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

---

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

---

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

---