Faculty
Sam Politz, Jazz Piano, Piano, Accordian
Musical Education
Piano lessons: age seven through high school, Louisiana
- 1963-1969: middle school and high school band, Louisiana. Instruments: tuba, euphonium
- 1969-70: studied classical piano with Professor Allen Hoffman at LSU School of Music, Baton Rouge
- 1973-74: studied jazz theory with Nado Shutt, Los Angeles, CA
- 1999-2004: studied jazz piano with Dick Odgren, Auburn, MA
- 2003-2004: Worcester Center for Arts/WPI Jazz Workshop, resident pianist
- 2013: studied trumpet with Jerry Sabatini, Leominster, MA
Self-taught: button accordion, piano accordion, guitar
Performance Experience
- 1963-1969: church organist, St. Jules Catholic Church, Belle Rose, LA and Brusly St. Martin, LA
- 1971-1973: Sunshine Spasm Band, Baton Rouge, LA (guitar)
- 1973: Ace Tones R & B band, Baton Rouge, LA (piano)
- 1974-1976: “chitlin circuit” perfomances with R & B artists Boogie Jake, Sonny Rhodes, at night clubs in Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond, CA (piano, accordion)
- 1983-84: Rich Becker and the Home Wreckers R & B band, Santa Cruz, CA (piano)
- 2003-2004: Jules White rock band, Rhode Island (piano)
- 2004-2012: Tuff E-Nuff rock band, Central Massachusetts (piano, synthesizer, vocals)
- 2008-present: Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, Worcester, in residence, Monday evenings (jazz and R & B piano, vocals)
- 2013-present: Deux Amis duo with Betsy Bronstein: Cajun, Klezmer, and Irish music (piano and button accordions, vocals in French and English)
Recordings
Loaded Down/Pretty Girls 45 rpm single with Boogie Jake 1976 (piano) Deux Amis, self-titled CD, 2013 (accordion, vocals)