Album cover of ‘Third Time’s a Charm’ (courtesy of Samuel Robinson).

French teacher Sam Robinson is a beloved figure for foreign language students at LT, current French student Alessandra Feig ‘24 said. However, outside of the classroom, he continues to pursue the creative and extemporaneous nature of French as a jazz trumpeter, performing around the Chicago area and recording music. 

“I think [French and jazz] are definitely connected,” Robinson said. “Jazz is all about improvisation, and in my opinion, so is language learning. One of my goals as a French teacher is to get students to use the language in a creative way. In order to do that, students need vocabulary and knowledge of sentence structure. The same can be said about jazz: in order to solo effectively, you need to acquire the musical language. Much like learning French, this is done by immersing yourself in the music as much as possible.”

Robinson began his journey as a musician in middle school, when he moved to a new district and got involved in band because of a friend, he said. Since then, he has continued on to play at venues such as “The Outta Space” in Berwyn, “Merriman’s Playhouse” in South Bend, Ind., and, most notably, “Jazz Showcase” in Chicago. As one of the most famous and acclaimed jazz clubs in the city, this was a celebrated achievement by Robinson and his band members.

“I can remember when I was in school, driving down from [Northern Illinois University] or from high school to catch acts at the Showcase,” saxophonist Scott Angst said. “It is where you go to hear the best musicians. When we got that gig, it was definitely a big moment for us.”

Robinson and his band have released three albums so far, the most recent in November 2023. In his music, he draws inspiration from his personal life. For example, “Be With Me (Live at the Eastgate Cafe)” features tracks such as “Leia,” which is named after his daughter, and “Game, Set, Match,” alluding to his love for playing tennis. 

“I realized that if you want to make it in a big music city like Chicago, you have to get your music out there,” Robinson said. “I became interested in recording and releasing music for that reason. I also wanted to create something long lasting that would show what my band and I were able to do. The process is rewarding, long, complicated, fun and expensive all at the same time. Finding a recording studio, choosing the tunes and their order on the album, getting an acceptable ‘take’ for each track, and coordinating schedules with the other musicians are just some of the things that go into it.”

Robinson’s music can be found on all streaming services as well as YouTube. Musical footage, interviews, reviews, and information on upcoming performances can be located on his website, samrobinsonmusic.com.

“I enjoy playing jazz because it’s all about self-expression,” he said. “It’s something you can never master, something that always pushes you to discover something new. To be able to do that on your instrument while making music with other musicians is a wonderful feeling.”