Az Samad

Artist Information

Biography

"A rising acoustic guitarist" - TIMEOUT Singapore

"This is one guy who can finger-pick, hold massive grape fruit-sized chords and make his guitar gently weep with the best." - KLue Magazine

"..Az Samad produces works that are richly textured, poetic and atmospheric." - The New Straits Times

Guitarist-composer Az Samad has performed in the United States, Austria, United Kingdom, Singapore, and Malaysia. A versatile musician who has appeared on thirteen CDs (five of which are his solo releases), Az has worked with Grammy winners Flaco Jimenez and Max Baca, singer-songwriters Tara Linda and Reza Salleh, guitarists John Stowell, Stuart Ryan, and Teja Gerken; world music ensemble Bogofusion; electronic jazz-funk group Planet Loop; Cumbia-Dub band Candelaria; and string jazz ensemble JazzMine.

As an educator, Az has been on the faculty of Berklee College of Music's Summer Guitar Sessions and has taught workshops at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut; Culturefest in Pipestem, West Virginia; and The Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, California. His latest release is love letters EP, an improvised solo acoustic guitar concept album in the same spirit as his 2010 album Emo Attack Turtle.

www.azsamad.com
Contact Az at: talktoazsamad at yahoo dot com

Current Projects and Gigs:

Az Samad : solo acoustic fingerstyle guitar originals
Az Samad Duo: jazz/world duo w/ Carrie Jahde and Eli Harrison (rotating lineup)
Duo Brasileira: brazilian/jazz guitar-vocal duo w/ Kiyoe Wakabayashi
Tara Linda: Tortilla Western originals
Jazz Mine: gypsy jazz string ensemble

For more info, log on to: www.sonicbids.com/azsamad
Watch Videos at : www.youtube.com/azsamad
Follow Az on Twitter/Facebook: azsamad


Awards:

2010 - Stella Berboth Scholarship Recipient
2009 - Lois King Thore Music Scholarship Recipient
2009 - Tower Foundation Scholarship Recipient
2008 - San Jose State University Graduate Program Scholarship Recipient
2008 - Pongid Radio Featured Artist (August 2008)
2007 - Sonicbids Spotlight Artist (December 2007)
2007 - "Berjalan Bersamamu" received an honorable mention in the 11th Unisong International Songwriting Contest for the "Instrumental (any style)" category.
2005 - Berklee College Of Music World Scholarship Tour Recipient
2003 - Nominated for Best Solo Performance(Music) in the first Cameronian Arts Award, a prestigious event for the arts community in Malaysia.

Az has performed at:

Malaysia :

Venues:
Dewan Filharmonik Petronas
No Black Tie
Istana Budaya
Avanti's
Alexis Bar and Bistro
La Bodega
Le Bernardin
Bangkok Jazz
Paul's Place
Backyard Pub
Laundry Bar
KL JamAsia
Fasta Pasta
Schokolart, Soho KL
Starbucks KLue Acoustic Series
Borders Books
MPH Bookstores, Midvalley Megamall
The Palace Of The Golden Horses
Mandarin Oriental
Equatorial Hotel
Hotel Istana
Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC)
The Actor's Studio Dataran Merdeka
The Actor's Studio Box
Auditorium DBKL
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka
MATIC
Universiti Malaya
Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
International College Of Music
UCSI Recital Hall, Sedaya College
Monash University
PRIME College
Commonwealth Club Malaysia
Central Market
Taman Budaya Ipoh
Plaza Putra, Dataran Merdeka
Kelab Darul Ehsan
Dataran Shah Alam
Karnival Sure Heboh TV3, Stadium Bukit Jalil
Times Square Shopping Mall
Sunway Pyramid
Bangsar Shopping Centre

Festivals :
As part of Shelley Leong and Jazz Odyssey:
Penang Island Jazz Festival 2004
Sunrise Jazz and Rhythm Festival 2005 & 2006
Heineken Octoberfest
KL Sing Song 2006 Festival

