Samantha-Jayne's interest in the sax started when, aged 17 she first heard Kenny G's 'Song Bird'. The next week, armed with £400 savings from her Saturday job, she set off for Birmingham for some serious clothes shopping, but stumbled across a music shop with a soprano sax in the window. The price? ... £400.
Samantha-Jayne is a self-taught saxophonist who only plays 'by ear'. She has toured the UK, Germany, and Miami with local Gospel bands. Samantha plays the soprano, alto and tenor Saxophones. With the close resemblance of the saxophone to the human voice, combined with Samantha-Jayne's warm sax tones and exceptional improvisational skills, her performances are full of emotion and expression. Samantha-Jayne doesn't just play, she makes her saxophones sing, as well as speak, to the listener. She has a God-given talent which enables her to play almost any genre of music!
My Background
It's great to have had the 'safety net' of my office job removed! That sounds a little crazy right? Having always been a lover of music, as a teenager, I dreamed of being a singer. But dreaming was all I would do as I was painfully shy; and so kept my singing performances to when in the shower! :D I left school not knowing what I wanted to do, and 'fell' into office admin. I did this for 20 years and was with my last employer for 17 years until the company closed in 2011. Although I made some great friends there, I unfortunately had some bad experiences which knocked my confidence. At age 24, I had my son and I carried him, gave birth to him and have brought him up; as a single mother. It's been a tough but rewarding 19 years and I'm very proud of the young man he has become. I can now look back and be grateful for my admin. job as it enabled me to provide for my son; but at the time I used to pray to God for a way out as I knew that music was what I wanted to do. In 2006 I started studying a 6 year degree course for a BA (Hons) with the Open University. I also went to Business Link sessions to see if I could start my own business as a professional saxophonist. But, as they rightly advised, that starting you're own business is risky, so make sure that it's a calculated risk! On reflection, I knew that I couldn't walk out of a job that paid a decent wage; and so I gave up on the idea of starting my own business. However, 2 years later God answered my prayers and the company I worked for closed in 2011. A difficult time for many in the company, but I knew this was my opportunity to take a leap of faith to start my own business. I was on my last year of studying, I now had some capital, and at age 37, knew this window of opportunity would not come my way again. Never thought I'd have the ability to run my own business, but, here I am 5 years later... 'Samantha-Jayne'...I pinch myself daily!
