Dewey Sampson began studying and performing classical violin, while during his high school years he bought an inexpensive bass and began to teach himself the instrument. He “got hooked” on jazz while attending college at Jackson State University, where he’d hang out with friends listening to records and hitting some clubs. “I thought it was cool and hip,” he says, and he decided he wanted to play it. Sampson would spend the summers in Louisiana where his mother’s family resided and where he heard even more jazz on the street and on the radio. His first professional gig came around 1960, playing standards at a hotel in Jackson. After receiving a degree in music, Sampson went into the service. While stationed in Germany, he met a lot of jazz musicians and continued to play. After he was discharged he remained in Atlanta for 16 years, finding work with the likes of James Moody, Freddy Cole and Duke Pearson. Sampson was headed to New York in ’88, when he through New Orleans to say “hello” to his family. Having played some traditional jazz in Atlanta, he was familiar with the repertoire and began performing with trumpeter Teddy Riley (All-Star 1990), pianist Phamous Lambert (All-Star 1998) and many others. He soon began playing on the modern jazz scene, appearing regularly with pianist Ellis Marsalis. “I could bounce between the two [styles],” says Sampson. “I’m not all modern and I’m not all tradition, I’m a musician first.” He left in ’97 and headed to Belgium, where his wife’s family lived, and stayed there eight years before going to live in Burundi, Africa. “I like traveling; I like to open my head up to the world,” he says. Sampson recently returned to New Orleans, feeling it important for his son to know his family in America. He’s gigging regularly and, as always, he continues to teach.

Quotable: “To play music is a joy in itself. It’s the freedom to express yourself. It’s a thing you don’t retire from, you keep learning.”