ABOUT

Sam is a trumpet & flugelhorn player, composer & arranger based in London. Since graduating from the Royal College of Music he has led a varied career spanning every genre of music. Whether its playing, recording, writing / arranging brass or composing, Sam is passionate about making music. His work has seen him play the major venues & festivals across Europe, perform / record with a large array of top artists & ensembles and write / arrange / record for a number of TV shows.

TRUMPET | FLUGELHORN

Sam has played and / or / recorded with / for:

Orchestras: BBC Symphony Orchestra / English Chamber Orchestra / The Knights (NYC) / Sir John Eliot Gardiner's 'Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique' / KZN Philharmonic Orchestra (Durban) / Octandre Ensemble / Kölner Akademie / Nevill Holt Opera / London Contemporary Orchestra / Musica Saeculorum / Grand Philharmonic Orchestra...

Artists / Bands: Rae Morris / Gomez (Mercury Prize winners) / Myles Sanko / Aston Merrygold (JLS) / Alfie Boe / The Struts / Bo Bruce (Top 10 album Official UK Charts) / Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly / Hannah Peel / Seán McGowan / Paul Weller / Russell Watson / Deep Purple / Diagrams / Woman's Hour / The Chemistry Set / The Memory Band / Chas Palmer-Williams (Lightyear)... 

Producers: Rick Parkhouse & George Tizzard (Red Triangle Productions) / Cass Lowe / Eliot James / Mike Lindsay / Kristofer Harris / Leo Abrahams / Joel Pott (Athlete) / Tom Marsh... 

Live TV / Radio Appearances: BBC Radio 1 / BBC Radio 2 / BBC Radio 3 / BBC Radio 4 / BBC 6 Music / The One Show (BBC1) / Sky Arts / BBC Proms (BBC2) / The Last Leg (Channel 4) / Radio Paris / Label Pop (Paris) / TSF Jazz Radio (Paris) / Radio Nova (France) / NPR Radio (NL)...

TV / Advert Themes / Soundtracks: First Dates (Ch4) / First Dates Hotel (Ch4) / Michael McIntyre's Big Show (BBC1) / Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure (BBC2) / The Best FIFA Football Awards / 'Finding Dory' UK TV ad (Disney) / Outside The Lines (ESPN) / Location, Location, Location (Ch4)...​

Venues / Studios: Royal Albert Hall / Royal Festival Hall / Kölner Philharmonie / Liverpool Philharmonic Hall / Bridgewater Hall / Wembley Arena / Birmingham NIA Arena / Abbey Road Studios / BBC Maida Vale / Angel Studios / London Coliseum / Roundhouse / Amsterdam Paradiso / Ancienne Belgique (Brussels) / Duc Des Lombards (Paris) / New Morning (Paris) / Salle Pleyel (Paris) / Nice Jazz Festival / Bestival / Haldern Pop Festival / Dockville Festival / End of the Road Festival / Isle Of Wight Festival & many more that I can't even begin to remember...

Listen / Watch

COMPOSER | ARRANGER

Some tracks I've composed for BMG Production Music:

(used by ESPN on TV show 'Outside The Lines')

Some of the tracks that I have written, arranged & recorded brass on:

Some brass arrangements / reworks that I wrote of tracks by the likes of Oneohtrix Point Never / Aphex Twin / Nitemoves / Jon Hopkins:

REMOTE SESSIONS

I run an online 'Remote Session' service from my professionally equipped home studio. From my studio I have recorded for artists on labels such as Mercury / Universal / Warner / Interscope / 4AD / Xtra Mile Recordings, on tracks & cues for many tv composers (BBC / Channel 4 / Disney / FIFA), on cues for Bollywood films & many advert jingles & pieces of library music. I've also worked with a load of independent & self-funded bands & singer-songwriters. I've recorded for people based all over the world - Germany, Finland, Sweden, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Nashville, Dallas, Wisconsin, Delhi, Israel, Egypt & Australia to name a few...

How Does It Work?

I provide you with professional recordings of trumpet / flugelhorn (& other brass lines if I get colleagues round) for you to mix in to your track. These days, often pushed by tight deadlines and even tighter budgets, many composers & producers use sample libraries to reproduce the sound of live musicians. However, these samples don't provide that human feel that real musicians add - the expression, subtlety, tone and overall musicality. By working online (usually via email) I can provide you with real trumpet recordings for your tracks without the hassle of booking / organising musicians or the expense of hiring a studio & engineer. And because my studio is at home, I can easily record material to the tightest of deadlines. Get in touch for a quote if you want real trumpet for your track & I will email you back right away so we can get the ball rolling, saving you time & money!

Some Examples

These examples are some of the more large scale, big budget sessions I've recorded, by getting colleagues on sax / trombone / french horn round to my studio. More typically I record just myself on trumpet, flugelhorn & occasionally tenor horn & euphonium. Most of my work consists of trumpet melodies or solos over a cues for a TV shows, library music albums or tracks for artists & singer / songwriters.

1. Working with TV composer Paul Farrer, I've recorded & arranged brass from my home studio for the last two series of Michael McIntyre's Big Show. Here's one segment I was involved in - recording myself on trumpet & a bunch of colleagues on trumpet & trombone (with Pete Fraser on sax remotely from Stockholm) from my home studio for the Unexpected Star Of The Show. Have a listen to the raw, unmixed brass below & watch the final result broadcast on BBC1:

2. Composer Adam Brown (Dual Motion) got in touch with me as he needed some big band trumpet stabs & a brief but rip-roaring trumpet solo on a track that he was composing for an advertising campaign for the Disney film Finding Dory. I recorded the stems from my home studio within a day. Listen to the trumpet parts I recorded below, and then check out the final advert with my parts in place:

3. Working for Indian film composer / songwriter Mickey J Meyer, I recorded myself on trumpet & some of my brass playing colleagues (two french horn players & another trumpet) for the main title song to 2018 hit film Mahanati. Take a listen below to the rather epic track in which brass features heavily throughout - particularly the middle instrumental section:

5. Composer / producer El Nebulsi needed a horn section on the main theme of hit Egyptian TV show 'Sherry Studio'. I recorded a number of colleagues on saxes & trombones & myself on trumpet. Watch a brief clip (click unmute). You can also listen to just the horns I recorded & arranged by clicking on the virtual mixer below the video (hosted kindly by Pete Whitfield, created by Julian Cole): 

4. I recorded cornet, flugelhorn & euphonium myself for the soundtrack to First Dates / First Dates Hotel (Channel 4), written by TV composer Miguel D'Oliveira. Here's a clip of the solo brass stems that I provided, a video of some of the session made by Miguel & also a (very!) brief clip of the show:

6. I recorded trumpet & euphonium for Legendary Bollywood composer Pritam, and orchestrator & producer Nikhil Paul George on the title track "Radio" of 2017 hit film 'Tubelight'. Nikhil got in touch, and I was able to record the parts by ear from the midi I was sent & deliver the finished stems within a few hours. Watch the scene from the film in which the song features below:

I make electronic music under the moniker NIGHT AURAS. Have a listen below:

Get In Touch.

I'm available for live work, remote sessions, studio sessions & as a brass / horn writer & arranger. I can also contract other musicians for sessions or touring. Get in touch via email, phone or on twitter:
samuel.ewens@gmail.com   |   +44 (0) 7929563155   |   @samewens

contact me