In memory of Joe Sample

I was saddened to hear of longtime jazz musician Joe Sample's death Friday at 75.  His many decades on piano as a member and composer for The Jazz Crusaders, shortened in the early '70s to The Crusaders, along with his work as a solo artist and session musician, produced countless hours of captivating music.

The first jazz album I ever checked out of the library in grade school was a Crusaders album, "Rhapsody And Blues."  At the time, my knowledge of jazz was fairly limited, but as I looked at the many Crusaders albums available, I thought, "There must be a reason why this band has been around so long and has released so many albums."  "Rhapsody And Blues" turned out to be a rewarding first choice and is still one of my favorite albums.  In addition to his solo albums, which are well worth many listens, some of Joe Sample's most compelling compositions for The Crusaders are:

• Chain Reaction (This is the title track of one of the group's strongest albums.  Each band member is in top form.  The band turned in some of its best fusion on this album.)
• Don't Let It Get You Down (A memorable, infectious, of-its-time hook, carried home by Sample's keyboard, Wilton Felder's tenor sax, and hand claps.)
• Jazz! (The band roars in with a track that lives up to its name and incorporates a "Twilight Zone" riff, as needed.)
• Last Call (One of the strongest tracks on the "Rhapsody And Blues" album; a great workout for piano, sax, and drums.)
• Listen And You'll See (A somewhat more low-key, midtempo groove, in which each lead instrument gets a chance to shine.)
• Put It Where You Want It (One of the band's most well-known melodies; another of-its-time melody in the best possible sense.)
• Rhapsody And Blues (One of the group's most elegant, orchestral compositions, suitable for quiet contemplation or drifting off into slumber.)
• A Search For Soul (I first heard this on a small AM station, KIRL, in the early '80s, and was transfixed.  Sample's piano riff takes its time, draws you in, and keeps you primed for the influx of trombone-saxophone punctuation, courtesy of Wayne Henderson and Wilton Felder.)
• Snowflake (A melody with a suitable title, particularly as a snowfall starts to pick up.)
• Soul Shadows (An overlooked track that pays tribute to several jazz greats, with Bill Withers giving appropriate gravity to the vocals.  Co-composed by Will Jennings.)