As Dalcha Duo (acoustic guitar duo project with Hardesh Singh)
Fete De La Musique Festival 2003

As a solo act:
Singapore Writers Festival 2007
Yogyakarta Quake Aid 2006
Fete De La Musique Festival 2004
17th National Malaysian Poetry Day 2007
Jairus Anthony Music Festival 2004
Unplugged at Paulies 2003

Singapore:
The Singapore Art Museum
Esplanade Outdoor Theatre Stage
The Arts House @ Old Parliament
Home Bar

Austria:

Mei Zeit Chalet, Turracher Hohe

UK:

Newton Ferrers Yacht Club

US:

New York City:
Stain Bar NY
Caffe Vivaldi

Boston:
Swiss Human Rights Exhibition @ Logan Airport
Marriot Copley
Berklee Performance Center
Lawrence Berk Recital Hall
MIT
Harvard University
La Luna Caffe, Cambridge
The Paulist Center
Club Passim (open mic)
All Asia Bar (open mic)
Fire and Ice Boston (open mic)

Connecticut:
World Music Hall, Wesleyan University, Middletown

San Francisco Bay Area:
Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Public Library
Caffe Trieste (San Francisco and Berkeley,CA)
Coffee Adventures
Palace Hotel
The Cannery
Beckett's, Berkeley
Boulevard Restaurant
Mama Buzz Cafe, Oakland
Nomad Cafe
Bazaar Cafe
Beale Street Bar and Grill
Blondie's Bar and No Grill
King Tsin Restaurant
Anna's Jazz Island
Octavia Lounge
Brainwash
Rooz Cafe
Sea Mi Restaurant
Red Rock Coffee
Good Karma Vegan Cafe, Downtown San Jose
C'era Una Volta, Alameda
The Uptown, Oakland
Shashamane International Bar & Grill, Oakland
Grant and Green
Mama Art Cafe
Orso Restaurant, Berkeley
OneWorldWalk, Berkeley
Senzala Restaurant, Sunnyvale
Mission City Coffee Roasting Co., Santa Clara
La Plaza Park, Cotati
Morroco's Restaurant, Downtown San Jose

West Virginia:
Appalachian South Folk Life Center

Festivals:

As a solo act:
Culturefest 2007 and 2008, Pipestem, West Virginia

As The Az Samad Duo (w/ Carrie Jahde on drums):
The First Annual Downtown Berkeley MusicFest 2008

(w/ Rick Vandivier Duo)
San Jose Jazz Festival 2009

(w/ Tara Linda and Luna Nueva)
The 19th Annual Cotati Accordion Festival

(w/ Planet Loop)
Y2K9 International Live Looping Festival, Santa Cruz, CA.

As Az & The Jazz Strings:
MIT Nightmarket 2007

Az has taught at:
Berklee College Of Music (Berklee Summer Guitar Sessions 2007 & 2008) - Boston,MA
The North Beach Teen Program Guitar Classes @ Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center - San Francisco, CA
San Jose State University (Teaching Assistant for Guitar Fundamentals and Jazz Improvisation I Classes)
De Anza College (Teaching Assistant for Intermediate/Advanced Guitar Class)

Az has conducted music workshops at:
Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, USA.
Culturefest 2008, Pipestem, West Virginia, USA.
San Jose State University, San Jose, California, USA.
Evergreen Valley High School, San Jose, California, USA. (Guitar Outreach w/ Steve Lin)
International College Of Music, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Malaysian Institute of Art, Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
AC Pickers @ Freeman Guitars, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Guitar Collection Subang Jaya, Malaysia
Music Hut, Damansara Perdana, Malaysia
Young Choral Academy, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Damansara Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Kl SingSong Festival 2006

TV/Radio/Media appearances/interviews/performances:

France:
'The C Factor' chosen to be on continual airplay on 100% Music Radio Station (Avrille, France)

