All Artists: Joe Sample Title: Soul Shadows Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label: Universal Release Date: 9/6/2004 Album Type: Import Genre: Jazz Style: Smooth Jazz Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 |
![]() | Joe Sample Soul Shadows Genre: Jazz
As a founding member of the soul-jazz Crusaders, Houston-born pianist Joe Sample has been deemed a lightweight by some critics. On his first solo-piano CD, dedicated to the pioneering bandleader James Reese Europe, Sample... more » |
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Amazon.com As a founding member of the soul-jazz Crusaders, Houston-born pianist Joe Sample has been deemed a lightweight by some critics. On his first solo-piano CD, dedicated to the pioneering bandleader James Reese Europe, Sample demonstrates his jazz cred with a mastery of stride and ragtime. Save for reflective and expansive reprises of hits "Spellbound" and "Soul Shadows," Sample delves into early 20th Century pop and Tin Pan Alley standards. The supple, southern syncopations on Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" and Jelly Roll Morton's sizzling "Shreveport Stomp" offer evidence of Sample's strong left hand and the elegance of his improvisations, mixing blues feeling, Creole rhythms, and elements of the European classics. One should not judge this artist by his smooth jazz cover. --Eugene Holley, Jr. Similar CDs
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CD ReviewsSomeone who took the dare Joe Junkie | Europe | 12/17/2004 (5 out of 5 stars) "I have been an avid Joe Sample fan for years. I was quite delighted and astounded by this CD. It is a BIG departure from the type of music that he is known for playing. I for one enjoyed it very much. Nowadays, music of all types is so "cookie-cutterish" that it is boring. Musicians no longer dare to stray from their comfort zone or should I say the Music execs and general buying public's comfort zone. For me, this CD illustrates Joe Sample's true talent, creativity and genius. His rendention of Avalon is beyond words. I appluaded Joe Sample for taking the dare and showing us "what he is truly made of"!!!!!!! I wish that more musicians would bare their souls as Joe Sample has." Taking the past into the future T. Bekken | Austmarka Norway | 03/08/2005 (5 out of 5 stars) "Joe Sample has always been an accomplished musician, as a member of The Crudaders, or as a solo artist. However, many of his albums have been too slick for their own good, and not always cutting edge achievements. This solo piano record is just that; a stunning, cutting edge achievement. Sample takes old, worn-out material and reinvents the songs into something startlingly fresh, modern and fascinating. His stride style is reminiscent of the late Willie 'The Lion' Smith - fluent and easy, with just the right amount of swing and energy to make it totally commanding. His reworkings of warhorses like 'The Entertainer', 'It's a Sin To Tell a Lie', 'Avalon' etc bring these old standards into our time - and even further into the future. The whole disc proves that no music is too old or forever lost to the passing winds of fashion as long as somebody is willing to take it seriously and reinterpret it with the modern listener in mind." Spontaneous and totally unpredictable P. Masuda | Encino, CA | 12/26/2004 (4 out of 5 stars) "Yes, I too was totally shocked by Joe's departure from the
smooth jazz/fusion/soul/r&b style that has made him a legend for the past 30 years or more!! However, I acquired a taste for his completely fresh approach to ragtime, stride, and early jazz classics! He is totally unpredictable in his arrangements and interpretations of this standards. There is no way you can listen and say, oh, yeah, lounge music, I get the idea. You may even take some time to get used to how he has treated these great tunes. But Joe has always been an original, never a copier, and he is always thoughtful and philosophical in his approach. I would love to see him perform these songs live, I know it would be entertaining!" |