„Paul distinguishes himself through both his technical mastery of the saxophone and his artistic individuality. His playing demonstrates a mature tone, refined phrasing, and stylistic versatility, whether interpreting standards or exploring contemporary and jazz idioms. Beyond his instrumental command, Paul approaches music with intellectual curiosity and a strong analytical mindset, always seeking to deepen his understanding of both performance and theory.” (Greg Torunski, jazz saxophone teacher at Conservatorium Maastricht)
Paul Kaspar Saumets (2002) is a young Estonian saxophonist whose passion for jazz has led him to study in the Netherlands, a country with a long history and rich traditions in jazz. His characteristic musical expression and sound is primarily inspired by three renowned saxophonists: John Coltrane, Michael Brecker and Kenny Garrett.
In 2023, Paul graduated with distinction from the Department of Rhythm Music at the Heino Eller Music College in Tartu, and decided to continue his education as a bachelor student at Conservatorium Maastricht where his teachers are Reiner Witzel, Greg Torunski and Sam Newbould.
In 2022, before moving to the Netherlands, Paul completed international courses in Finland: the Jazz@Sibelius Summer Academy and the Imatra Big Band Camp; he also performed several times with the Finnish Junior All Star Big Band.
Since beginning his studies at Maastricht, he plays in the Conservatorium Maastricht Big Band and the Orchestravian jazz collective. In addition to different types of saxophones, Paul can play the flute, the clarinet and the bass clarinet. He has also collaborated with professional big bands, including the Aachen Big Band and the Mosa Jazz Collective.
In 2025, Paul was chosen to play with the symphonic jazz orchestra Jong Metropole Orchestra. On the same year, Paul was chosen twice to be part of the international European Big Band project in Paris. During his studies, Paul has also played with the NJO Pop Orchestra (National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands) and the Jazz Orchestra Concertgebouw Big Band Academy.
Paul has performed at several international jazz festivals, including Laren Jazz and Jeker Jazz (the Netherlands), Jazz in the Park, Urban Blues Festival and Transilvania Jazz Festival (Romania) as well as Jazz in’T Park and Jazz Reckheim (Belgium) with different collectives (for example, the David Luca Quartet, the Maastricht Jazz Collective, and the Tizaan Alphonso Collective).
During his studies, Paul has had the honour of working with a number of internationally renowned artists, including Eric Vloeimans, John Beasley, Miho Hazama, Nikki Iles, Alex Sipiagin, Olga Reznichenko, Sam Newbould and Rob Bruynen
Since 2019, Paul has consistently developed his craft at international master classes; his teachers include distinguished jazz saxophonists such as Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Jerry Bergonzi, Deniss Paškevitš, Ville Vannemaa, Kika Sprangers, Joonatan Rautio, Frank Vaganee, Ben Van Gelder, Simon Rigter, Jasper Blom and Paul Heller.
Paul has also composed music of his own: in 2022, his instrumental piece “Principium” won the Grand Prix at the Heino Eller Music College Department of Rhythm Music competition for original compositions and interpretation. Currently, Paul is creating his debut album (Principium).
In 2024, Paul became the first young jazz musician in Estonia to receive the Hansa Group Young Musician Fund’s scholarship. In the spring of 2026, Paul and the Maastricht Jazz Collective won the Grand Prix at the Maastricht Jazz Awards competition.
Since 2024, Paul is a member of Jazz Estonia.
“The entrance exam already showed that he had an extraordinary talent and we teachers were highly delighted by his already advanced skills.” (Reiner Witzel, jazz saxophone teacher at Conservatorium Maastricht)