Articles

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

By Jack Bowers

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 ...

Joe Sample: Feeling Good

By Katrina-Kasey Wheeler

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 ...

Joe Sample: The Pecan Tree

By Mike Perciaccante

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 ...

Joe Sample featuring Lalah Hathaway: The Song Lives On

By Dave Hughes

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 ...

Joe Sample: Sample This

By AAJ Staff

Though he's often fared well in the so-called “smooth jazz" and “quiet storm" markets, Joe Sample has, for the most part, maintained his integrity. Much of his work has been commercial yet creative, and on Sample This, the pianist/keyboardist revisits some of the high points of his career with generally substantial and enjoyable results. When Sample digs into both classics from his years with The Crusaders (including “Chain Reaction" and “Free As The Wind") and songs he's done on his ...

Joe Sample: Rainbow Seeker

By AAJ Staff

If you don't know what “pocket" is, listen to most any Joe Sample release, but especially Rainbow Seeker (1978, MCA). You'd think the term was invented for this collection of groove jazz. Of course when released, I'm sure it wasn't considered ground-breaking, but it is an incredible example of how compositions and solos can be built around the pocket. Unfortunately, my copy of the disc doesn't tell me who's playing on the tracks, so I gleaned the album personnel info ...