The Hi-Stakes · Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2PQ · Dec 13, 2026

The Hi-Stakes, featuring their iconic frontman Sam Ghezzi, is a quintet based in Amsterdam. The band makes the audience jump, dance and shout to Rhythm and Blues inspired by Louis Jordan, dream away to the sweet sound of Blues Ballads in the heritage of Percy Mayfield and shake the hips to the boogaloos of Blue Note Records of the late 50's. Original tunes, with lyrics full of irony and passion, played authentically from a vast range of popular genres of the time, be it a lyrical blues ballad or an explosive old school rhythm 'n blues number; in other words, their repertoire covers anything in between the jazz and the blues worlds. The Hi-Stakes features Sam Ghezzi on vocals and tenor saxophone, Frank Groenendijk on tenor saxophone, Linus Eppinger on guitar, César Puente on upright bass and Joe Korach on drums. The particular combination of two tenor saxophones as horn section shows their own timbre and sound in a unique and distinctive way.