It’s All About Love
The husband-and-wife team of Bill Sample and Darlene Cooper – known collectively as Wild Blue Herons – return in 2026 with It’s All About Love, a soulful, groove-driven set of original music shaped by a lifetime of shared artistry.
About the album
The husband-and-wife team of Bill Sample and Darlene Cooper – known collectively as Wild Blue Herons – return in 2026 with It’s All About Love, a soulful, groove-driven set of original music shaped by a lifetime of shared artistry. Blending jazz, funk, gospel and contemporary pop influences, the band’s third album captures the expansive sound they’ve honed on festival stages and club dates across Canada.
It’s All About Love is set for release on February 14th, 2026.
A celebrated figure in Canadian music and an inductee of the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, keyboardist and composer Bill Sample brings decades of high-level experience. A former musical director for David Foster, he has performed with Celine Dion, Ray Charles, Kenny Loggins, and opened for Oscar Peterson and Monty Alexander. He was also one of Diana Krall’s early piano teachers. His partner on and off stage, vocalist Darlene Cooper, is a respected jazz/soul/gospel singer, arranger and educator whose collaborators include Eric Bibb, Dee Daniels, Marcus Mosely, Leon Bibb and many more.
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Formed in 2017, Wild Blue Herons have appeared at leading festivals and clubs across Canada including Vancouver Folk Festival, the Filberg Festival, Frankie’s Jazz Club, Jazz Bistro Toronto and more. Their first two albums, the full-band funk-leaning On the Outside and the intimate lockdown project You and I, established the pair as a versatile and deeply connected creative partnership.
With It’s All About Love, Sample and Cooper widen the lens. Adding a full horn section in 2023 sparked a shift toward a more groove-oriented, Crusaders-meets-Steely-Dan aesthetic – deep pocket, joyful energy, and sophisticated arrangements shaped by Sample’s writing. The album moves fluidly between jazzy swing, funk-driven anthems and soulful ballads, unified by themes of presence, gratitude and keeping love at the centre.
Recorded with a band of long-time collaborators – musicians whose résumés include work with Van Morrison, Tom Cochrane and k.d. lang – the project captures the warmth, chemistry and lived-in musicality that define Wild Blue Herons’ live shows.
Press quotes
“It’s All About Love’ sounds fuller thanks to richer arrangements, including horns. This is an excellent addition, making the compositions livelier and more exciting”Maxazine · NL
“by the final tracks, I am fully awake, aware that this is one of those recordings that quietly reaffirms why jazz continues to matter”
“The songs filling It’s All About Love are noble in composition and meticulously refined in their arrangements”
“he album moves seamlessly between jazz swing, funk anthems, and soulful ballads”
“a testament to how music can be a vehicle for joy, connection and hope. A work that, in an often frenetic world, reminds us of the importance of stopping, listening and celebrating love in all its nuances.”
“Both Cooper and Sample are established composers. This album showcases their creative abilities, their lyrical compassion for humanity, and their melodic original music”
“This album really is all about love”
“Cooper is sassy as all get out on the jam of “Bebop” while seductively soulful on “Live In The Moment”
“For the vibe, file this one somewhere between Steely Dan and Al Jarreau, and you wouldn’t be disappointed”
