I have yet to find one person who has heard of the best band from Boulder, Colorado known as The Samples. It is very disheartening for me to realize not too many people have experienced the unbelievable sound and style characterized by this group. I hope to remedy this unfortunate situation with this review.

I tripped across The Samples' newest album, "Underwater People" in my local music store's Jazz section. Wait! Don't stop reading, let me explain. Obviously they did not know where to put a band with so much talent. They probably had never heard music quite as good as The Samples and because of this they had no idea where it belonged. I think the band deserves a section all to itself, especially now that they have three albums. (I think I would be hard-pressed to find a music store that agreed with me, however true this statement might be.)

The Samples consist of four unbelievably skilled musicians: Sean on guitar and vocals; Al Laughlin on keyboards and vocal; Jeep on drums and percussion and Andy S. on bass and vocals. Their latest album is a compilation of eight songs, four new and four taken from their previous two albums. Branford Marsalis adds an excellent dimension with his guest appearance, as does Charles Hambleton with his guitar in two different songs.

I cannot come up with adequate words to describe this band. They are like no other band. They and their songs are full of contagious energy. I guarantee that anyone who dares to track down The Samples will love their music as much as I do. n