One of the many jazzmen who started out playing hard rock but went electric during the fusion era, Joe Sample was, in the late '50s, a founding member of The Jazz Crusaders along with trombonist Wayne Henderson, tenor saxman Wilton Felder, and drummer Stix Hooper. The Crusaders' debt to Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers wasn't hard to miss -- except that the L.A.-based unit had no trumpeter, and became known for its unique tenor/trombone front line. sample, a hard-swinging player who could handle chordal and modal/scalar improvisation equally well, stuck to the acoustic piano during The Crusaders' early years -- but would place greater emphasis on electric keyboards when the band turned to jazz funk in the early '70s and dropped "Jazz" from its name. Though he'd recorded as a trio pianist on 1969's obscure Fancy Dance, 1978's Rainbow Seeker was often described as his first album as a leader. In contrast to the gritty music The Crusaders became known for, sample's own albums on MCA and, later, Warner Bros. and PRA have generally favored a very lyrical and introspective jazz pop approach. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi