Joe Sample parted with the Crusaders and started his solo recording career in the late-70s as fusion was beginning to fade and contemporary jazz was taking a turn toward melody and texture with a heavy dose of R&B and funk. Rainbow Seeker, his first album for MCA records, was one of the albums that defined this era. Carmel had an equivalent impact, but by the early-80s record companies had become intrigued with the crossover success of Grover Washington, Jr. and George Benson and started pressuring their jazz-oriented artists to stick to the formula that was supposed to generate radio-friendly hits. Sample’s subsequent albums for the label never dropped into mediocrity, but they did veer away from his original voice until he left the label and signed with Warner Bros. at the end of the decade. Spellbound, his first release for the label, is everything a contemporary jazz CD should be, both instrumentally and vocally.

Spellbound reunited Sample with producer Tommy LiPuma, who was in the process of signing and producing a group of vocalists and instrumentalists who would define the sound of contemporary jazz and NAC music in the pre-smooth era. They brought in the heavy hitters for this one, too. The core group consisted of Marcus Miller (bass), Omar Hakim (drums), Lenny Castro (percussion), and Michael Landau (guitar) as well as three of Warner’s most individualistic and innovative vocal signings: Al Jarreau, Michael Franks, and Take 6.  The sound that defines this work is piano virtuosity over layers of synths with some funky basslines and searing guitar work surrounding a group of vocal songs so strong that to this day they remain the standard for what smooth jazz vocals can be and should be.
 
The thing I’ve always loved about Joe Sample is that he plays piano with both strength and sensitivity. A lot of piano driven songs in this genre start out with a lot of momentum and then dissolve into cocktail piano bar noodling. Even when an improvisational passage is not driven by powerful chording, Sample’s work doesn’t veer into that territory. There is an economy to his playing. He doesn’t showcase his technique at the expense of the song. Listen to his solos in “Luna En New York” and “All God’s Children” and the tight melody line on the title track. One of the obvious differences between then and now is how up-front the bass and guitar leads are. The opener, “Seven Years Of Good Luck,” is underscored by Miller’s bassline and he gets an extended speaker shakin’ solo during “Bone’s Jive,” which also features some rock-led work from Landau that is scorching and understated at the same time. “Sermonized” shifts from an Asian-flavored melody to some fast and fluid keyboard runs over a bass-driven rhythm track. The band steps aside as the album closes with “Looking Glass,” a gorgeously lyrical ballad that features Sample with only acoustic bass accompaniment.

Sample co-wrote the vocal songs – two of them with Michael Franks, one with several members of Take 6 and one with Ruben Blades. These are well-crafted, thoughtful, catchy songs that share a lot of sonic threads with the instrumentals. They enhance the vibe of the project instead of being the diversion or distraction.  “Somehow Our Love Survives” is one of the best songs Al Jarreau ever got his hands on. He just wraps his voice around a Franks lyric with imagery so clear you can visualize the scene as he sings the irresistible hook-heavy verses and chorus. The instrumentation on “Leading Me Back to You” is a perfect setting for Franks’ voice. The buzz on Take 6 was just starting at that point in time and “U-Turn,” their first recording with background instrumentation, showcased their clear, seamless harmonies in a musical motivational seminar that is as wise, catchy and never preachy.

What is remarkable about Spellbound is the cohesiveness it maintains while covering such broad musical turf. Sample’s extraordinary technique and some mood-generating synth shadings that recur throughout create an instantly identifiable sound that draws you in, keeps your hands off the skip button and keeps this CD in your player even after all these years. Whether you’re a fan who somehow missed it the first time, someone who is new to this music and starting to build a collection, or one of those who fell by the wayside as homogeneity became rampant, this one reminds you of where we began and where we could be.

- Shannon West