The Crusaders - 1980 BBC In Concert, UK - R.I.P. Joe Sample
The sad news today of the passing of one the greatest Jazz Keyboardists in the 20th century. A favorite of mine and In Memorial of Joe here's a show from the Crusaders still riding high on the sucess of Street Life lp. Originally Broadcast in 1981, The show is FM Sourced, without a date, and is the Original File set. Thanks to the original 2008 seeder. Most of all Thanks for all the great music you gave us Joe!
The Crusaders,
BBC In Concert 1980,
Hammersmith Odeon, London UK.
The Crusaders:
Joe Sample: Keyboards
Wilton Felder: Tenor Sax
Stix Hooper: Drums
Barry Finnerty: Guitar
Roy Gaines: Guitar
Keith Jones: Bass
Randy Crawford: Guest Vocals on Track-7
Setlist:
1) The Hustler (12:59)
2) Rainbow Seeker (8:36)
3) Sweet Gentle Love (6:44)
4) It Happens Every Day (9:38)
5) Carmel (5:41)
6) Way Back Home (8:55)
7) Street Life (21:02)
Original 2008 Lineage:
Trio Stereo Tuner > Sony HIFI cassette deck > WAV (Cooledit) > CDR1 > EAC WAV > FLAC
"Jazz is Universal in Any Language"
Not For Sale, Trade only!
All the best in Music
Jazamo 9/13/2014
------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Sample: February 1, 1939 - September 12, 2014
Sample�s family confirmed the sad news with a post on his Facebook page, which read: �At 9:50pm (Houston,TX time), September 12, 2014, Joe Sample passed. His wife Yolanda and his son Nicklas would like to thank all of you, his fans and friends, for your prayers and support during this trying time. Please know that Joe was aware and very appreciative of all of your prayers, comments, letters/cards and well wishes.�
The exact cause of death was not confirmed by his family; however, Sample suffered from a number of health issues over the last few years. After suffering a heart attack in 1994, and a second in 2009, he was recently hospitalized once again due to pneumonia. Sample attributed these struggles to �the vagaries of life, and a little bit of old age.�
While these struggles forced him to cancel a number of shows recently, including a planned three-day residency at London�s Ronnie Scott�s Jazz Club last month, the electricity that filled the room whenever he played would never give away his age.
Joseph Leslie Sample was born on February 1, 1939 in Houston, TX. He found himself enamored shortly after being introduced to the piano at just five years of age, and stuck with the instrument throughout childhood. He eventually went on to study music performance at Texas Southern University, where he teamed up with his old friends saxophonist Wilton Felder, drummer Stix Hooper, trombonist Wayne Henderson, and several other musicians to form The Jazz Crusaders (later, just The Crusaders).
The then-teenagers would travel across the Gulf states, playing dive bars and strip clubs trying to emulate music by the likes of John Coltrane. �There was nothing city-slick about what we did,� Sample told The Independent in 1995 about the group�s musical origins.
The group never graduated from TSU. Instead, they moved from Houston to Los Angeles in the late �50s to pursue their musical aspirations as a hard-bop group, which was the dominant style of jazz in that era. The group quickly stood out from the crowd for their unique sound, which included Henderson and Felder playing choruses in unison.
This praise gave them the confidence to experiment much more with their music, until they eventually hit on a winning formula by incorporating elements of soul and funk into a unique fusion that effectively pioneered the styles and techniques we continue to hear in contemporary jazz, and other genres, to this day.
�We are the fathers of jazz-funk-fusion,� Henderson told the LA Times in 1995. �We took pop tunes� and did them melodically with a groove, so people could dance if they wanted.�
The Jazz Crusaders recorded their first album, Freedom Sound, in 1961; which served as the first of more than 40 albums the group released - 19 of which would go on to chart in the Billboard 200. They dropped the �jazz� from their name in 1971 order to align audience expectations with the increasingly experimental sounds and catchy grooves that saw them depart further from what is traditionally called �jazz.� The group added an electric bassist and guitarist, and Sample started experimenting with electric keyboards � Including the Fender Rhodes. This ushered in a new era for the group, which continued until they broke up in 1987.
Sample�s experimental energy, electric virtuosity, and unique compositions made him a highly sought-after performer and composer, and laid the groundwork for him to work with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Anita Baker, Joni Mitchell, and many others throughout the height of the Crusader�s success and beyond.
Sample was also a critically acclaimed solo performer in his own right, working with other musicians to record 21 solo albums in a career that spanned more than 50-years. He also holds writing, production, and performing credits on countless other releases.
He was truly one of the most influential pianists of a generation, and stands as fixture of contemporary jazz. Sample is survived by his wife Yolanda and his son Nicklas.