It's a slight exaggeration to say that keyboardist Joe Sample rescued Randy Crawford from pop music limbo, but it's not too far from the truth. Crawford is among the most distinct vocalists working, ...

The dilemma for an artist of vocalist Randy Crawford's caliber is that, when you do a lot of things well; it's hard to say what it is you do best. Crawford has been making music since 1976 and, in ...

Veteran jazz pianist Joe Sample, a founder and staple of the much-lauded innovative combo the (Jazz) Crusaders for four decades, takes a long overdue solo turn with a six-day gig at Gotham's Blue Note ...

Joe Sample has spent so many years pursuing easy-to-play, easy-to-hear pop instrumentals that it's easy to forget just how good a jazz pianist he can be. He reminds us on his new solo-piano album, ...

Joe Sample died and was laid to rest nearly three years ago. The Houston jazz legend had survived a pair of heart attacks, one in 1994 and another in 2009. But mesothelioma took him in Sept. 2014 at ...

Nesbert “Stix” Hooper returns home this week for the first time in maybe 20 years. He thinks the last time he was here was for a class reunion at Phillis Wheatley High School. The legendary drummer ...