Welcome to Episode 7 of the Atlanta Jazz Notes Podcast where we profile the many amazing people who make up the Atlanta Jazz Scene ...I’m your host: Matt Miller.
This week, I had the chance to interview the amazing Sam Skelton. Sam is THE first call woodwind player in Atlanta and beyond. His skills on saxophone, clarinet, and flute and all-around musicianship have led to recording sessions with a diverse array of artists ranging from Elton John, trumpeter Joe Gransden, Matchbox 20, and The Ohio Players. He has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, The Atlanta Symphony, The Atlanta Pops, The Peachtree Pops, The Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and The Cobb Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to recordings with pop, jazz, and classical artists, Sam has been highly active in the studio recording world, recording for TV and radio and playing countless shows in the pit orchestras at venues like the Fox Theatre and many others.
Sam is currently Director of Jazz Studies and Lecturer in Saxophone at Kennesaw State University. He served as Professor of Saxophone at Georgia State University from 1991 to 2004 and was Jazz Ensemble Director at Georgia Tech from 2002-2004 and Artist-in-Residence at The University Of Georgia Jazz Department.
In this interview, Sam discusses his early years in Conyers, Ga, learning to play jazz and classical saxophone, his approach to doubling on flute and clarinet, learning on the gig, his approach to teaching at the University level, especially during the pandemic, and much more. I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I did putting it together.
