About

The quintet SAMEKA embraces the 1970s fusion sound of jazz-rock while simultaneously sounding entirely contemporary. In delicate, transparent passages, SAMEKA appears like the deconstruction of a historical Western era—until oriental rhythms, featuring guest oud player Hesham Hamra, gently transition the music into the realm of world music.

Bassist Simon Zauels founded the band in 2019. In 2021, SAMEKA received a scholarship that enabled them to record their debut album of original compositions for Mons Records. Jazz in Europe praised this debut, acknowledging its "great respect for tradition while displaying remarkable originality." As finalists in the Future Sounds Contest, SAMEKA performed at the Leverkusener Jazztage in autumn 2022.

On July 14, 2023, SAMEKA played a concert at the renowned Jazzopen Festival in Stuttgart.

Internationally, the quintet embarked on its first major tour in March 2023, traveling to Taiwan to share their music with a new audience.

In 2024, SAMEKA released their second album, Merlins Reise, on TIME ZONE RECORDS. Merlins Reise features SAMEKA alongside a string quartet and another collaboration with oud player Hesham Hamra. Due to the overwhelming response to their Taiwan debut, the band returned for another Taiwan tour in March 2024, performing with a local string quartet—a success that led to an invitation for 2025.

The album itself has been described as "sorcery by the masters of sound fusion" by Peter Michael Bitz, while Jazz Fun calls it "a stylistic kaleidoscope that follows the principles of modern jazz fusion, allowing ample space for improvisation and highly intriguing arrangements."