Saxophonist

🎷Sam Craig

Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
(5.0)Read all 38 reviews
Watch
Booking protection
Secure online payments
Free 48hr cancellations
Support available Mon-Sun
Like Sam?
Watch & Listen
Watch
Listen

About Sam

Top saxophonist available for weddings, corporate events and private functions across the UK and beyond.
Saxophonist
Birmingham
Public liability insurance of £10 million
Verified profile

Sam Craig is a leading UK-saxophonist available for hire across the country at all manner of events.. Having graduated from the prestigious jazz programme at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire of Music, Sam’s eclectic range of influences have seen him become widely recognised across a whole range of musical genres, playing for clubs, theatres, West End shows, major festivals, studio sessions and radio broadcasts. Having taken to the stage alongside the likes of Bastille, Jamie Cullum, Tony Christie, X-factor winner Sam Bailey and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Julian Smith, amongst countless other leading artists, Sam’s vast experience allows him to play with effortless power and groove and has has a gift for playing the audience as well as the music. Available as a soloist or with his established jazz quartet, Sam can provide the perfect soundtrack for any event as either background entertainment or as a headline attraction.

Encore badges
Lightning fast responses
Average response time under 2 hours
50 gigs
Veteran: 50 bookings through Encore
Saved the day!
Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice
5th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 5 years
Musicianship
Genres:
Christmas, Electronic, Drum 'n' Bass, House, Electro-Swing, Deep house, Ibiza club, 1930s era music, 1940s era music, 1950s era music, 1960s era music, 1920s era music, Jazz, Blues, Cabaret, Dixieland, Gypsy jazz, Jazz fusion, Latin jazz, Modern jazz, Postmodern jukebox jazz, Ragtime, Swing, Barbershop, Gospel, Light music, Easy listening, Pop, Covers, Funk, Funk rock, Soul, R&B, Motown, Vintage, Rock, Pop rock, Progressive rock, Acoustic, Ambient pop, Americana, Disco, Hip Hop, Karaoke, Top 40, Tribute
See all genres
Event types:
Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve
See all event types
Other skills:
Arranger, Composer, Songwriter, Producer, Transcription, Fluent improviser, Fluent sight-reader, Live looping, Perfect pitch, Instrumental teaching, Theory teaching, Singing teaching, Composition teaching, Music therapy, Accompanist
See all skills

Sam's Song list

Motown/Soul Classics-----------
ABC
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
All Night Long
Baby Love
Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
Dancin' In The Street
Do You Love Me
Easy
Endless Love
Get Ready
Heatwave
Hello
Higher Ground
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
I Want You Back
Lady Marmalade
Let's Get It On
My Girl
My Guy
Nowhere To Run
Reach Out
Respect
Signed Sealed Delivered
Sir Duke
Superstition
Modern Pop-------------
24k Magic
Can't Stop The Feeling
Cheerleader
Closer
Crazy
Crazy In Love
Don't Start Now
Galway Girl
Havana
Jubel
Locked Out Of Heaven
New Rules
One Kiss
One Touch
Payphone
Rather Be
Rockabye
Say Something
Shape Of You
Sorry
Stitches
Thank You, Next
This Love
Uptown Funk
00s Hits-------------
All Star
American Boy
Beautiful
Better Together
Broken Strings
Bubbly
Can't Get You Out Of My Head
Chasing Pavements
Don't Know Why
Haven't Met You Yet
If I Ain't Got You
I Gotta Feeling
Just The Way You Are
Last Request
Lola's Theme
Love Story
Make You Feel My Love
Marry You
Move Your Feet
New Shoes
Put Your Records On
Rehab
Raise Your Glass
Rock DJ
Rock Your Body
Sexyback
Since U Been Gone
Stuck In A Moment
Single Ladies
A Thousand Miles
90s Favorites=------------
Angels
Back For Good
Bacl Or White
Canned Heat
Cosmic Girl
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Finally
Groove Is In The Heart
I Want It That Way
Let Me Entertain You
Mambo No. 5
Man I Feel Like A Woman
MmmBop
Moving on Up
Mysterious Girl
Picture Of You
Sing It Back
Torn
Wannabe
Waterfalls
Wonderwall
80s Hits-------------------
9 to 5
Ain't Nobody
Billie Jean
Come On Elieen
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Don't Stop Believing
Gold
I'm Coming Out
I've Had The Time Of My Life
I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Kiss
Let's Dance
A Little Respect
Love Shack
Man In The Mirror
Never Gonna Give You Up
Never Too Much
The Power Of Love
Purple Rain
Summer of '69
Uptown Girl
Walking On Sunshine
The Way You Make Me Feel
You Can Call Me Al
Jazz Repertoire (+ Any songbook standards)-------------
All of me
Lady is a tramp
Fly Me To The Moon
At Last
Summertime
Almost Like Being In Love
Georgia
Cheek To Cheek
Fascinating Rhythm
Sway
The way you look tonight
Misty
Have You Met Miss Jones
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Route 66
I Get A Kick Out Of You
I've Got The World On A String
It Ain't Necessarily So
L-O-V-E
That Old Black Magic
What A Difference A Day Made
You Make Me Feel So Young
Beyond The Sea
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)
World On A String
String Of Pearls
Stompin' At The Savoy
This Is Always
Tangerine
Doxy
Skylark
St. Thomas
There Will Never Be Another You
Body And Soul
What Is This Thing Called Love
Beautiful Love
I Got Rhythm
How High The Moon
Moon River
Under My Skin
Witchcraft
My Way
All Or Nothing At All
Stella By Starlight
Autumn leaves
Moonlight In Vermont
I Get A Kick Out Of You
Old Devil Moon
Luck Be A Lady
Angel Eyes
All Blues
Just Friends
Maiden Voyage
Impressions
Take The A Train
Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
Bye Bye Blackbird
Blue Bossa
Georgia
Georgia On My Mind
Miss Jones and I
It Could Happen To You
Customer questions

