Barry Sames

Barry Sames?

BARRY SAMES personifies the very essence of versatility through music that motivates listeners to embrace the fullness and freedom of creativity. A seasoned pianist/composer & producer, Barry is a "musician's musician" who articulates familiar feelings, creating music that is spiritual, soulful, yet progressive minded. He has taken his music around the world, and sees music as a bridge to cultural understanding and peace.

The New Jersey native graduated Temple University's School of music, and shortly thereafter joined Philadelphia-based ethno-fusion group, The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, recording and performing original compositions. As time went on, Barry became a highly sought after accompanist for some of Philadelphia's most noted jazz and blues vocal talents. Mr. Sames spent the next few years developing his sound, traveling to Europe and Japan with Philadelphia artists Cornell Rochester, Nathan Ingram and the late Keisa Brown. Barry co-founded an original five-piece fusion band INSYNK, which featured saxophonist Chris Hunter (Michel Camillo) and Drummer Ishmael Wilburn (Weather Report), performing & recording his first CD.

About the same time, Barry brought his jazz music into the church, composing and arranging for jazz vespers concerts, performing in churches nationwide. His ensemble was selected to perform for the National Lutheran Church-wide Assembly. This laid the foundation for "Awaiting the Spirit", a gospel/jazz CD that Sames released in 1998 that was highly praised in the music industry. Barry was also jazz artist-in-residence at First United Methodist Church in Philadelphia (1997-2000). While in the residency, he was able to write original works for choir and various ensembles including jazz, gospel, Brazilian, African and Latin, and utilized musical talent from Philadelphia (Doc Gibbs, John Blake, Marlon Simon, Monette Sudler) as well as New York jazz talent (Chris Hunter, Dwayne Eubanks, Abu Mboup, Sam Newsome, William Cepeda, etc.) While in this residency, Mr. Sames began to explore combining strings with various ethnic musical genres, and also incorporated various choirs and jazz vocal soloists from Philadelphia. Barry began working with violin virtuoso Meg Okura. The duo worked an 8-city tour of Japan, and then concerts in U.S. churches, including Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral in Orange County, CA. Mr. Sames also co-produced Ms. Okura's gospel CD "Never Alone". That same year, he was commissioned by the Methodist church to write and perform a sacred concert for jazz orchestra and choir. This concert was a feature of the Fels Planetarium’s "Jazz Under the Stars" series in Philadelphia. He later performed his sacred Christmas concert at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall. In 2003 Barry Recorded a 3rd CD, "Celebrate" which included many of his jazz Christmas arrangements for singers and large ensemble.

Since 2000 Mr. Sames has produced various jazz & gospel artist projects, attended UCLA's film scoring program, where he studied film scoring and studio conducting. He has produced music for infomercials and scored independent films/documentaries in Philadelphia and New York. In 2004 Barry began exploring new world music genres, co-founding the group M’Oud Swing with Moroccan musical partner and oudist Karim Kadiri. This jazz sextet combines Moroccan and Berber and Andalusian music and rhythms with western jazz, and recorded their first CD in March of 2007. They have performed in Philadelphia, New York, Washington DC and Morocco, and the musicians diverse backgrounds (Latino, Lebanese, Moroccan and American) serve the group as a model for peace. They have performed for various political and humanitarian functions relating to Morocco, Palestine and Israel.

Mr. Sames is currently the assistant Music Director at Saints Memorial Baptist Church in Bryn Mawr, PA, where he directs and arranges for the Wayman Walker gospel choir and instrumental ensemble. His plans for 2007 involve development of a jazz ministry in Center City Philadelphia that reaches out to the jazz community and musicians. His sacred jazz group will perform in July 2007 at the National Baptist Church Luncheon in Washington DC. Mr. Sames presently teaches piano privately, and is also an instructor for Musicopia, performing Latin and jazz workshops in the Philadelphia public elementary and high schools.

Barry's most current creation is that of his first child, David Alejandro Sames, who was born early December 2006. He lives with his wife Naida and son in Philadelphia, and continues to make music both abroad and in the community.

CD credits:

Awaiting the Spirit, Barry Sames Jazz Ensemble, Intrigue IR 1998

VIDEO CREDITS

Champions on Ice, Vol. I, II, & III, Tom Collins Productions, 2002
Montel Williams System 21 infomercial, Good times Video, 2002
Chuck Norris/Christie Brinkley's Total Gym video infomercial, 2002
Jackie Chan's Cable flex Infomercial, Good times Video, 2001
Richard Simmons Workout Videos (6), Los Angeles, CA, 2000-2001