady Day, as Young and Holiday christened each other, made the sweetest musical pairing and had a special ability to make something profound from simple Tin Pan Alley material (although this particular number is by Irving Berlin, who I love). Billie Holiday’s vocal style is so unique, and Lester Young’s soft, light tone revolutionised the way that people thought about the tenor saxophone: I learned so much by transcribing some of his early solos.
TRACK #2 | CHARLIE PARKER – ‘ROCKER’
The studio sessions are of course great, but it’s on the live recordings that you really hear Charlie Parker let loose. The sound quality on Bird is Free, a 1952 concert from Rockwood Palace in New York, isn’t great, but the playing is amazing. This solo on Gerry Mulligan’s “Rocker”, accompanied by “unidentified strings” is astonishing.
TRACK #3 | SONNY ROLLINS – ‘I’VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN’
As an improviser, Sonny Rollins has such swagger. His rhythm is incredible and he’s a really unique interpreter of standard songs. This version of a great Cole Porter number was recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1957 and the melodic invention just keeps coming. Rollins pioneered the saxophone trio with bass and drums: I love the dark, open sound that you get without a chordal instrument.
TRACK #4 | ABBEY LINCOLN – ‘THAT’S HIM’
Abbey Lincoln isn’t as well known as some of her contemporaries but she’s a fantastic singer who was always accompanied by A-list bands. “That’s Him”, which features on her album of the same name, is a song by Kurt Weill, with some quite strange but charming lyrics by Ogden Nash, who is best known for writing humorous verse. This one was a direct inspiration for my own version, featuring Sara Dowling, on my album of Weill songs. We’ll be playing it at our concert in the Norfolk and Norwich Festival on 13 May!
TRACK #5 | ANTONIA CARLOS JOBIM – ‘SAMBA DO AVIAO’
A glorious song by the father of the Bossa Nova. This one is also a favourite of Sara Dowling’s and we’ll be taking a brief Brazilian detour during our Norfolk and Norwich Festival performance to play it.
TRACK #6 | BILL EVANS – ‘WITCHCRAFT’
When I was a teenager growing up in Norfolk, my piano teacher (Jonathan Dodd, who lived in North Elmham) lent me some Bill Evans CDs and I loved his introspective, romantic sound. Shortly afterwards I bought a copy of his Portrait in Jazz album from a record shop in Greenwich, so I now have lots of nostalgic feelings when I listen to this era of Evans’ work and really associate it with a very formative time in my musical development. This song is great, too: it was written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, with Frank Sinatra’s recording being the most famous.
TRACK #7 | LEE KONITZ – ‘317 EAST 32ND STREET’ (FROM LIVE AT THE HALF NOTE)
The cerebral sounds and “pure” improvisational approach of Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh and the Lennie Tristano school were a big influence on me while I was studying in my early twenties. I was fortunate to take a lesson with Konitz, who is one of my biggest alto heroes, during a visit to New York in 2014. I got hold of his number, called him up and he said I could round to his apartment. I was too nervous to give a very good account of myself, but the experience is one I’ll never forget.
TRACK #8 | STAN GETZ WITH ASTRUD GILBERTO – ‘ONE NOTE SAMBA’
I love Stan Getz’s sound, his command of the instrument and his ability to generate intensity whilst still sounding ultra relaxed and supremely melodic. I always enjoy Astrud Gilberto’s cool, detached delivery, too. She sings in both English and Portuguese here.