Jazz Crusaders - Soul Axess

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:20
Size: 181,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:06)  1. Overjoyed
(4:28)  2. Clima Suave (Smooth & Cool)
(4:29)  3. Trail of the Sidewinder
(6:58)  4. Imagine
(3:47)  5. Standing Tall
(5:41)  6. Down Yonder
(5:36)  7. Life in the City (Really Turns Me On)
(5:17)  8. All That Jazz N Razz a Ma Tazz
(7:29)  9. Prodigal Son
(6:32) 10. All Along the Watchtower
(5:25) 11. Over the Rainbow
(4:55) 12. Never Too Late (To Fall in Love Again)
(4:18) 13. Ya Gotta Respect Ya Self
(6:13) 14. Goin' Bukyld

Since the breakup of the original Crusaders in the '80s, there have always been two factions battling for the name: the occasional Joe Sample-Wilton Felder projects billed as "the Crusaders," and another group of rotating smooth jazz musicians led by trombonist Wayne Henderson, usually called the Jazz Crusaders. This new fun-filled, very brassy, and stylistically diverse collection features Felder on only three tracks, but, not surprisingly, one of the best is "Down Yonder," a gospel-inflected midtempo funk number that joyfully recalls the old Crusaders' Southern roots. Elsewhere, it's more a gathering of contemporary greats, with Henderson forming tasty horn sections with guest saxmen Everette Harp (on the bouncy cover of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed," also featuring a crisp Norman Brown guitar solo) and Ronnie Laws. Vibist Roy Ayers adds a touch of class to the Latin-flavored "Clima Suave (Smooth & Cool)," and Bobby Lyle (piano) and Dwight Sills (guitar) find ample room to shine on their numbers. The only drawback is Henderson's seeming need to join the hip-hop generation by adding several rap vocals, one of which pays obligatory homage to jazz heroes ("All That Jazz n Razz a Ma Tazz"). Along with an overreliance on pop covers, this sort of thinking makes Henderson's effort a far less rewarding experience than Sample and Felder's return to the front porch on the previous year's Rural Renewal. There are always glimmers of unique creativity, however. A cover of "Over the Rainbow" featuring vocalist Phillip Ingram features a cool Take 6-like intro, but then evolves into something much more pedestrian. ~ Jonathan Widran https://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-axess-mw0000333594

Personnel:  Bass – Larry Kimpel, Nathan East;  Drums – Tony Moore;  Guitar – Brian Price, Dwight Sills;  Keyboards – Bobby Lyle, Herman Jackson;  Soprano Saxophone – Ronnie Laws;  Tenor Saxophone – Everette Harp, Ronnie Laws, Wilton Felder;  Vibraphone – Roy Ayers;  Vocals – Jean Carne, Phillip Ingram;    Producer – Wayne Henderson

Soul Axess

---

Jazz Crusaders - Freedom Sound

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:00
Size: 76,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:40)  1. The Geek
(5:56)  2. M.J.S. Funk
(4:46)  3. That's It
(8:26)  4. Freedom Sound
(3:49)  5. Theme From Exodus
(4:22)  6. Coon

The first album by the Jazz Crusaders (which started an extensive series for Pacific Jazz) introduced the colorful quintet. With trombonist Wayne Henderson and tenor saxophonist Wilton Felder giving the ensembles a unique sound, the group (also featuring regular members pianist Joe Sample and drummer Stix Hooper along with guests Jimmy Bond on bass and guitarist Roy Gaines) managed to strike a balance between creative hard bop and accessible soul-jazz. In addition to their version of "Theme From Exodus" (hoping to jump on the bandwagon created by Eddie Harris' hit rendition), the Jazz Crusaders perform originals by Felder, Henderson, and Sample ("Freedom Sound"). ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/freedom-sound-mw0000677988

Personnel:  Wayne Henderson - trombone;  Wilton Felder - tenor saxophone;  Joe Sample - piano;  Roy Gaines - guitar (tracks 1 & 4);  Jimmy Bond - bass;  Stix Hooper - drums

Freedom Sound

---

The Jazz Crusaders - Lighthouse '68

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:43
Size: 169,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:55)  1. Oogo-Boo-Ga-Loo
(7:43)  2. Eleanor Rigby
(8:57)  3. Native Dancer
(7:26)  4. Never Had It So Good
(9:02)  5. The Emperor
(6:25)  6. Impressions
(6:22)  7. Cathy The Cooker
(4:03)  8. Shadows
(8:01)  9. Tough Talk
(8:45) 10. Third Principle

