Simon Zauels is a German musician who has made a name for himself as a bassist, composer, and performer. Born in 1990, Zauels began playing the cello at the age of six and took lessons for ten years before switching to the electric bass. After attending the Landesmusikgymnasium Montabaur, he developed an interest in jazz and pursued studies at the Hochschule für Musik Saar, Popakademie and Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim, where he completed his jazz master´s degree in 2021.

Throughout his studies, Zauels had the privilege of learning from some of the most accomplished bass teachers in Germany and the United States, including Marius Goldhammer, Stefan Scheib, Dave King, Philipp Rehm, Bernhard Meyer, and Kai Eckhardt. With Eckhardt's guidance, Zauels was granted the opportunity to study at the prestigious Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, California.

Zauels continued to pursue his passion for music, playing in a variety of bands with different styles. He has performed and toured internationally in countries such as Uzbekistan, Taiwan and all over Europe and has played at the prestigious Elbphilharmonie with the Pulse Project, which earned him an invitation from UNESCO. Besides that he is part of Venerem, an ensemble that "reinvents" early music. 

In addition, he has performed several times with the Orchestra of the Saarland State Theater, at the Jazz Rally Düsseldorf, at the "Jazzopen" Stuttgart and at the North Sea Jazz Festival.

His works on cruiseships have taken him all over Asia, Scandinavia as well as around the British Isles.

 

In 2019, Zauels founded his own band, Sameka, and began composing original music. The band's debut album was released in 2021 and was a finalist in the Future Sounds contest hosted by Leverkusener Jazztage.

In March 2023, Sameka embarked on a Taiwan tour, playing eight concerts from north to south, including a workshop concert at Fu Jen University in Taipei.

In December 2022, Zauels was featured in a four-page interview in the German bass magazine Bass Professor.