Remembering Joe Sample, born on this day in 1939

Remembering Joe Sample, born on this day in 1939 (1939-2014).

free scores Solo Jazz Piano (Neil Olmstead) with MP3 audio tracks to play along (Berklee Press)

Joseph Leslie, Joe Sample, (Houston, Texas, February 1, 1939-Ibadem, September 12, 2014), was a wonderful pianist, keyboardist and American jazz composer focused mainly to the fusion with other musical genres.

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In 1954, he formed his first band, along with Wilton Felder and Hubert Laws (flute and saxon), Wayne Henderson (trombone) and Stix Hooper (drums), under the name of The Swingsters. In 1958, the group moved to California, changing its name, first to “Modern Jazz Sextet” and, later, to “Night Hawks.” Joe Sample also worked on the west coast scene with musicians like Curtis Amy, Roy Ayers, Philly Joe Jones and others.

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In 1961, the group became called “The Jazz Crusaders” and recorded its first album entitled: “Freedom Sound”, released with the Pacific Jazz label and obtained a remarkable success of criticism and sales. From there, Sample acted regularly with his band, which developed a sound mixture of soul and jazz that evolved without stridency towards the funk, and with whom he continued until his last days of life, with different formations.

At the same time, Joe Sample developed a solid career as a session musician and tours with jazz musicians such as Johnny Hartman (1965), Harold Land (1967), Bobby Hutcherson (1968), Oliver Nelson, Quincy Jones, Bobby Bryant or Donald Byrd ( 1971), in addition to accompanying pop musicians such as Diana Ross or The Jackson Five.

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Joe Sample made a large number of recordings, in the 1970s, with Joni Mitchell, Joan Báez, Carmen McRAe, Ray Charles, Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Stanley Turrentine, Steely Dan, and many others. He participated in the group “La Express”, by the saxophonist Tom Scott and, within his group “The Crusaders” (which had already disembarked from the title of “Jazz” in his name since 1972), he collaborated with artists like David T. Walker , Chuck Rainey, Billy Preston, Leon Ndugu Chancler, Randy Crawford or Joe Cocker.

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As a soloist, or main artist, Joe Sample began recording in 1969 with his debut album for the “Sonet” seal, entitled: “Fancy Dance”, reissued in the 1980s in Spain by the Spanish Phonographic Company (CFE), inside From his series «Jazz Stop», which he directed musically, Juan Claudio Cifuentes. In the last years of his career, it should be noted for his quality, and for his personal interpretive style, his albums with singer Randy Crawford, with whom he had already collaborated in “The Crusaders”, and who, after a long retirement, returned to Sample’s hand in 2006.

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Sample, who always recognized having been influenced by pianists Horace Silver and McCoy Tyner, with whom he shared melodic concepts and clear reminiscences of black religious music, when he acted as a companion of jazz musicians, revealed a powerful energy of true “bopper.” Sample left a wide discography, which covered several musical styles, and made in different contexts, but always leaving his personal seal in each of them.

In the early 1970s, when the Jazz audience decreased, the band experienced another name change, this meant a change in the musical direction. Increasing its sound with electric guitar and electric bass, with Joe Sample playing mainly electric keyboards. With a more funky sound, a new emphasis on danceable rhythms and the addition of pop songs from the Beatles and others to their repertoire, the crusaders disgusted many critics but greatly expanded their audience. His first album was released with the “Blue Thumb” seal in 1972.

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Some of Joe Sample’s most important recordings in the last years of his career are the duets with singer Lalah Hathaway, and The Pean Tree (2002); His 2004 album for Verve entitled: “Soul Shadows”, where he paid tribute to Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton, and in 2007, recorded “Feeling Good” with vocalist Randy Crawford. As for his live performances, it is worth highlighting his performance in Lel “Waterfront Hall” in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on May 28, 2000, playing the keyboard alone in “Deeper Than You Think” by George Benson. This concert was recorded and then a DVD titled George Benson was launched: Absolutely Live.

Joe Sample left signs throughout his albums, more than thirty as leader of his own groups and near eighty as a collaborator of other projects with his colleagues by profession, of his high capacity to adapt to other contexts, other musical genres and , in all of them, their presence in the piano or on the keyboards was decisive for the success of the project.

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Some of Sample’s works were featured on The Weather Channel’s “Local on the 8s” segments and his song “Rainbow Seeker” is included in their 2008 compilation release, The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz II. Nicole Kidman sang his song “One Day I’ll Fly Away” in the Baz Luhrmann film Moulin Rouge! (2001). The popular “In All My Wildest Dreams”, also from the 1978 album Rainbow Seeker, was sampled on Tupac’s “Dear Mama”, De La Soul’s “WRMS’s Dedication to the Bitty”, Toni Braxton’s “What’s Good” and Arrested Development’s “Africa’s Inside Me”

Sample died in 2014 of mesothelioma in Houston, Texas, at the age of 75. At the time of his death, Sample had been working on a project, “Quadroon,” with singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke.

Joe Sample Discography (on Wikipedia)

Street Life · Joe Sample

Electric Guitar: Dean Parks Producer: George Duke Background Vocals: Jim Gilstrap Keyboards, Synthesizer: Joe Sample Co- Producer: Joe Sample Percussion: Lenny Castro Background Vocals: Lori Perry Background Vocals: Lynn Davis Bass: Marcus Miller Drums: Steve Gadd Contributor: George Duke Composer: Joe Sample Lyricist: Will Jennings.

Jazz Pianist Joe Sample | Folks (1987)

This episode of the series “Folks” from May 10, 1987, focuses on jazz pianist Joe Sample’s visit to Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to teach a master class at the School of Music. Sample, a Louisiana native, grew up in Houston, Texas. Sonya Masingale first interviews Sample, who discusses: his love of Louisiana food; the special sound produced by musicians from Louisiana; his commitment to teaching students; practicing for several hours every day; and jazz as an art form. Masingale then presents highlights from Sample’s concert with the Southern University Jazz Band.

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