What if my timings change after I've booked you?

Not a problem. Just get in touch as soon as possible and I will always endeavour to be flexible and fit in with your plans where possible.

Can you provide an iPod/DJ service before and between your sets?

Absolutely. This is a really popular request and I actually offer this service for free. If you'd like a DJ service via the PA after the final set until the venue closes, I can provide this for a small additional fee.

How much time do you need to set up?

On my own, with no P.A. set up, as little as 5 minutes! As a jazz quartet, we usually set up about 1 to 1.5 hours before the performance time. As soon as the PA is in place, we can provide a free playlist service to help set the atmosphere and get your guests ready for our live performance!

Can I pick the songs you play from the set list?

All of the set lists are crafted from countless performances and learning what works best to ensure guests dance and have an amazing time. However, I'm always happy to chat through and make sure that we find what will work best for your event.

Do you bring all the equipment you need to perform?

Yes, absolutely! I bring my own instrument to play acoustically. We can discuss P.A. requirements specifically for your event. I am able to provide a small P.A. set up free of charge.

Can you learn song requests before the event?

With the jazz library being so extensive, it wouldn't be possible to list all of my repertoire on the sample list so you may find there's a good chance that I, or my quartet, will already know it. My quartet and I do have a lot of experience in crafting set lists but if there is something specific that means something special to you then please let me know.

What do your clients love most about your performances?

Audience interaction, genuine enthusiasm, extensive repertoire knowledge and a huge, unique saxophone sound!

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

Birmingham Symphony Hall, London Arts Club, NIA, NEC, The Jamhouse, Royal Albert Hall and many more.

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

Michael Brecker, Sonny Rollins, Art Pepper, Grover Washington, Kenny Garrett,

What is the most high profile gig you've performed?

BBC Sinatra Centenary Concert, live on BBC Radio 2.

Sam's Prices

Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click “Check availability”.

Standard Prices
Performance durationPrice
Short performance (up to 15 min)£250
Up to 1 hour£375
Up to 2 hours£437.50
Up to 3 hours£500
Packages
Wedding ceremony
This includes music before the service begins, music during the signing of the register, and music as guests leave.
£225
Drinks reception
Two performances of up to 45 mins each during your drinks reception. Includes provision of P.A. speakers.
£250
Jazz Quartet
Instead of playing to backing tracks, Sam also leads a Jazz quartet who are available. The listed price is a guide price for 2 x 50 minute sets.
£1250
Sam
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5
37 verified reviews
Satisfaction
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0
Professionalism
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0
Communication
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0
Punctuality
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0

Sam's Reviews

From Encore customers:

JW
John W
7 months ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Excellent performance. Made the day and got everyone up dancing.

JB
John B
10 months ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Sam was an absolute class act and really made our after party world class. Great feedback from all of our customers too, HIGHLY RECOMMEND

TC
Tiago C
1 year ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Sam was Great! He gave a great atmosphere to the evening. Really grateful for his work!

SS
Sophie S
1 year ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Wow! Where do I start. Sam played alongside a separate DJ we booked at our wedding and was so professional and such a talented sax player we were overwhelmed with how well everything went. We asked Sam to start playing at a particular moment during our first dance and right on queue he started playing (much to our joy and surprise as with everything going on we hadn’t thought to even check he was there!). My husband in particular was impressed with his ability to play to a diverse number of tracks and certainly gave us and our guests the entertainment we were after!! Thank you so much Sam you made our wedding and started the party. We can’t wait to watch our wedding video to see you rocking the floor!! All the best , Sophie & Mike

Read all 28 reviews

From other customers:

CS
Caroline S
2 years ago, for a Wedding in Berkeley GL13 9PJ
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

We just wanted to drop you a note to thank you so much for playing at our wedding. You were amazing and our guests were blown away!

JW
Judith W
4 years ago, for a Private event in Lichfield WS14 0QP
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

I got in touch with StraightFIRE after a recommendation from a long-standing friend but didn't really know what we wanted to do in terms of entertainment for a large family gathering. Sam was so helpful on the phone, listened to all of my thoughts and put together the most perfect performance. They played all of my favorite Motown songs and also some new music that the children enjoyed - everyone thought they were amazing and danced the night away. Thank you so much - I will definitely be in touch again for any future family events.

Read all 10 reviews