Lighthouse '68 is the third date the Jazz Crusaders cut at the popular California venue. Previous outings recorded here, though very fine, carried the sonic weight of a band very aware of their audience and that they were making live records. Here, they get it completely right. Feel is what dictates the material and its execution on this set, without unnecessary attention paid to crowd or recording apparatus. This is one the most intimate jazz shows captured on tape during the 1960s. It gives record buyers the sound of a band in full possession of their considerable capabilities, celebrating them in a relaxed environment, playing their own brand of grooved-out '60s jazz. What is most apparent is how seamlessly the Jazz Crusaders Wilton Felder, Stix Hooper, Joe Sample, Buster Williams, and Wayne Henderson  wove together hard bopping blues, soul-jazz, Horace Silver's funky rhythmic ideas, and gospel. One listen to the set's opener, "Oogo-Boo-Ga-Loo," with its funky strut and call-and-response chorus, brings the Sunday morning church music to the Saturday discotheque for a workout. As it cascades into "Eleanor Rigby," Sample's solo goes deeply into the blues for his inspiration and comes out with a funky panoply of cadences that are double timed and stretched out into a loping soul groove by the rhythm section before the horns bring the melody back with finger-popping assent. Sample's street-smart "Never Had It So Good" offers an elongated front line with a summer stroll through a Latin theme before erupting into deep soul. But the kicker is in Buster Williams' compositions. 

As a jazz composer, Williams was closely aligned with hard bop as it evolved. His expansive rhythms, smooth melodic lines, and tight harmonic palette offered soloists a chance to stretch his grooves further, bringing modality as first articulated by Miles Davis' mid-'60s quintet and a warm yet expressed sophistication to his tunes (check "Native Dancer" with its Latin tinge and the shimmering melodic pulse of "The Emperor," which gives way to the set's closer, a graceful, profoundly subtle, and gorgeous reading of John Coltrane's "Impressions"). In sum, this record delivers what most records only promise: it literally sings with great musicianship displayed with verve and acumen, along with a warm human feeling that amounts to joy. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/lighthouse-68-mw0000697614

The Jazz Crusaders: Wilton Felder (tenor saxophone); Wayne Henderson (trombone); Joe Sample (piano); Buster Williams (bass); Stix Hooper (drums).

Lighthouse '68

---

Jazz Crusaders - Lookin' Ahead

Styles: Jazz, Big Band

Year: 1962

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 35:39

Size: 83,1 MB

Art: Front

(4:04)  1. Song Of India

(5:00)  2. Big Hunk Of Funk

(2:54)  3. Tonight

(3:58)  4. 507 Neyland

(3:35)  5. Till All Ends

(4:26)  6. Tortoise And The Hare

(3:24)  7. In A Dream

(4:40)  8. Sinnin' Sam

(3:37)  9. The Young Rabbits

The Jazz Crusaders' second recording is most notable for the introduction of Wayne Henderson's "The Young Rabbits," the best-known of the seven group originals which are performed on this LP along with "Song of India" and Leonard Bernstein's "Tonight." The tenor-trombone frontline created by Wilton Felder and Henderson, along with the funky yet swinging playing of pianist Joe Sample, drummer Stix Hooper and bassist Jimmy Bond on this hard-to-find set made the group instantly recognizable and surprisingly popular from the start.~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/lookin-ahead-mw0000891016

Personnel: Jimmy Bond (Bass); Sticks Hooper (Drums); Joe Sample (Piano); Wilton Felder (Tenor Saxophone); Wayne Henderson (Trombone).

