Jazz crusader Joe Sample dies aged 75
Monday, September 15, 2014
Pianist, keyboard player and composer Joe Sample, a founding member of jazz-funk giants The Crusaders, has died at the age of 75.
He passed away at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas at 9.50pm local time on Friday 12 September after suffering from mesothelioma.
Sample first rose to fame in the 1950s as part of hard bop ensemble the Jazz Crusaders, which he founded alongside trombonist Wayne Henderson, tenor saxophonist Wilton Felder and drummer Stix Hooper. The group released their first album Freedom Sound in 1961, building up a sizeable following from their base in Los Angeles. In the early 1970s they dropped the ‘Jazz’ prefix, becoming known simply as The Crusaders, and embraced jazz-funk, with Sample increasingly opting to play keyboards over piano, developing a gritty signature sound on Fender Rhodes. They greatly expanded their audience as a result, securing numerous chart hits, among them the Sample composition ‘Street Life’ – featuring vocalist Randy Crawford – which reached number 36 in Billboard’s Hot 100 chart following its release in 1979.
Meanwhile, Sample was enjoying a busy career as session player, recording with artists such as Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye, Steely Dan and B.B. King, which continued following the breakup of The Crusaders in 1987. The end of the group also allowed him to focus on his solo career and he released several jazz-pop albums under his own name, including three collaborations with Randy Crawford and drummer Steve Gadd on the PRA label – Feeling Good (2007), No Regrets (2008) and Live (2012) – the latter featuring Sample’s son Nicklas on bass.
Shortly before his death, the pianist had been performing with his Creole Joe Band and was working on a musical entitled Quadroon. He was due to appear at Ronnie Scott’s in London’s Soho between 7 and 9 August 2014, but the performance was cancelled in late July due to his ill health. Sample’s death was announced on 13 September via a post on his Facebook page and was accompanied by a message from his wife Yolanda and son Nicklas thanking fans for their support. “Please know that Joe was aware and very appreciative of all of your prayers, comments, letters/cards and well wishes,” it read. A superb composer and outstanding pianist, he will be greatly missed.
– Thomas Rees