US:
Pen Women Presents Show - Channel 29 SF Access (San Francisco, CA)
PIXY 103 - Homegrown Radio Show (Cape Cod,MA)
mvyradio Local MusiCafe (Martha's Vinyard, MA)
Celtic Folk Podcast (Georgetown, KY)
Upbeat Radio Podcast (Georgetown, KY)
Pongid Radio (Second Life)
WJFN Showcase Internet Radio Show (Long Island, NY)
Junior's Cave Online Magazine Spotlight (Brunswick,GA)
Damn Good Tunes Online Magazine Feature (Rochester,WA)
Seattle PI newspaper website (Seattle, WA)
KBBF,89.1 FM, (Santa Rosa, CA)
Pirate Cat Radio (San Francisco, CA)

Malaysia:
RTM1
RTM2
TV3
NTV7
8TV
Astro
TraxxFM
Red104.9
Channel V
X-Fresh Radio

Singapore:
Suria Segar TV Show
Mr. Brown Podcast Show (interview and performance with Shelley Leong)

For Performance videos:
http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=azsamad

Official MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/azsamad

Instrumentation

Solo shows-
Az Samad - solo acoustic guitar

Duo shows-
Az Samad- acoustic guitars (steel string and nylon string guitar)
Rotating duos with either:
Eli Harrison - percussions
Carrie Jahde - drumset and percussions

Az & The Jazz Strings (Trio and Quartet Shows)
Az Samad - guitar
Michael Borgida - guitar
Helen Sherrah-Davies - violin, electric violin
Shelley Leong - cello and percussions (hand drum, ocean drum, shaker, misc. hand percussion)

Other active projects:
Tara Linda and the Blue Fur Monkeys (Tex-Mex, Jazzy Blues, Spaghetti Western)
Kiyoe Blue (Brazilian Jazz, Swing)
Jazz Mine (Gypsy Jazz)

Discography

2011 - Az Samad - love letters EP
2011 - The Adam Everett Quartet - Round One
2011 - Planet Loop - Cubed
2010 - Az Samad - Emo Attack Turtle
2010 - Tara Linda - Tortilla Western Serenade (w/ Grammy Winners Flaco Jimanez and Max Baca)
2008 - New Age and New Sounds Compilation CD (Italian music magazine)
2007- Snow and Ice EP (exclusive online-only release)
2007- Ciplak - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
2006- Panic In The Peninsula (compilation album)
2004- Acoustic Gestures (debut solo guitar album)
2003- ICOM :Feel The Buzz (compilation album)
2003- Echoes Of Bangsar (limited printing self-produced EP)
2002- B'Yu (Universal Music/Synchrosound Music) (as lyricist)

Songs licensed for use in:
2007- Teaser Trailer for "London Calling", a indie movie by Anugerah Skrin Award Winner Kharil M. Bahar
2007- The Bedroom Musicians Series Promotional Video
2005- Video CD of Malaysian National Laurete A Samad Said - "A Samad Said - Kehidupan Seorang Seniman Malaysia"

Original Music for children's musical:
2003- Di Mana Singa (Where is the Lion) directed by Ladin Nuawi

Original Theme Songs for:
2008 - The 6th Young Singers Choral Festival - 'Not Alone Anymore' (co-written with Shelley Leong)
2004 - Monolog Memori Di Hadapan Pulau directed by SN Datuk Dr. A Samad Said

Official Website

http://www.azsamad.com

Links

• Facebook
• Last.fm
• MySpace
• Twitter
• A Chord A Day - Az's Guitar Chord Blog
• Az Samad's Official YouTube Channel

Audio

• Over The Rainbow/Getaran Jiwa Medley
  Listen   Download
• Irama Espanyola (Az Samad Duo live @ One World Walk, Berkeley, CA
  Listen   Download
• The C Factor
  Listen   Download
• Latah Setinggan
  Listen   Download
• Berjalan Bersamamu
  Listen   Download
• Blue Monk (arrangement by Az Samad)
  Listen   Download
• Stella By Starlight
  Listen   Download
• unrequited
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• Latah Setinggan
• Berjalan Bersamamu
• The C Factor