Lookin'Ahead

---

The Jazz Crusaders - The Thing

Styles: Jazz, Big Band

Year: 1965

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 35:23

Size: 81,6 MB

Art: Front

(4:41)  1. The Thing

(5:12)  2. Sunset In The Mountains

(3:35)  3. While The City Sleeps

(4:51)  4. White Cobra

(4:43)  5. New Time Shuffle

(6:38)  6. Para Mi Espoza

(5:41)  7. Soul Kosher

The Crusaders are an American music group popular in the early 1970s known for their amalgamated jazz, pop, and soul sound. Since 1961, more than forty albums have been credited to the group (some live and compilations), 19 of which were recorded under the name "The Jazz Crusaders" (1961–1970). https://www.amazon.com/JAZZ-CRUSADERS-THING/dp/B00C76FSIE

Personnel:  Wayne Henderson – trombone;  Wilton Felder - tenor saxophone;  Joe Sample – piano;  Monk Montgomery - electric bass (tracks 2, 3, 6 & 7);  Victor Gaskin - bass (tracks 1, 4 & 5);  Stix Hooper - drums

The Thing

---

Jazz Crusaders - Happy Again

Styles: Jazz Funk
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:54
Size: 151,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:36)  1. Lock It Down
(5:59)  2. When You're So Far Away
(4:33)  3. Elephant Walk
(6:46)  4. Top Of The World
(3:39)  5. Fools Rush In
(5:37)  6. Are You Part Of Me
(5:44)  7. Slyzappit
(5:19)  8. Rock Slide
(5:55)  9. La luz Del Dia
(3:46) 10. Jamaica
(5:25) 11. Travelin' Inside Your Love
(3:19) 12. Young Tabbits
(5:11) 13. Uh-huh! Oh-yeah!

When trombonist/producer Wayne Henderson, pianist/keyboardist Joe Sample, sax-man Wilton Felder, and drummer Stix Hooper changed their name from the Jazz Crusaders to the Crusaders back in 1971, it signaled a more R&B-minded direction for the group they were always funky, but in the '70s, they became even funkier. And so, the names the Crusaders and the Jazz Crusaders came to stand for two different things if the Jazz Crusaders were synonymous with a funky yet acoustic-oriented approach to hard bop (à la Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers), the Crusaders were about electric-oriented jazz-funk and fusion. In 1995, Henderson (who left the Crusaders in 1975) resurrected the name the Jazz Crusaders and produced Happy Again for the small, Los Angeles-based Sin-drome Records. Sample objected to Henderson's use of the name the Jazz Crusaders, although Sample and Felder were still part of the Crusaders. Confused? Suffice to say that different improvisers used the two names on different projects in the '90s. On Happy Again, Henderson oversees a lineup that includes Felder as well as trumpeter Donald Byrd, guitarist Larry Carlton, keyboardist Bobby Lyle, vibist Roy Ayers, flutist Hubert Laws, and percussionist Poncho Sanchez (among others). With such an impressive cast, Happy Again should have been exceptional; it isn't, although Henderson does give a generally decent album of electric jazz-funk and pop-jazz. Some might argue that if Henderson was going to resurrect the name the Jazz Crusaders, this album should have been more straight-ahead and bop-oriented and that tracks like "When You're So Far Away" and "Elephant Walk" are too pop-influenced to be called Jazz Crusaders recordings. But while Happy Again is hardly the work of a bop purist, it's still a pleasant, if imperfect, outing, and in 1995 it was nice to hear Henderson taking some trombone solos again.~ Alex Henserson http://www.allmusic.com/album/happy-again-mw0000646561

The Jazz Crusaders includes: Bobby Caldwell (vocals); Wayne Henderson, Wilton Felder, Bobby Lyle, N'Dugu Chancler, Larry Kimpel, Craig T.

Happy Again

---

The Jazz Crusaders - Old Socks, New Shoes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 38:59

Size: 89.3 MB

Styles: Soul/Jazz/Funk

Year: 1970/2015

Art: Front

[5:32] 1. Thank You

[4:02] 2. Funny Shuffle

[2:35] 3. Why Do You Laugh At Me

[2:43] 4. Jackson!

[4:08] 5. Rainy Night In Georgia

[4:07] 6. Golden Slumbers

[4:16] 7. Jazz!

