Joe Sample 1939-2014

[Rosco]

Crusaders pianist Joe Sample has passed away. This was posted on his Facebook page this morning:

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.

[king ubu]

Sad news!

Never managed to hear him live, but The Crusaders were part of what ultimately drew me to jazz!

[T.D.]

RIP.

I've recently been enjoying the Jazz Crusaders Mosaic.

[Hardbopjazz]

Wow. Sad news. RIP Joe. Thanks for the music.

[sidewinder]

Sorry to hear this, RIP. I'll spin the Jazz Crusaders Mosaic today.

[Cyril]

Sad news. R.I.P.

http://www.joy105.com/r-i-p-joe-sample/

[Michael Weiss]

This is no bullshit: I had a dream about four hours ago where I was asking a friend if he was familiar with "Blues Up Tight" from the Jazz Crusader's "Live at the Lighthouse '66."

[Teasing the Korean]

Chile Con Soul is one of my favorite Latin jazz records ever. RIP.

[mjzee]

Very sad; RIP. I greatly enjoy the Mosaic set. What I most remember Sample for, of course, was his huge commercial explosion: Street Life and Carmel. Huge, huge sellers, played everywhere.

[clifford_thornton]

Wow. RIP.

[flat5]

I remember when 'Tough Talk' came on the radio.

I really enjoyed that piece.

RIP Joe Sample.

[A Lark Ascending]

I'm the least funky person on the planet but I love the Crusaders and Jazz Crusaders.

R.I.P.

[Jim R]

Sad news!

Never managed to hear him live, but The Crusaders were part of what ultimately drew me to jazz!

Saw them a few times around 1973, and every time I listened to "Scratch", I felt like I was right there with them again. They definitely played a big part in getting me into jazz.

Very sad; RIP. I greatly enjoy the Mosaic set. What I most remember Sample for, of course, was his huge commercial explosion: Street Life and Carmel. Huge, huge sellers, played everywhere.

Interesting. I never realized that "Carmel" was a huge seller, or seen as a "commercial" thing. I didn't hear it much on radio around here*, but I bought it and loved it. That is one beautiful and distinctive piano album. For me, Joe was the heart and soul of the Crusaders, even though Henderson was the acknowledged leader.

(* Ironically, since Carmel is only about 1-2 hours from here)

Edited September 13, 2014 by Jim R

[BillF]

Saw The Crusaders round about 1979. They were so in at the time that BBC Radio 4's "Today" briefly featured them in a theme tune IIRC!!

[etherbored]

omg, what a loss. i was just sharing with daniel a personal experience i had with joe once that was unforgettable. i truly cherish his solo work as well as that of the crusaders. rest in peace, my sir.

[mikeweil]

Very sorry to hear this - it's only a few months ago that I really started to appreciate him as a pianist. R.I.P.

[sgcim]

Very sad to hear. I loved his work on Michael Franks' "The Art of Tea"

RIP, Mr. Sample.

[JSngry]

Very sad; RIP. I greatly enjoy the Mosaic set. What I most remember Sample for, of course, was his huge commercial explosion: Street Life and Carmel. Huge, huge sellers, played everywhere.

Interesting. I never realized that "Carmel" was a huge seller, or seen as a "commercial" thing. I didn't hear it much on radio around here*, but I bought it and loved it. That is one beautiful and distinctive piano album. For me, Joe was the heart and soul of the Crusaders, even though Henderson was the acknowledged leader.

(* Ironically, since Carmel is only about 1-2 hours from here)

#56 on the Billboard album charts, #25 R&B, and #1 Jazz: http://www.allmusic.com/album/carmel-mw0000188635/awards

The one of that ilk I liked best came later:

But no matter the ilk, Joe Sample always brought it.

RIP, sir. Your presence & honesty is already missed.

[CJ Shearn]

Very sad to hear. I loved his work on Michael Franks' "The Art of Tea"

RIP, Mr. Sample.

Same here, love his solo on "Eggplant"

[sidewinder]

Saw The Crusaders round about 1979. They were so in at the time that BBC Radio 4's "Today" briefly featured them in a theme tune IIRC!!

They were definitely 'in' around them. 'Street Life' would have been current - in fact I remember being in a record shop (now long gone) circa 1976 and a load of teens of both sexes digging 'Those Southern Knights' as it was given a spin on the deck.

[BillF]

Saw The Crusaders round about 1979. They were so in at the time that BBC Radio 4's "Today" briefly featured them in a theme tune IIRC!!

They were definitely 'in' around them. 'Street Life' would have been current - in fact I remember being in a record shop (now long gone) circa 1976 and a load of teens of both sexes digging 'Those Southern Knights' as it was given a spin on the deck.

Yes, "Street Life" was the big hit at the time. I was taken to the Crusaders concert by some decidedly non-jazz fans.

[soulpope]

Joe Sample RIP

Edited September 14, 2014 by soulpope

[bluesoul]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2014/09/13/arts/ap-us-obit-joe-sample.html?ref=arts

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Bloody bad week - Gerald Wilson, Cosimo Matassa and now Joe...

RIP Joe. So many worlds appreciated you for real.

MG

[John L]

Very sad news indeed. RIP Joe Sample