By James Porter
Singer/trumpeter Sam Thousand’s musical mind is expansive and diverse. When he’s not composing soundtracks, he’s mentoring and instructing others. As the CEO of Superlative Musik, he is also heavily involved in management (“it helps eliminate any type of ambiguity or any type of mistakes in communication”). As the frontman of the Soul Vortex, he combines the best of neo-soul with the complex strides of jazz. When the groove hits, the audience isn’t just admiring from afar – there is total involvement from all sides.
“The reason I’ve been a full-time artist for the last ten years,” says Thousand, “is understanding that live performance is truly about creating a moment in real time and collaborating, not only with the artists on stage, but you’re also collaborating with the audience as well. From my perspective, I’m always trying to bring the audience in and allow them to be a part of that moment.”
Originally from Texas, Thousand (nee Sam Trump) relocated to Chicago to study at Columbia College. From there, he first became visible in the early 2010s as a member of the hip-hop band Sidewalk Chalk. Realizing that the city is spread out, with several different scenes, Thousand set out to cover as much ground as possible, from several different angles. In addition to the clubs, he kept his chops up composing for soundtracks, plays and podcasts. Thousand has no problem switching energies. As he says, “For stuff that’s pre-done, it’s about perfecting the moment, and for stuff that’s live, it’s about creating it on the spot. I’m really just trying to use all that I have in that moment or over a period of time to create the best moment and perfect it.”
Thousand states that his “continual life journey” has been “to be a pioneer of new directions within the scenes that I am in. That is a continual life journey. I’m always trying to do new things, and that’s what’s going to create a spark. I want to be either that spark or a part of the spark.”
Grab your tickets for Sam Thousand and The Soul Vortex at Robert’s Sunday, April 21st.