[4:27] 8. Time Has No Ending

[3:02] 9. Hard Times

[4:03] 10. Way Back Home

Old Socks, New Shoes...New Socks, Old Shoes was the final album by the Jazz Crusaders. Immediately thereafter they dropped the word "jazz" from their name, leaving them the Crusaders and most of the rest is history. This killer set was released on the Chisa label in 1970 and distributed by Motown. While the Jazz Crusaders had long made then-current popular songs part of their repertoire, and had moved from their hard bop origins into the soul-jazz groove years before, this disc was a shock, and sounded like a different band -- almost. For starters, pianist Joe Sample moved over the Rhodes for the majority for this date (he is still one of the greatest voices on this strange, imprecise instrument), and along with drummer Stix Hooper, saxophonist Wilton Felder, and trombonist Wayne Henderson, guitarists Arthur Adams and Freddie Robinson helped out on bass and guitar, respectively. The Jazz Crusaders soul-jazz sound slid on over to an early version of jazz-funk, without sacrificing any of its emotionally engaged interplay or melodic foundation. Still, hearing the two electric guitars, a fat, nasty electric bassline, and Sample's big chunky funk chords signaling the beginning of Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" as the album's kick off must have made fans do a double take -- until the horns kick in. It's trademark Jazz Crusaders there. The front line of Felder and Henderson with those near patented breaks of Hooper's would assure all that despite the electricity, the group was onto something new, different, and as greasy and soulful as they had been in the past. This is one of those forgotten Crusaders albums, being on the seam of their transition. Even Pass the Plate, which followed on Chisa, was better known than Old Socks and has been served by history a little better.

Henderson composed four tunes here and Sample one, and Felder's "Way Back Home," a live staple for the group, closed this set out. Henderson's tunes are the real stand-outs of the originals. "Funky Shuffle," with its slippery backbeat and alternating guitars before the rolling horns and Sample's all-over-the-keyboard chord voicings give the wide base for the melody. It's a subtle but addictive track with lots of compelling tonal colors -- and fine breakbeats by Hooper. Two other selections are gorgeous and very innovative readings of pop tunes: the version the Crusaders did of Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia" is rumored to have brought tears to the songwriter's eyes when he heard it. Sample plays both Rhodes and electric harpsichord on the tune, and Freddy Robinson's whispering blues fills turn a Southern soul number into a textbook exercise in arrangement and melodic improvisation. "Golden Slumbers" by Lennon and McCartney functions with the melody side in the chart from the very beginning, but the harmonic engagement of Henderson and Felder brings the mournful, sleepy intro some real melancholy as Sample, Adams, and Robinson color the entire center with quiet movement and shading before Hooper's drums kick it into gear and still it remains a ballad of stirring soul. Just before the recording ends, there's a wildly different and uptempo arrangement of "Hard Times," which became the group's soul theme on subsequent studio records and on the wonderful live LP Scratch. This one feels more defiant, more resilient, where the latter versions are all longer and dig deeper into the slow soul and blues bags. It's easy to love them all, but this is such a contrast to the others that it's worth noting. The set closes with another group standard: Felder's beautiful, midtempo shuffle "Way Back Home," that offers the same punch that its subsequent studio and live recordings does. It's pure soul-jazz and the evidence of the great experience this already seasoned unit has in allowing everyone to shine simultaneously in the most minimal of arrangements. Despite the fact that many serious jazzheads see this as the beginning of the creative end for the Crusaders, they are just plain wrong. This is the start of a new beginning, one that would roll on through most of the '70s and bring the group its greatest commercial and radio successes and makes them such an excellent source of inspiration and samples for hip-hop and dance music producers for another couple of generations. This is an absolute classic. [ The Crusaders '70s music brought such joy to so many people, it's a wonder this album was not available on CD in America until the 21st century. Verve reissued it as part of their excellent Originals series.] ~Thom Jurek

Old Socks, New Shoes

---

Les McCann & The Jazz Crusaders - Jazz Waltz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 33:19

Size: 76.3 MB

Styles: Hard bop, Soul-jazz

Year: 1963/2012

Art: Front

[2:35] 1. Spanish Castle

[3:12] 2. Blues For Yna Yna

[4:13] 3. Damascus

[3:28] 4. 3 4 For God & Co

[2:57] 5. Bluesette

[2:58] 6. Big City

[3:05] 7. This Here

[3:46] 8. Jitterbug Waltz

[4:22] 9. All Blues

[2:37] 10. Jazz Waltz

Bass – Robert Haynes; Drums – "Stix" Hooper; Piano, Electric Piano, Organ – Les McCann; Piano, Organ – Joe Sample; Saxophone – Wilton Felder; Trombone – Wayne Henderson.

This short CD features both Les McCann and The Jazz Crusaders. While the song Damascus was previously issued on Les McCann's Relationships compilation, the rest of the record was never before released on CD until now. Every track is soul-jazz gold. I'm glad they finally reissued it. ~DW

Jazz Waltz

---