About Me
Whether it's rich and resonant big band sonorities or hard-driving and street-wise rock-n-roll licks, when it comes to the baritone saxophone, Sam Bortka delivers the goods. From the Hollywood Bowl to Madison Square Garden, he has been a stable and unifying force in horn sections across the U.S., supporting artists in a rainbow of musical styles, from performing live with Usher, Huey Lewis, and Aretha Franklin to recording for Missy Elliott. As a result of this, Sam is becoming one of the most sought-after commercial baritone saxophonists in the industry. Accomplished on all of the saxophones, as well as flute, piccolo and clarinets, he also dabbles in double reeds. Sam is tirelessly committed to the evolution of his craft and the continued development of modern horn section artistry.Sam's playing owes its keen urban sensibility to his early years in Kansas City, also the birthplace of jazz legend Charlie Parker and long time home of Count Basie. He received his musical training at Indiana University. He got his start professionally performing with big bands like the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Xavier Cugat, Tito Puente, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, just to name a few. But Sam's talent and love for beefy bari sax licks quickly led him to touring work with Motown legends The Four Tops, The Temptations, and The Spinners, and also a diverse palette of the industrys most prominent artists such as Frankie Valli, The Supremes, The Fab Faux, The O.J.s, The Rascals, The Boxtops, the Fifth Dimension, Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Lou Rawls, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Maureen McGovern, Sandi Patti, and Sergio Mendes.A tour with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, along with a desire to broaden his musical horizons, led him to relocate to New York City, where he now performs live and in recording sessions.
