Those that know me well or have known me for a long time know what Joe Sample 's music means to me. It was in my mother's womb that I experienced his music for the very first time. The album... "Rainbow Seeker". She played it for me constantly. I'll never forget when I was a small child, I became infatuated with the colors of the rainbow going down the side of his body. When I was old enough to put the album on the record player by myself, it was one of the only albums I listened to until I was 14 years old. His music "caught" me early on.
I've told this story before, but I'll condense and share it one last time. I will never forget the day in this photo. I was playing keyboards in the Gene Dunlap Band at the time and he told me that we would be opening a show for Joe Sample. My chance to meet and talk to the man was coming. We took the stage and played a couple tunes and in the middle of one of my solos, Joe comes to the side of the stage and looked on. When our set was finished, he complimented my playing and I was able to share with him that he was the reason why I played. I will never forget his words of wisdom that day and him being gracious enough to sign the Rainbow Seeker album for my mom... more on that later.
It's unbelievable that the man that is the reason I'm a musician today is gone. His music has been the soundtrack of my life for 34 years. It was also his music that made me want to dig deeper. Go back to the past, live in the present, and see what the future had in store for jazz. It also made me dig deeper into his other works. The Jazz Crusaders, to the Jackson 5, to Marvin Gaye, to Minnie Ripperton, to Michael Franks... Joe did it ALL. He was one of the most special pianist to ever sit down to the instrument and people knew that. One of the most original pianist ever.
Joe... thank you for sharing your very special gift with the world. You will be missed. Sending my prayers and positive energy to his wife, Yolanda, and also to his son, Nicklas.
What make this all so very special to me...
This photo below represents something really special to both of us. She's a huge fan of Joe Sample and his music and bought this album (Rainbow Seeker) back in 1978. While pregnant with me, this is one of the albums she listened to the most and that's why I'm such a believer and admirer of his music now.
When she found out that I was serious about playing music and playing jazz in particular, she gave me this album to study and to also start my record collection. It was 1994. Ten years later (2004), while opening for Joe Sample at Freedom Hill, I got a chance to sit and talk with him and I shared how much his music meant to me and my mom and how it helped her through some really difficult times. I asked him to autograph it to her, and he did.
Let's fast forward another ten years to 2014... I presented this album back to my mom with Joe's autograph to her. The joy it brought to her face... unexplainable. I was so happy to do this for her. She is such an amazing woman!!
Rest well, Master Joseph Leslie "Joe" Sample.
~B.