Big Sam's Funky Nation is a driving force of urban funk. Ryan White, of the Oregonian, says the band is "tight enough (and hot enough) to turn coal into a diamond!" The band is led by trombone powerhouse, Big Sam Williams, formerly the trombonist for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, who the San Francisco Chronicle calls "the top man on the slide trombone in the birthplace of jazz." Big Sam refuses to let the audience sit still. Between the band's solos, Big Sam's signature dance moves and his distinctive trombone riffs, the energy level is high voltage when this band takes the stage!

"Big Sam's Funky Nation is in rare company as far as their ability to incite a huge dance-a-thon, and their set included his take on "Hard To Handle" and the declaration that Sam is the king of the Jazz Fest [2011] party." Wesley Hodges, Jambase