Jazz Articles about Joe Sample

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Big Band tedesche in gran spolvero

by Angelo Leonardi
March 12, 2015

Da almeno trent'anni in Germania operano alcune delle migliori orchestre mainstream d'Europa, ormai famose per le collaborazioni coi massimi jazzisti contemporanei. Tra i vari collettivi, la NDR Big Band di Amburgo e la WDR Big Band di Colonia si collocano oggi ai vertici internazionali, sapendo coniugare alta professionalità tecnica a doti di flessibilità, fantasia e apertura verso i più diversi ambiti espressivi. In questi due dischi appena pubblicati, la politica di ospitare i protagonisti del jazz si ...

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Joe Sample & the NDR Big Band Orchestra: Children of the Sun

by Jack Bowers
December 15, 2014

Toward the end of his remarkable career, the late pianist Joe Sample (he died on September 12, 2014) traveled to Hamburg, Germany, to record Children of the Sun, a suite of his own music, with the splendid NDR Big Band. The eleven compositions were inspired by Sample's appearance at the 1995 St. Croix Jazz Festival, where he weighed the beauty of that island paradise against the brutality of slavery (17th Century St. Croix was a crucial part of what is ...

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Joe Sample: Feeling Good

by Katrina-Kasey Wheeler
April 10, 2007

Jazz visionary and founding member of the Jazz Crusaders, pianist Joe Sample has reunited once again with Randy Crawford on Feeling Good (PRA, 2007). The results are magical. They first worked together on the title track to the Crusaders' Street Life, (MCA, 1979), which became an international hit, and “Feeling Good is sure to follow along the same path to success. It is a true testament to the incredible musicianship of all the artists included on this project, which includes ...

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The Jazz Crusaders: The Pacific Jazz Quintet Studio Sessions

by George Harris
April 5, 2006

If songs like “Scratch" come to mind when you think of the Jazz Crusaders, you are in for a real treat with this six-CD set. Originally including “jazz" in their moniker, Wayne Henderson (trombone), Wilton Felder (tenor), Joe Sample (piano) and Stix Hooper (drums) put together a collection of studio recordings that offers a pleasant surprise for mainstream jazz fans. This rocking set reveals the origins and many directions this multifaceted band took during the musically tumultuous '60s.

Listening to ...

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Jazz Crusaders: The Pacific Jazz Quintet Studio Sessions

by C. Andrew Hovan
November 7, 2005

You would think that in this day and age of compact disc reissues and with many years of activity under our belts that just about everything worthy of release has at one time or another made it to the stores. But even though jazz stands in good steed these days in terms of the availability of classic music, there still exists small pockets of music that have somehow eluded us and that is where this set falls. And when a ...

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Joe Sample: The Pecan Tree

by Mike Perciaccante
July 24, 2002

Wow! I don't think there is a better description for this new recording from Joe Sample. I truly believe that this is the best jazz CD that I have heard in the past year.

If you're a new listener to jazz, Sample is an accomplished composer, keyboardist and co-founder of the Crusaders. The Pecan Tree is his newest and quite possibly finest recording. For the Pecan Tree, Sample has ventured back to his roots, down to the city ...

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Joe Sample featuring Lalah Hathaway: The Song Lives On

by Dave Hughes
March 1, 2000

Joe Sample's latest release, The Song Lives On , is appropriately titled. One of the CD's finest attributes is the excellent song selection. The Peggy Lee classic "Fever" is tastefully covered here, and Sample's own "Street Life" is reprised again, but the remainder of the program is new, at least to my ears. Most of the tunes establish an emotional connection with the listener; they're beautiful, pensive, soulful, and often introspective. Titles such as "Living in Blue," "When ...