Alexandria, VA--

PM: Mr. Sample what Artist would you personally like to work with?

JS: Most of the Artists I would have liked to performed with are dead! But I would have loved to work with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and also I would have loved to play live with Miles Davis.

PM: Would you change your music for the younger generation?

JS: I’m more of the Miles Davis type.. the old Jazz. Quarters, I love working with those artists involved with acoustic instruments. I’m more of the old Blues Artists like Howell Wolf live and in person also the legendary Mississippi Delta Blues music, the great Louie Armstrong, and those great Artists of the 1920’s and 30’s. Man working with those greats you know you have to always keep practicing or you would get blown away.

PM: How do you feel about the jazz electric era?

JS: I personally preferred my acoustic piano; I could not work with loud volume bands they are too much over the top.

PM: Where do you get your inspiration?

JS: You know inspiration is something that is always around you. I happened to be in Houston, Texas and had to be evacated because of Hurricane Rita, it was a little scary. What I saw in Lake Charles and in Beaumont Texas, when I saw the tragedy of what those folks went through in New Orleans, some things cannot be expressed with words, but it can be expressed musically, because you can feel the emotions of the pain. The one thing I do know about music is that music helps to heal the soul and those folks in New Orleans needs a lot of healing. Music in particular has the power to heal.

PM: You are a Louisiana native, what projects have you involved yourself in for the sake of the community?

JS: First of all, I hope everyone understands the tremendous tragedy that recently took place in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina, those people are really in need. Hurricane Rita hit during the week while I was in Houston, Texas performing at a benefit concert with Randy Crawford. My father is a founder for one of the first Black Catholic Schools in the state of Texas. These schools are in dire straits and in need of funding, as they were on the verge of closing. We performed at the Galveston Opera House, which survived the 1900’s Hurricane and fortunately survived Hurricane Rita, so out of all this madness going on I was honor to do this benefit to support the schools.

PM: How does your Creole heritage entwined with your music?

JS: Indigenous Creole Folk Music is what I called it. Most people say man what type of music is that? But that’s just what I called it. I’ve been working on a recording I began five years ago. My sister-in-law in doing the lyrics and it’s a project about the Creole people who live this beautiful lifestyle and the beauty of it and the Culture of Creole people hopefully this project will be completed soon.

PM: What are some of the titles for the songs in this project?

JS: “Louisiana Loving” is one and there is another one titled “Down in New Orleans”.