At age 10, Samuel Blais picked up the saxophone. He honed his craft while studying classical music at the Montreal Conservatory of Music, as well as earning a Bachelor's degree in jazz performance at McGill University and a Master's degree in jazz performance at Manhattan School of Music. The emerging Canadian saxophonist is also an accomplished composer, having written seven of the nine original tracks on his debut album, Where to Go, which was released in 2008 to positive reviews, followed by New Angle two years later.