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• TIMEOUT Singapore
  

  "A rising acoustic guitarist"

• Kakiseni.com review [+ Show ]
  

  "... Az... qualifies as a guitar prodigy of sorts. His flair and passion are almost Latin and are re..."... Az... qualifies as a guitar prodigy of sorts. His flair and passion are almost Latin and are revealed in his penchant for Latino jazz rhythms." - Antares

• Klue Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  "This is one guy who can finger-pick, hold massive grape fruit-sized chords and make his guitar gent..."This is one guy who can finger-pick, hold massive grape fruit-sized chords and make his guitar gently weep with the best."

• Malaysian Singer-songwriter [+ Show ]
  

  "If you are one of those who think that conventional guitar-playing is limited and tired, then Mr. S..."If you are one of those who think that conventional guitar-playing is limited and tired, then Mr. Samad will show you the way forward. By playing with various alternative tunings and applying unusual techniques, Az squeezes out a whole new sonic universe for the acoustic guitar. His compositions can be moving, funny or sad, but they are always well constructed and brilliantly played."

• New Straits Times
  

  "..Az Samad produces works that are richly textured, poetic and atmospheric."

• www.audioreload.com [+ Show ]
  

  "Gentle and shy he may look, but the chops he possesses were simply massive. His solid performance s..."Gentle and shy he may look, but the chops he possesses were simply massive. His solid performance simply bewildered the crowd, who were not used to seeing such virtuosity being displayed on the acoustic guitar."

• Malaysian Underground Music Legend [+ Show ]
  

  "He not only plays most beautifully his own compositions but also sways like a willow tree in a stor..."He not only plays most beautifully his own compositions but also sways like a willow tree in a storm almost like he's dancing to his own music (although remaining seated)."

• All Dat Jazz.com Show Review [+ Show ]
  

  Az Samad's solo numbers were definitely impressive. Alternate tunings (DADGAD) make the Celtic "The ...Az Samad's solo numbers were definitely impressive. Alternate tunings (DADGAD) make the Celtic "The C Factor" a really eye-opening occasion with its interesting harmonics and varied chordal textures giving rise to new dimensions of playing.
  

• Excerpt from 17 of Malaysia's Most Outstanding Individuls Feature Article [+ Show ]
  

  A prodigy with the steel-string and nylon-string guitars, his new age guitar music is sure to follow...A prodigy with the steel-string and nylon-string guitars, his new age guitar music is sure to follow you all the way.

• www.gua.com.my
  

  Be mesmerised by this acoustic finger-style guitarist as he lets his fingers do the entertaining.

Setlist

Az's solo sets vary depending on your needs:

He does:
one 30-minute set,
one 60-minute set or
two 45-minute sets (can also be divided into three 30-minute sets)

The set can be all original material (includes songs from his release "Acoustic Gestures" and new songs from his upcoming 2nd album) or include arrangements of covers. The covers include songs from the Beatles as well as jazz standards from Victor Young and others.

Az also performs duos with either a percussionist and/or drummer. Material is similar to the solo show but may include more jazz/world music material.

---

Az also conducts 1-2 hour long guitar workshops and shorter Q&A sessions. Az can talk on fingerstyle guitar technique, acoustic guitar playing, improvisation and composition for solo guitar and other related topics. He also has handouts to supplement the workshop learning experience. Please inquire in advance if you would like Az to do a workshop in addition to a performance slot.

Az has conducted guitar workshops in Malaysia, California, Connecticut and West Virginia. He has taught at the Berklee College Of Music Summer Guitar Sessions since 2007. He is currently a co-teacher alongside Rick Vandivier at San Jose State University for the Guitar Fundamentals class-since Fall 2008) and Frank Sumares (Jazz Improvisation I - Fall 2009) . Az also has assisted Steve Lin at De Anza College for the Intermediate/Advanced Classical Guitar class.

Basic Requirements

Calendar