 | Freedom for Love is the acoustic-soul debut of Sam Rocha.
The five-track EP (extended play) was completed in one day (July 21, 2010) and the project is, among other things, a description of that intimate day of art. The songs traverse a narrative of love songs, ending with a jazz improvisation. The title suggests that freedom without love is bankrupt, freedom must be for love.
The EP features guitar and vocals by Sam Rocha; tenor saxophone by the acclaimed jazzman, Eddie Bayard; percussion and baritone saxophone by Walter Gershon; engineered by Dan Bozek, who also played bass on the title track.
CD's are available online at CD Baby, the Wabash College bookstore, live performances, and on Amazon and iTunes. |
| A nomad of sorts, Sam has lived all over the U.S. and five years in Mexico. He began playing guitar at the age of 5, and began singing soon thereafter. His influences range from folk, funk, soul, hip-hop, and jazz, but his roots are in church music and the Mexican folk tradition.
Over the past ten years, Sam has performed with various ensembles playing everything from gospel and contemporary Christian music, blues, pop, neo-soul/nu jazz, Latin folk, and Latin jazz.
Sam served as the principal guitarist and vocalist for Chema, Sonar, WCCO (Worship Center of Central Ohio), Peace Lutheran Church, Gruvment, Matias-Rocha y Nueva Trova, and his own various projects (not to mention countless cover bands and alike).
He has performed with the likes of Othello Molineaux, Eddie Bayard, Eddy Martinez, Pharez Whitted and has been on bills including The Roots, Floetry, Joe Lobano (Us Five), and more. Over the past year he has played at the Charleston Wine and Jazz Festival, Parkersburg Multicultural Festival, Columbus Latino Festival, Columbus Jazz Festival, Vonn Jazz Lounge (Columbus, OH), Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago, IL), Twins Jazz (Washington DC), Baltimore Museum of Art, Cafe El Sol (Milwaukee, WI), Nighttown (Cleveland, OH), Hartford Jazz Society, First Night (Knoxville, TN), Malcolm X Institute of Black Studies (Crawfordville, IN), and more.
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