Hi there! My name is Az Samad and I play mostly acoustic fingerstyle guitar. I'm originally from Malaysia and am now currently studying at Berklee College Of Music, Boston, MA in a Jazz Compostion/Guitar Performance dual-major degree.
Az Samad is a full-time composer-performer who focuses on writing original acoustic guitar music. Coming from a classical guitar background laid the foundation for his unique sound that is a blend of jazz, latin, pop and new age. After completing his first degree in music, he studied with Eric Roche, an influential acoustic fingerstyle guitarist from the UK. Attending two of Eric's Residential Guitar Workshops in 2003 and 2004 proved valuable as it led Az into new directions in his music. Being nominated for the first Cameronian Arts Award for best solo performance encouraged him to further explore his solo guitar excursions.
The culmination of this is "Acoustic Gestures", an independently produced CD featuring 12 of his original compositions for solo acoustic guitar. Currently he is studying under scholarship at the world famous Berklee College Of Music, Boston, USA in the dual-major degree program, majoring in Jazz Composition and Performance (Guitar). In his first semester, he studied under Garrison Fewell, a respected jazz guitarist who previous mentors have included the likes of Jim Hall and Pat Martino.
For more info, check out:
Eric Roche, Michael Hedges, Thomas Leeb, David Tronzo, Don Ross and Jon Damian!
